A PROTESTANT business in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone, is being forced to close because of a trade boycott from nationalists protesting about Drumcree.
Mr Robert Rainey, a third generation butcher in the mainly Catholic village, has said he will stop trading in the new year. He has had to supplement his income with a second job.
Mr Rainey, a married man with two children, said he was very sad. "We are finished," he said. "We have had individual Catholics call us on the telephone to say how sympathetic they are, but they are too afraid of Sinn Fein and the IRA to ignore warnings to keep away. He accused local Catholic clergy of not condemning the boycott "because they are afraid to talk against Sinn Fein".
He had been told he would not receive compensation. "The British government was also afraid to take action," he said.