Ardoyne

[SpabSFW]

The hopes for a peaceful parade season fell apart on the 12th. The Protestants felt they didn't have to live up to their end of the delicate compromises created by the Parades Commission. The result was the worst riots in the North in 2 years. As a result, SDLP is considering pulling out of the DPP and joining Sinn Fein's boycott of the police department. I think this indicates Sinn Fein was correct all along to not join the board until the PSNI makes the necessary changes. Various links below.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...hern_ireland_3

...The Twelfth this year got off to its traditionally rowdy start, with hundreds of bonfires constructed of pallets, old furniture, scrap wood and tires being lit at midnight.

In Belfast, heavy-drinking crowds cheered as bonfires decorated with hate symbols — chiefly Irish flags and election posters for Sinn Fein — burned speedily to the ground.

Some masked gunmen from outlawed anti-Catholic paramilitary groups fired handguns and submachine guns into the air.

Representatives from two rival gangs, the Ulster Defense Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force, read statements vowing to defend Protestant areas from IRA attacks. The displays demonstrated that, although all three groups are supposed to be observing cease-fires, they remain armed and organized in defiance of a 1998 peace accord.

"We are better prepared now than at any time in the past," declared one masked UDA man to cheers. "It's still no surrender to the enemies of Ulster, no matter where they may be."...

and these people don't need to decommission why??? oh, that's right... because all the problems are caused not by the 5000 armed violent UDA guyz but the 500 measly IRA defenders.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...hern_ireland_6

"...The Orange Order threatened to stage a mass protest of thousands of members unless the supporters, many of them drunk and verbally aggressive, were allowed to walk.


After hours of negotiations, the police decided to require the bands to speed past Ardoyne in three buses, while the supporters walked through several minutes behind the Orangemen — a compromise that both sides condemned from opposite points of view...."

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http://news.bostonherald.com/interna...rticleid=35419

Astounding! IRA men shield Brit soldiers from rioters

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - A Protestant march through a Catholic area of North Belfast triggered sharp rioting yesterday before members of the outlawed Irish Republican Army intervened to stop violence from spiraling out of control. No serious injuries were reported.

In scenes unimaginable before the 11-year-old Irish peace process began, top IRA men rushed to rescue a dozen besieged British soldiers from a stick-wielding mob of pro-Irish nationalists.

Many of the IRA men, along with top officials of the Sinn Fein party, endured heavy verbal and physical abuse from the angry crowd as they struggled to quell the intermittent rioting.


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http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=538056

Campaign of terror

"A FEARED loyalist gang is set to wage a campaign of terror in south Down over the marching season, it has been claimed.

Senior security sources told Sunday Life that the terrorists - believed to have close links to the LVF - have vowed to target known republicans in the area.

The same gang was blamed for leaving a pipe-bomb device at the home of a man, in the New Model Farm Estate in Downpatrick last Monday.

The device, which was made safe by Army experts, was spotted by a postman who raised the alarm.

The pipe-bomb was found just a few yards from where a similar device was left by loyalists, at the Russell Gaelic Union's clubhouse, in 2001..."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/n...nd/3888927.stm

Gun attack 'was sectarian'


The other people in the house were unhurt
A gun attack on a house in County Antrim was sectarian, police have said.
No-one was injured in the incident near Ballymoney.

It happened just before 0200 BST on Tuesday at Corkey Road outside Loughgiel.

Six men, some of them wearing masks went into the house, which is believed to be owned by a Catholic family. ...

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/fro...3HM1NORTH.html

"...Such was the fury of the nationalists that senior republicans such as Mr Gerry Kelly and Mr Bobby Storey had great difficulty restraining the crowd. Mr Kelly told the protesters that he understood their anger but that there was little point in engaging in violence.

Some of the nationalists ignored him, jostling and pushing him away, and continuing to attack the police and army. At one stage it seemed that the soldiers and police might be overwhelmed by the crowd.

There were a number of baton charges. Republicans also maintained their efforts to calm the situation which finally led to a semblance of order. The situation, however, remained very tense in Ardoyne last night.

An angry Mr Kelly blamed the police and British government for the trouble, saying they had contravened the commission ruling by allowing the loyalist supporters past the Ardoyne shops."

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more...

[SpabSFW]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_I...259828,00.html

Street battles raged in north Belfast last night after a loyalist parade and supporters waving paramilitary flags were allowed to march past a row of Catholic shops.

