The PSNI has come under renewed criticism after refusing to remove loyalist paramilitary propaganda erected at an Eleventh Night bonfire site on the outskirts of north Belfast, despite recently acquiring enhanced legal powers to tackle such displays.
UVF banners and other paramilitary insignia appeared in the Ballyduff area of Newtownabbey in recent days as part of the annual display of sectarian triumphalism surrounding the Eleventh Night bonfires ahead of anti-Catholic parades by the Protestant Orange Order.
Although amendments to Britain’s ‘Terrorism Act’ were introduced earlier this year, granting the PSNI greater authority to remove paramilitary displays, the force has once again failed to act against openly displayed UVF propaganda.
The PSNI’s reluctance to enforce the law against loyalists has reinforced evidence of unequal policing and the state’s tolerance of sectarian intimidation from unionist and loyalist organisations.
Among the banners erected at the site in Newtownabbey is an expensively produced display depicting two masked and armed UVF figures carrying assault rifles. Other signs prominently feature the insignia of the UVF and its youth wing, the Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV).
One banner declares: “The prevention of the erosion of our identity is now our priority – Ballyduff, Glengormley.”
Another glorifies the “1st East Antrim Battalion” of the UVF alongside an image of a masked gunman, while listing a number of loyalist districts across east Antrim.
The bonfire itself is draped in flags, including one bearing the emblem of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment—the regiment responsible for the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry in January 1972, when 14 unarmed civil rights marchers were shot dead.
A further flag commemorates a a local UVF commander who died in 2020, highlighting the continued public glorification of loyalist paramilitaries.
SDLP councillor Carl Whyte said the displays constituted clear breaches of the law.
“Decades after loyalist ceasefires, loyalist paramilitary organisations continue to operate as organised criminal gangs, exploiting working-class communities while enriching themselves,” he said.
“The erection of these disturbing paramilitary displays breaches multiple laws, including the Terrorism Act. Nowhere else in Britain would armed terrorist propaganda be tolerated in this way. The PSNI should exercise its powers and remove these displays immediately.”
Earlier this year, PSNI Deputy Chief Bobby Singleton told the Policing Board that “failing to act” over paramilitary flags and emblems was no longer an option.
But last week it emerged that East Belfast UDA flags had again been erected close to Garnerville, despite years of controversy surrounding the display of loyalist paramilitary emblems in the area.
At a recent Policing Board meeting, Alliance Assembly member Peter McReynolds admitted loyalist paramilitaries were effectively “giving two fingers” to the PSNI and Stormont departments and openly mocking the authorities’ repeated failures.
FDNY bantamweight Stephanie Valentin [left] in action against Despoina Karatziou of Mendez Boxing. Valentin lost on points.
FDNY boxers raise $80k
July 08, 2026 by Jay Mwamba
With local Irish amateurs Tim Egan and Declan Friel on the card, the Fire Department of New York [FDNY] boxing club raised $80,000 for charity at its10th annual “Thrilla in Camilla” show at St. Camillus Church in Rockaway Beach, Queens.
The event, under open skies, included eight FDNY pugilists against opponents from various clubs in the New York.
“We donated $50,000 to Tunnel to Towers [Foundation] and another $5,000 each to the Patrick Brady Foundation, the FDNY Foundation, the Fire Family Transport Foundation, the Fight for Firefighters Foundation, the NY Firefighters Foundation and the Friends of Firefighters Foundation,” said FDNY Boxing Club president Bobby McGuire. “A great night.”
Tunnels to Towers has been a major beneficiary of FDNY boxing proceeds before. This current donation brings to $300,000 FDNY’s support to Towers in the past three and a half years. The Foundation provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star/fallen first responder families, builds smart homes for injured veterans, and works to end veteran homelessness.
Members of Donal Ward’s BUA Boxing Gym in Astoria, Dundalk’s Timmy Egan and Donegal product Declan Friel were both victorious on the “Thrilla in Camilla” card. Egan outpointed Bronx firefighter Oliver Patrouch in their 165-pound scrap while Friel recorded his first amateur win with a commanding performance over emergency medical technician Patrick McKeown in the 158-pound division.
The other results were [FDNY boxers listed first]:
Welterweight – John Marrero [FDNY EMS St. 3] lost a split decision to Merrick Hickaro [Woodside Boxing Club];
Bantamweight – Stephanie Valentin [FDNY Eng. 294] came up short in an action-packed scrap with Despoina Karatziou [Mendez Boxing Club];
Cruiserweight – Kyle McGrath [Champs Boxing] defeated Jeremy Witherspoon [Woodside];
Heavyweight – Jason Bergin [FDNY Ladd. 5] was victorious via split points over Aiden Haran [Woodside];
Heavyweight – Sean Massimo [FDNY Ladd. 59] beat Eric Wendt [FDNY Div. 3]; and
Super Heavyweight – Dmitriy Teplitskiy [FDNY Ladd. 173] edged the game Josh Bungalso [Woodside].
