Lawless
I'm disgusted at today's street rioting in Dublin perpetrated by supporters of the 'Republican Sinn Féin' splinter group during the Unionist demonstration in memory of the many hundreds Irish people murdered by Republican terrorists. Paint bombs, petrol bombs and building materials have all been thrown at hundreds of Gardaí, and several have been injured.
Obviously these idiots have no respect for their own fine country, let alone anyone else's. If, God forbid, something like this were to happen at a Bloody Sunday memorial event we'd never hear the end of it. I want to see Sinn Féin condemn the riot roundly and confirm it supports freedom of expression for all. No excuses. Are they Big enough?
[Update: Yes they are.]
posted by B.U. @ 5:33 p.m.
13 comments
13 Comments:
Well I saw Sinn Féin's Sean Crowe condemn it. At their Ard Fheis they aimed to:
"Develop an entirely new relationship with unionists, deepening and broadening the party’s engagement with that community.
So I don't see how today's violence helps their cause. I don't think they will be happy about what transpired today.
It was a lunatic fringe that have no clue what Irish Republicanism is meant to be about.
Yes, UI, I saw that Ard Fheis motion with great interest.
We mustn't let today's shenanigans make us lose sight of the reason for the Unionist parade, namely to remember the Protestant (and Catholic) people murdered by Republican terrorism.
There must be room for that in an inclusive Ireland.
On a philosophical note, there's something strangely touching about the sight of Gardaí risking life and limb to protect northern Unionists. BU.
"On a philosophical note, there's something strangely touching about the sight of Gardaí risking life and limb to protect northern Unionists"
That's a very good point John.
Disgraceful I agree. As a Southerner I am shocked at scenes like this. They don't represent Southerners generally - they were 400 out of 1.2 million Dubliners. Now it transpires some aren't even Irish, and some are alleged to be Northern dissident republicans. Others are the usual white trash that turn up to cause trouble on occasions like Mayday in London etc.
Anonymous - whilst i can imagine there may have been opertunistic looting by people not of these shores (and i'm sure there were fair few of our own that took part, I'm not excusing it but these people were not the main problem. I do of course belief that they should face the full penalties of the law) the vast majority of the damage was done by Irish people. Lets not get sidetracked here. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if that info was spun out by those involved in the riots that today. I was on O'Connell Street between 1200 and 1320 and i'll tell ya what - i didn't hear one non irish voice hurling abuse at the Garda or see anyone who wasn't irish taking part in the events.
Witness the fact that Eastern Europeans were arrested suggests otherwise. In the newspapers I was reading yesterday there was mention of Spaniards and Americans involved too. There is an international anarchist movement that have been making their presence increasingly felt violently, as seen in the Mayday riots in London. Yet few was say those rioters were representative of Londoners. Neither is this representative of most Southerners. It goes on vastly more often on the Northern side of the border. In fact, I don't think anything on this scale has ever happened since independence, and bear in mind the last OO march in Dublin was in 1936, 13 years after independence. Note that the Rossnowlagh Orange march is always peaceful.
"We mustn't let today's shenanigans make us lose sight of the reason for the Unionist parade, namely to remember the Protestant (and Catholic) people murdered by Republican terrorism."
John I have no problem with remembering victims and I agree that the march should have been let through. However, I think that there are certain individuals in Love Ulster with questions to answer about their true intentions. No doubt many and probably most were decent people, but regard Willie Frazer, I regard with contempt his refusal, when asked by Daily Ireland, to rule out marchers carrying an image of Robert McConnell, linked by BBC NI's Spotlight program to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings which killed 33 people. McConnell was a UDR and UVF member, and is also linked to 55 murders in the North. Admittedly he was killed by the IRA, but is this really the sort of 'victim' that deserves to be commemorated?
Brian, I take your points, especially Rossnowlagh which is attended largely by peaceful guys from God's own county (Fermanagh ;-). I agree, Willie Frazer's emotional behaviour does his cause no good.
Does McConnell deserve to be commemorated? Not for his alleged acts, that's for sure. But as a man?
One of my schoolfriends was murdered in cold blood by the IRA in Donegal, but I still feel for the mothers and fathers of dead terrorists of all colours.
I think we all have to get to that stage before Ulster can move on. BU.
from God's own county (Fermanagh
You wish John!
There is only one God's county/country and that is South Armagh ;)
John
the Garda were terrific! There has been a lot of talk about what they did/didn't/should have in terms of intelligence. Legitimate questions but none which I am in a position to judge, but I suspect that hindsight makes sages of us all.
I fully beleive that if the rioters had been given half a chance they would have killed us. I had no idea of the danger we were in until I was safe and listening to what happened to Charlie Bird.
I had not anticpiated the scale of the disorder. I was execting nothing worse than a few insults. I had everyfaith that the guards would ensure our safety. Unfortunately they were not able to protect themselves.
I prefer to consider that those that genuinely welcomed us to Dublin and the guards who protected us as a truer representation of the people of Dublin, whic includes blood relatives of mine.
prefer to consider that those that genuinely welcomed us to Dublin and the guards who protected us as a truer representation of the people of Dublin, whic includes blood relatives of mine.
Quite right, Aileen. Glad you're safe, was thinking of you on the day. BU.
roits in dublin were called for , fair play if they started a riot , bet if catholics tryed to march through shankill , sandyrow or any protestant community,Dear old ian would have a say, people got to realise if they want to march , they can do it were they're welcomed,really it was stupid of them trying to march, love ulster , well lets march through south belfast goin on about bloody sunday , hunger stikers , trick or treat massacre etc etc they wud riot burn cars etc etc
Downpatrick Bhoy
think you'll find that republicans march through Belfast on a fairly regular basis...their views and principles offend me to the core, but I don't ever feel the need to go and wreck the place... I see Irish tricolours flying all over NI, again not something I'm happy with, but I don't go out and burn them, but then I'm not sectarian...
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