A 51-year-old man died of a heart attack after thousands of nationalists turned on riot police with bottles, rocks, bricks and anything they could find in residential streets, including trees uprooted from gardens.

Senior republicans had to intervene to stop a nationalist mob that had isolated around 15 soldiers, forced them against a fence and were attacking them with rocks and baseball bats.

...

Martin Morgan, a former mayor of Belfast, for the moderate nationalist SDLP, said the police decision to allow the loyalist parade supporters to walk past the nationalist shops had done "untold damage" to community relations and nationalist faith in the Parades Commission.

He said nationalists had been hemmed in while illegal loyalist paramilitary flags were allowed in the loyalist crowd. He said his party would demand a police ombudsman's report into the policing of the parade.

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http://www.newsletter.co.uk/story/13651

The SDLP last night threatened to withdraw from the District Policing Partnership in Larne after the elderly mother of a nationalist politician received a death threat when she complained about loyalists putting flags up outside her home.

Danny O'Connor, a member of the local DPP, claimed police officers had failed to keep their promise that the " intimidatory placing" of flags would not be tolerated in the town.

Police said they had no power to remove the flags but Mr O'Connor claimed their response was inadequate...

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http://www.u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?pt=n&id=48002

Ardoyne residents meet Adams

Ardoyne residents held a public meeting this afternoon to discuss last night's Orange Order parade and the fighting which followed it.

Sinn Fein has said there is great anger in the nationalist community after the parade and its followers were allowed past Ardoyne shops.

Anger at the police who allowed supporters of the Orange men to walk up the Crumlin Road erupted into fierce rioting which saw hand to hand combat between nationalists and soldiers.

This afternoon, residents and the Sinn Fein leader met at a local club to discuss what happened. Gerry Adams said there was a sense of `betrayal in the community`...

some commentaries from below the article from readers:

On 13 Jul at 17:24 - RD from UK said:

The RUC placed themselves in that "unenviable position". As a consequence, any marginal progress there has been amongst moderate Catholics has evaporated. Last night reminded me of Drumcree circa 1996, with the RUC looking after their pals. Partial Policing has no support from me. Time for the SDLP to act decisively. If they fudge this I will support them no more.



On 13 Jul at 17:46 - Brian from Boston said:

The good people of Ardoyne need to tell Gerry Adams that they are not pawns in the Irish Peace Process. That they will not allow Unionist thugs to trample over their rights to placate the brits or for some imaginary 'greater good'. Enough is enough. Either Sinn féin supports the people 100% or they amalgate with some pro-partitionist party.


On 14 Jul at 11:56 - Seosamh MacEoin from Australia, NSW said:

such a shame to see the people of ardoyne persecuted again by a police force and government that cares not for their needs. how much more has the people in ardoyne to endure before the world realises these injustices that are not unlike the holy lands at the minute. are people still serious about joining a police force like this? once again i think this error by the powers to be has moved the people back a few years. in my thoughts and prayers.



On 14 Jul at 16:17 - Ardoyne Teenager from Ardoyne said:

I have grown up in Ardoyne all my life and although I do not go up to protest or riot about the marches I understand why other residents do. This has nothing to do with Sinn Fein.....They are the oly political PArty who will support us any time we need support, just like the Holy Cross Protest Sinn Fien are the only people who care about the people of Ardoyne and do something about things. Closing the shops for 15minutes is not and option. This means that pensioners and famiies have to stay in their houses for a unnecessary march passes. What about the Catholic Families on The Crumlin that have to sit in their houses and watch the parade go past their window. Young children are not allowed to go to their own windows to look out without being threatened. My young cousin who is only 5 years old was told that he was going to be killed..... Just because he wanted to look at the march out his bedroom window. What is that all about??? Why can´t the marchers use the road that runs down onto the Ballygomartin Road and then leads them onto the Shankill?? That is one of the reasons that road was made for.



On 14 Jul at 17:46 - Kate from New York said:

Ardoyne teenager - some things never change. I am 52 years old and lived in Ardoyne until I just couldn't take it anymore. Ardoyne has been persecuted for my whole lifetime. When are these Orangemen going to grow up? Their parades are offensive, their behaviour is appalling, their arrogance is unacceptable. Nationalist people don't want your stupid parades, your ridiculous celebration of a battle that took place in 1690. Those who take part in these parades that only are held to provoke violence and division need to stop the insanity. It's obvious to the whole world that you don't want to live in peace - you are too caught up with shoving the union jack down people's throats. I guess that gives you Orangemen a thrill. And don't give me the "this is our heritage" thing. The only heritage you have is discriminating and taunting Catholics.