Seven acquitted over charges linked to 2019 Derry riot
Seven men have been found not guilty of offences stemming from a riot in 2019 in which young freelance journalist Lyra McKee tragically lost her life.
Several petrol bombs had been directed at the PSNI and a car was set on fire following a wave of oppressive PSNI incursions into the strongly republican area of the Creggan in Derry.
Amid intense rioting on April 18, 2019, a group of onlookers, including Ms McKee, were standing beside an armoured police vehicle when she was hit. The New IRA accepted responsibility for her tragic death.
A large number of republicans were rounded up by the PSNI at the time. Of those, nine men eventually appeared at Laganside Courthouse. With strong support in the courtroom from among the local community, they faced a string of 52 charges before a Diplock non-jury trial that started in May 2024.
All but two of them were this werk cleared of all the charges they faced – one was declared guilty of riot-related charges and ordered remanded into custody without bail, while another was declared guilty of assault.
Three men, Peter Cavanagh (pictured, right), Paul McIntyre and Jordan Gareth Devine, were cleared of a joint enterprise charge of murder. Defence lawyers had strongly criticised the very low standard of the evidence in the case, which was almost entirely circumstantial.
In a statement, Saoradh condemned what it said had been the state’s “flagship” prosecution.
Its “total collapse” had “laid bare the lengths to which the British establishment, its judicial apparatus, and the corporate media will go to criminalise Republicanism”, they said.
“For years, Irish Republicans have been subjected to a coordinated campaign of character assassination, prolonged internment by bail, and malicious prosecution.
“Even a non-jury system failed to validate the state’s transparently political narrative.”
They criticised the mainstream media reporting, which they said had deliberately obscured the “central fact” of the day, that the overwhelming majority of those dragged through the courts were vindicated and found innocent.
“To read or watch the news, one would mistakenly believe a blanket conviction had been secured,” they said.
“As Republicans, we remain deeply sensitive to the fact that an innocent civilian lost her life in a tragic accident in 2019. It is a tragedy that should never have occurred.
“However, it is utterly abhorrent that the British state, its security apparatus, and a compliant media have systematically exploited this tragic loss of life as a political weapon to wage a sustained assault on the Republican community and the legitimate struggle for Irish liberation.”
There was also criticism of the political establishment, and particularly the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), for statements falsely claiming Ms McKee had been deliberately targeted and which misrepresented the trial itself as unjust.
“The NUJ has released statements lamenting that ‘justice was not served’ for the family, choosing to entirely ignore the reality that the evidence failed because the state’s case was built on pure speculation and political opportunism,” Saoradh said.
“By declaring that “someone got away with murder”, these organisations openly dismiss the fundamental principle that individuals cannot be convicted without evidence, showing a complete disregard for the profound injustice inflicted upon the accused men and their families over the last number of years.
“For years, these men faced draconian restrictions, destroyed livelihoods, and state sponsored vilification.
“The press, which consistently functions as a mouthpiece for the state, refused to cover the glaring inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case throughout the long running show trial, and they refuse to cover the reality of the injustice faced by the accused.
“Yesterday’s verdicts are a victory against state overreach, but the struggle against the weaponisation of the judicial system and the selective morality of the establishment media continues.”
Died on July 8th 1981 on hunger strike in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh
»Special Correspondent
JOE McDONNELL was the fifth Hunger Striker to die due to the intransigence of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her government.
Born on 14 September 1950, the fifth of eight children in a family from the Lower Falls in west Belfast, Joe eventually married and moved to Lenadoon.
Joe volunteered to replace his good friend and comrade Bobby Sands, who he was captured with on active service in October 1976, joining the hunger strike on 9 May.
A well-known and very popular man in the Greater Andersonstown area, Joe had a reputation as a quiet and deep-thinking individual, with a gentle, happy go-lucky personality, who had, nevertheless, a great sense of humour, was always laughing and playing practical jokes and who, although withdrawn at times, had the ability to make friends easily.
He had joined the Republican Movement soon after the introduction of internment without trial in August 1971. He was himself interned on the prison ship Maidstone in 1972 and in Long Kesh from 1973 to 1974.
Arrested and jailed for a commercial bombing operation, Joe was sentenced in September 1977 to 14 years’ imprisonment. He joined the Blanket Protest fro the restoration of political status and was denied visits unless he wore the prison uniform. His wife, Goretti, and their two children had not seen him in the more than three and a half years since he was sentenced up until the hunger strike and his dying days.
In June 1981, Joe was a general election candidate in the Sligo/Leitrim constituency and narrowly missed becoming a TD by 315 votes.
Joe McDonnell died on 8 July 1981 after 61 days on hunger strike.
