Police in Ballymena, Co Antrim have appealed for calm ahead of today's funeral of Michael McIlveen, the local schoolboy who died from the injuries he sustained in a sectarian assault early last Sunday week.
Despite appeals from Michael's family for no retaliation, there is security and local community concern that the murder could trigger revenge attacks. PSNI superintendent Terry Shevlin said extra officers were deployed in the town to counter such action. He acknowledged that feelings were running high and appealed for calm.
The McIlveen family said local MP and DUP leader Ian Paisley would be welcome to attend today's funeral. Local people will gather at the family home at Dunvale in the Dunclug estate before the cortege heads for All Saints Catholic church near the town centre for requiem Mass at noon.
Dr Paisley visited the McIlveens at their home on Sunday night. His son Ian Paisley jnr said yesterday evening that Dr Paisley had yet to decide what he would do today in relation to the funeral.
Catholic and Protestant friends of Michael are expected to wear Celtic and Rangers jerseys as part of a guard of honour in a show of cross-community unity at his funeral. The McIlveen family requested that friends wear their respective football tops in a tribute to be staged in the grounds of the church.
In the days since the death of Michael - himself a Glasgow Celtic fan - many of his friends from the religiously mixed but mainly Catholic Dunclug estate had his nickname "MickyBo" printed on the backs of their football jerseys.
Michael's classmates and school friends from St Patrick's College in Ballymena will be out in force at the funeral. Principal Catherine Magee confirmed the school would close today as a mark of respect. She welcomed the crosscommunity nature of the guard of honour. "It shows that Michael touched people right across the community. He was a great fellow."
Fr Paul Symonds, who will say Mass, told parishioners at All Saints on Sunday that they should be anti-sectarian in word, thought and deed. He said yesterday that community reconciliation will be a central message of his homily.
Fr Symonds has been involved in many cross-community schemes in Ballymena and recently stood alongside members of the UDA-linked Ulster Political Research Group as a UDA mural was removed near Harryville Catholic Church in the town.
Fr Symonds said All Saints was expecting huge numbers of mourners to attend the funeral and a loudspeaker relay system would be in place. The words of the Mass would also be broadcast to the All Saints youth club, which will be specially opened to accommodate mourners.
The Parades Commission last night welcomed a decision by a loyalist flute band to voluntarily re-route a controversial parade away from a street just yards from the scene where Michael was attacked.
A spokesperson confirmed that the Ballykeel Loyal Sons of Ulster Flute Band in Ballymena had contacted the commission with a revised route notification which takes them away from Broughshane Street, close to Garfield Place carpark where Michael was attacked.
The Ballykeel parade, which is due to take place on Saturday night, will now turn at Broadway in the centre of Ballymena and go along Church Street. The parade had also been due to go along William Street where many of the pubs have a mainly Catholic clientele.