On 14 Jul at 18:04 - RD from UK said:

Mark, I diasgree. I saw the RUC re-emerge the other night, and it disgusts me. Neither SF nor SDLP should have anything to do with them until they apologise publicly for their return to partial policing.


On 15 Jul at 09:11 - Triumphalist from The museum said:

Allowing visiting pot-stirrers to flaunt the parades commission ruling was simply pathetic. McClausland or whatever his name is should be removed from his position immediately. We need more intelligent people in such sensitive roles. Here's a man that manages with one fell swoop to alienate 1000s from the direction taken by a so-called impartial police force. No community should have to live through such police-endorced intimidation and hell-raising from extremists from the other side of town. idiots like this half-baked cop threaten the very peace-process we are all trying to build.

[Snouter]

Dude, not only is that info overload, it is not structured into a digestible format.

[SpabSFW]

Dude.

[Snouter]

I thought you might get a laugh out of that.

[jwreck]

Yeah, but at least they've got non-smoking bars.

[SpabSFW]

A further commentary from the utv link:

On 15 Jul at 13:39 - rambojambo from Edinburgh said:

Hey Sean, if the people of Ardoyne behaved like human beings, they wouldn't need to be "hemmed in".





On 15 Jul at 15:40 - Kate from New York said:

Obviously JB, you were from the other side of the road. When I lived there, Republicans were not thugs. They were protectors against Loyalist murderers and RUC thugs. AND, Andy from UPPER Ardoyne, my relatives were put out of Hesketh 30 years ago because they were Catholics. My cousins in Wheatfield Gardens had live their whole lives silently while Loyalist thugs tied union jacks on their gates and worse. Chief Street was besieged by violence and Catholics chased. Let's tell the truth shall we? And, rambojambo, we all lived like human beings in Ardoyne - we worked, loved, were good neighbours, and died and we all loved Ardoyne. But, then again, how you can you possibly understand - you need to be sniped at by Loyalists from the mill roofs to get it.

[lilnymph]

Originally Posted by jwreck

Yeah, but at least they've got non-smoking bars.

Not in Northern Ireland, since thats part of the UK, not the ROI



hugs

lilnymph

[lilnymph]

Perhaps things would be easier if we just shipped the entire militant population of NI to some remote Island somewhere, and let them fight it out, and let more Irish move in from the republic to make up the empty spaces Then there would be a good chance of a united Ireland, where the majoity of the people want it, and we could have the reality "battle royal" between the "loyalist" and "republican" terrorists on the Island broadcast live for our entertainment

hugs

lilnymph

[Snouter]

There you go lilnymph.

Now you are thinking out of the box.

[SpabSFW]

Originally Posted by lilnymph

Perhaps things would be easier if we just shipped the entire militant population of NI to some remote Island somewhere, and let them fight it out, and let more Irish move in from the republic to make up the empty spaces Then there would be a good chance of a united Ireland, where the majoity of the people want it, and we could have the reality "battle royal" between the "loyalist" and "republican" terrorists on the Island broadcast live for our entertainment

hugs

lilnymph

There is nothing entertaining about dead children.

If Great Britain wants to "rule" NI, maybe they should make sure the police protect and serve the entire population and not just the unionists.

Personally, I think throwing rocks and the like is relatively useless, however FINING the participants in the parade, perhaps 5000 pounds apiece, and making the fines payable to vocational re-education for ex-provos might make them think twice about setting aside the rulings of the Parade Commission. You think?

Or is it just 'ok' for loyalists to spit all over delicate negotiations made by the official body assigned to arrange compromises?

I included commentary from people who live there so people can understand that it's not about some stupid parade, but about drunk violent loyalists armed with farm implements rampaging through Catholic neighborhoods. Some tradition.

[IFF]

if the PSNI are going to overrule every important decision of the Parades Commission, what is the basis of having a parades commision?

[lilnymph]

Spabs, I think you mis-understood what I was saying, but never mind.

The rule of Law should be followed. I am not disagreeing with you spabs, There is no excuse for loyalists behaviour. However I think it would be more helpful if sinn fein where on the Police board, to have an input into how things are run. If it is left to all "loyalists" to run it, then we are going to go back to the same situation that started all this. And the United Kingdom wants NI to govern NI, It is up to the people and political parties in Northern Ireland to make things work just as much as Britian. NI wanted power devolved to NI, and now it has it, you still keep blaiming Britian for everything?

Hugs

lilnymph