The death of Joe McDonnell
IRA Volunteer and Hunger Striker Joe McDonnell, from Lenadoon in west Belfast, passed away at 5:15am on Wednesday 8 July after 61 agonising days on the Hunger Strike. His wife Goretti had maintained an almost constant vigil by his side but, with a callous act of disregard for her feelings when he died, the RUC called her in, ostensibly to identify the body.
From Wednesday evening through to the Friday morning, Joe’s body had lain in state in the family home. During this time, thousands of people filed past the coffin to pay their respects to the fallen Volunteer.
In a reflection of the effect the Hunger Strike had throughout nationalist Ireland, those filing past came from throughout the country. There were people from Dublin, Sligo, Leitrim, Crossmaglen, Tyrone and further afield.
Individuals who paid their respects included relatives of other Hunger Strikers – Rosaleen Sands, mother of Bobby; and Pauline McGeown, wife of Pat who was at that time on hunger strike. A particularly poignant visit was that of Jimmy Dempsey, whose 16-year-old son John, a member of Fianna Éireann, had been shot dead by a British soldier in the disturbances following Joe McDonnell’s death. Also present was Joe McDonnell’s brother Frankie, one of the longest-serving Blanket Men who had been released for 12 hours to attend the funeral.
It was a measure of the ripple effect that the Hunger Strike – and more particularly British intransigence and brutality – were having on the nationalist community that at the same time another Blanket Man, Tommy Cosgrove, was out on temporary release to attend the funeral of his sister, Nora McCabe, killed by an RUC plastic bullet, also in the disturbances following the death of Joe McDonnell.
• Joe McDonnell’s wife Goretti, his children and his brother Frankie pay their respects
At midday, the coffin was sealed and a Tricolour and the black beret and gloves of an IRA Volunteer were pinned to it. With British Army helicopters hovering noisily and provocatively overhead, the cortege moved off. Led by a lone piper, it made its way to Oliver Plunkett Church at the top of Lenadoon for Requiem Mass.
After the service the coffin was carried towards Milltown Cemetery. Joe’s three brothers were among those carrying the coffin and it was flanked by his wife Goretti and their children Bernadette and Joseph and other members of the immediate family. When the cortege reached the Andersonstown Road the coffin was place on trestles and an IRA firing came forward and rendered a final salute.
After observing a minute’s silence the IRA firing party disappeared into a nearby garden. A barrage of high-velocity gunfire was heard as it became obvious that British crown forces were attempting to kill or capture members of the IRA firing party. Simultaneously, the British Army and RUC opened up on the cortege with a hail of plastic bullets amidst scenes of pandemonium and panic. In the assault, one of the mourners (a brother of then Sinn Féin Vice-President Gerry Adams) was shot and seriously wounded.
The head of the funeral cortege had moved on a few minutes before the attack and was making its way towards Milltown. Six IRA Volunteers took the coffin on their shoulders for the last leg of the journey to the Republican Plot.
Chairing the graveside proceedings was Eamon McCory of Sinn Féin. He extended the sympathies of the Republican Movement to the family and went on to condemn the SDLP and the Dublin Government who had not applied sufficient political pressure on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. As a result, Thatcher was claiming that not one responsible person in Ireland was asking her to concede the prisoners’ 5 demands.
• IRA firing party honour of their comrade Joe McDonnell
After the blessing, conducted by Father Matthew Wallace, John Joe McGirl, Chairperson of Leitrim County Council and election agent for Joe McDonnell in the 26-County general election, gave the oration.
Speaking of the deceased Hunger Striker, he said:
“He has died rather than debase the cause he served, rather than live with the forced tag of criminality on him. His courage is an inspiration, not only to his fellow prisoners, not only to the Irish people who admire such courage – the world stands in wonder and admiration, accepting that men such as Joe McDonnell are not criminals but patriots.”
John Joe McGirl went on to lambast British policy in Ireland, saying:
“The policy of England and the English government towards Ireland down through the years has been one of jailing, shooting and hanging. Today, this week, their policy has changed somewhat. They have left over hanging and replaced it with the rubber bullet, plastic bullet and live round.
“Men, women and children are murdered in the streets of Belfast and Derry and in the occupied part of the north-eastern Six Counties. I want to say here that the responsibility for this lies with the British Government, and I say to the British Government that she has no right in our country and never had, and that the way forward is for her to withdraw her forces from the occupied part of our country and let the Irish people resolve their differences themselves.
“She is not here as a friend, she is here as a treacherous foe, and we recognise her as such.”
In conclusion he said:
“We will build Joe McDonnell a memorial, we will build so many of his comrades who are buried here a memorial, and their memorials will be the freedom and the unity of the Irish people.”
Throughout the 26 Counties there were numerous vigils, reflecting the growing anger of the population, and in the North (as previously mentioned) two people were killed by crown forces in the aftermath of Joe’s death.
