Journalist dies in Derry riot

Posted by Jim on April 19, 2019

Journalist dies in Derry riot

A journalist has been killed amid heavy rioting in the Creggan area of
Derry on Thursday night as Crown Force police raided the nationalist
area of the city ahead of republican Easter commemorative events.

Petrol bombs, fireworks and other missiles were thrown by rioters at
the PSNI police, while a gunman was at one point seen firing towards a
PSNI vehicle.

The victim, who has been named locally as 29 year-old Lyra McKee, from
north Belfast, is understood to have been walking past or standing
beside a police vehicle when she was tragically struck by a bullet.

In one of the her last acts, Ms McKee tweeted a picture of police
vehicles which had pulled up beside groups of civilian onlookers, with
a burning barricade in the background. She added the caption ‘Derry
tonight. Absolute madness.’

The clashes began on Wednesday night, when an unmarked PSNI vehicle
involved in the initial stages of the police operation was struck by a
petrol bomb.

Trouble has erupted every Easter in recent years as the PSNI intervene
to prevent commemorative parades involving republicans marching in
military-style clothing and formation.

Following the death of Ms McKee, the PSNI called for ‘calm’ but did not
announce a suspension of their raids in the Creggan.

The border city of Derry has seen increasing activity by republican
armed groups. In January, a large car bomb was detonated outside the
city’s courthouse in an action claimed by the ‘New IRA’. No
organisation has yet claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Politicians have condemned the killing, and denied it is related to the
current political crisis over Brexit.

Sinn Fein’s deputy leader, Michelle O’Neill, said it was a “senseless
loss of life” and called for “so-called dissidents” to disband.

“Those responsible should listen to the people, they should disband
immediately and end their pointless actions against the community which
has tragically claimed the life of a young woman,” she said.

Ms McKee is best known for a blog post written at the age of 24, called
“Letter to my 14-year-old self”, in which she spoke about the struggle
of growing up gay in Belfast.

NUJ assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley described Ms McKee as a
“journalist of courage, style and integrity. She was a woman of great
commitment and passion.”

Mr Dooley said her death “serves as a reminder of the ongoing
instability in Northern Ireland and must serve as a reminder to those
in positions of political leadership to end the political deadlock.”