More worrying for the British was the continued and growing support abroad.
In the United States there were numerous protests in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco to name but a few. There were also many demonstrations in Australia and New Zealand.
In France, lawyers formed a commission tasked with investigating conditions in the H-Blocks. French parliamentarians wrote to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, asking it to take action in support of the two newly-elected H-Blocks TDs, Kieran Doherty (Cavan/Monaghan) and Paddy Agnew (Louth).
In Italy, an incendiary bomb exploded on the roof of the British Consulate and there were protests and demonstrations in Belgium and Portugal.
• Rioting in Belfast after the funeral of Volunteer Joe McDonnell
A former soldier was today (Tuesday) jailed for three years for storing explosives, firearms and ammunition linked to east Belfast UVF.
Bryce Pounder (38), of Parker Street off the Newtownards Road in east Belfast, had previously pleaded guilty to possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances and possessing articles for use in terrorism.
The defendant also admitted possessing a firearm and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.
Belfast Crown Court heard that police searched his home under warrant on November 18, 2022.
During a search of his apartment on the lower Newtownards Road, police recovered a “dismantled pipe bomb’’, a handgun, silencer and assorted ammunition.
The items were examined by forensic scientists who described the ‘dismantled pipe bomb’’ as being made up of a copper pipe, with two end caps which contained 11.9 grams of small arms propellant.
The weapon found was an 8mm blank firing pistol designed to resemble a Beretta handgun along with a 8mm magazine and nine blank cartridges.
It was the prosecution case that the blank firing pistol had originally been orange in colour and was subsequently painted black.
Said the prosecution: “It was wrapped in a tea towel and an examination revealed that Pounder’s DNA was found on it.
“Police also recovered a sound moderator, or silencer, inside a sock along with 98 cartridges of various calibres.
“DNA was recovered from the moderator and the sock and the defendant could not be excluded from touching the items.
“The defendant’s fingerprints were found on the exterior of one of the bags containing the ammunition.
“The firearm items were found inside a plastic wrapped in masking tape and the defendant’s fingerprints were also found on the lid of the box.’’
Pounder’s DNA, the court heard, was found on the masking tape on the outside of the box.
The prosecutor said police also recovered “UVF clothing and insignia’’ but Pounder faced no membership charges over the proscribed organisation.
Pounder was not at home at the time of the search and he was detained at another address where detectives believed he was hiding to evade arrest.
During interviews at the serious crime custody suite at Musgrave police station, Pounder accepted that he knew the ammunition was in the plastic box and confirmed he knew about the presence of the “dismantled pipe bomb’’, firearm and silencer.
He said he opened the bags and knew what the handgun was because he was a former rifleman with a regiment in Yorkshire
Pounder told detectives that he had amassed a £1,800 drug debt and had been approached by “menacing individuals’’ and was asked to keep the items. He claimed he was told if he complied the “slate would be wiped clean’’.
He said he stored the items out of “fear for his safety’’ and denied he was a member of east Belfast UVF.
Defence barrister Neil Connor KC revealed Pounder served in the British Army for a period of time before he was medically discharged due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Mr Connor said Pounder’s involvement stemmed from owing money for cocaine and that he was subsequently “preyed upon’’ and “exploited’’ and “may have come under a degree of pressure to store the items in his home’’.
The defence barrister said his client was a “temporary custodian of these items for other more involved individuals” and that Pounder never intended to use them himself.
Mr Connor added that Pounder was a hard-working industrious father-of-three who has expressed remorse and regret for his involvement.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Fowler said the moderator or silencer was “capable of facilitating the use of a firearm and therefore potentially became dangerous in conjunction with a suitable weapon’’.
“This would result in a lethal device but there is no evidence that either the moderator or ammunition had been used, instead they were being stored by this defendant on his premises.
“I am satisfied that they were not held for a lawful purpose, rather they were retained on behalf of a loyalist paramilitary organisation and then to be returned to that organisation.’’
He accepted that there was no evidence that the defendant had any allegiance to a loyalist paramilitary organisation.
The senior judge said Pounder’s offending arose from the “situational pressures’’ exerted on him by those who owned the terrorist haul over his drug debt and his subsequent “vulnerability to coercion’’.
Mr Justice Fowler said that since his detection, Pounder has “disengaged with former associates’’ and has stopped consuming drugs.
“I do not find the defendant to be a danger to the public in the future,’’ added Mr Justice Fowler.
Pounder was sentenced under the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021.
Under the legislation, the defendant will have to serve two thirds of his sentence before he is eligible to apply to the Parole Commissioners to be released.
If the Parole Commissioners decide it is not safe to release him back into the community at that point, Pounder will serve a further year in custody before being released on supervised licence for a period of 12 months.
The court ordered the destruction of all material seized.
