Posted by Jim on December 10, 2012
Trouble has broken out again in Belfast this evening after more than a thousand loyalists, including a number of masked paramilitaries, marched to the city centre to demand the Union Jack flag be reinstated year-round atop Belfast City Hall.
The march followed days of violence directed against the offices and homes of the Alliance Party and its councillors. The party’s votes on Belfast city council were crucial in reducing the flying of the British Union flag at City Hall from 365 days a year to 15 royal events and other designated days.
The change of policy has inflamed the larger unionist parties and right-wing elements in Britain. Today’s march had clear fascist overtones, and culminated with crowds cheering the burning of Irish tricolour flags by masked individuals.
It was supported by the unionist parties, the right-wing UKIP and the extreme-right BNP parties, and forced shops and the city’s Christmas market to close.
Rioting broke out later as marchers returning to east Belfast burned out a car on the Newtownards Road and threw stones at the PSNI police near the nationalist Short Strand.
Last night, there were also serious clashes in the Shaftesbury Square, Crumlin Road and Ligoniel Road areas of Belfast, as well as disturbances in Newtownabbey, Bangor, and Lisburn. Water cannon were deployed to douse burning cars.
Also last night, the loyalist paramilitary UVF were widely blamed for disrupting a large Christmas event in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast, after a number of vehicles were set on fire close to Mossley Mill.
Six hundred people, including many children, were trapped inside Newtonabbey council buildings as loyalists burnt cars and rioted.
The DUP has been widely blamed for motivating the violent protests.
Today, the party refused to condemn the burning of the Irish flag at the protest in Belfast city centre.
The PSNI has said it accepts that loyalist paramilitary groups have been involed in orchestrating the disorder in Belfast and in the nearby towns.
Sinn Fein Assembly member Gerry Kelly has stated that “political unionism”, meaning the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party, “must exert itself, show leadership and work to end this situation”.
“Political unionism has failed,” he said. “It has sent muted words and mixed messages which has seen loyalism come on to the streets and a continuation of road blocks, riots and intimidation for nearly a week now.
“Within the space of this week we have seen attacks on Belfast City Hall and Alliance party members homes and offices, death threats against elected representatives and many protests turning violent.”
The north Belfast representative said there was “nothing new” in the current scenario.
“We have seen the orchestration between political unionism and violent loyalism many times before when they did not get their way,” he said.
“We saw it in 1969, The Ulster Workers Council strike, the Anglo Irish Agreement and Drumcree to name a few occasions.
“But times have changed. Belfast is a shared city. It needs to represent all sections of the community that live in it and not have one identity stamped over all others. Unionism needs to accept the need for, and the reality of, equality.”
He said that mixed messages from unionists, such as demands for increased British flag flying at Stormont, was not showing leadership and would not de-escalate the situation.
“We need to see much more from unionist political leaders at all levels of representation across the north.
“They must exert themselves by standing firmly against the ongoing situation and taking real and meaningful steps to end the violence and intimidation on our streets.”
Posted by admin on October 22, 2012
The Democratic Unionist Party is outraged with the recent motion calling for the immediate release of Gerry McGeough, Martin Corey and Marian Price. In particular, they have taken issue with the inclusion of Gerry McGeough in the motion brought before Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council by Sinn Féin and supported by the SDLP. They have also been very critical towards the stance taken by the SDLP in supporting the motion and the fact that Mr Brush, a former UDR soldier was present at the council meeting when the motion was tabled. The DUP leader Peter Robinson and his party colleagues Maurice Morrow and Arlene Foster now intend to table a motion in Stormont on November 5th in support of Mr Brush.
Their sympathies may lie with this former UDR soldier. However, it is important to point out that, as stated by Fianna Fáil TD Éamon Ó Cuiv “this is a lot bigger than Gerry because this in my view is a major step back for a peace process that Gerry bought into and that we all bought into and where we were putting the past behind us and building a better future for the young children”.
Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in1998, both Republican and Loyalist prisoners were released under the early release scheme. For many, it was a hard pill to swallow, but it was also a major factor in allowing the peace process to move forward. The Weston Park Accord was then negotiated and signed in 2001 by both the Irish and British Governments. Paragraph 20 of the Weston Park Accord dealt with a relatively small number of OTR’s (On the Runs) and ensured equality of treatment for those who were not in prison when the Good Friday Agreement was signed and would therefore not benefit from the early release scheme. It was also an effective approach to dealing with what has been termed ‘anomalies’ which might arise from time to time as each case was dealt with.
Although both governments agreed to implement paragraph 20 before the end of 2001, the British Government did not proceed with the matter until the issue of decommissioning had been resolved. When the legislation required to implement paragraph 20 was expected to be passed through Westminster in 2005, the British Government then attempted to include British State Forces in the legislation. This was unacceptable to Sinn Féin and the SDLP. Peter Hain, the British Secretary of State at that time, withdrew the legislation in 2006 at the request of Gerry Adams. The matter was then left in abeyance.
Gerry McGeough’s arrest and incarceration, at the behest of the DUP are a direct result of paragraph 20 not being implemented by the British Government. The fact that the British Government can so easily and so willingly violate an international agreement is a very serious matter and one which the DUP including Mr Brush have ignored completely.
The DUP is entitled to their opinions on the imprisonment of Gerry McGeough. However, if Peter Robinson, Maurice Morrow and Arlene Foster are genuine about justice being served on an equal basis, why have they never called for investigations into the murders of eighty-three innocent and unarmed civilians perpetrated by British soldiers, RUC, UDR and loyalist death squads in collusion with British Forces between 1970 and 1997 in County Tyrone?
What did Mr Brush do as a UDR soldier? Maybe we should call for people in Tyrone who came across Mr Brush manning a UDR checkpoint if they would like to bring forward any complaints they might have against him. Snow White comes to mind?
Gerry McGeough was charged and convicted in a Diplock court of having allegedly shot and wounded Mr Brush in 1981. That same year on July 9th 1981, Nora McCabe was murdered after being hit by a plastic bullet fired by the RUC. When Nora’s family applied for charges to be brought against the RUC officers involved in her murder and who then committed perjury in the follow-up investigation, Crown Judge Coghlin denied the application stating that too much time had passed and any charges preferred after so many years would be an abuse of process and dismissed. However, when Gerry McGeough’s case was brought before Crown Judge Coghlin, he began by first excluding from court representatives from the British-Irish Rights Watch and the Committee for the Administration of Justice and then proceeded to apply a different set of rules to the case of Gerry McGeough.
Have the DUP ever questioned this decision or called for those RUC officers to be prosecuted? The DUP should consider raising a motion on these issues and then lead the call for justice and equality by insisting that members of the UDR, RUC and British Army are immediately investigated and prosecuted and when found guilty of ‘historic’ offences perpetrated prior to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, they should serve their sentences with the possibility of applying for early release after two years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Of course, the circumstances surrounding Gerry’s arrest in 2007 followed by three and a half years of continuous delays in allowing the actual trial to proceed raises many questions as to the motives for his incarceration and the credibility of the evidence produced, which of course included reading a chapter from a novel. Would any of the evidence produced and used against Gerry have been accepted if he had not been tried in a Diplock Court?
Gerry McGeough has already suffered two heart attacks and has six stents inserted. There have been a number of incidents within Maghaberry prison surrounding the administration of Gerry’s daily heart medicine, vital to his survival. These incidents can be verified. The most recent incident occurred on Monday 1st October 2012 and was not resolved until the afternoon of Tuesday 2nd October 2012. When these incidents occur, those involved in the process of having the situation resolved are well aware of the stress caused not only to Gerry and his family but to all those prisoners and their families who are regularly affected by incidents of medical neglect. Mr Brush and his DUP colleagues have never once shown any concern towards the medical neglect or treatment of Republican prisoners within Maghaberry or acknowledged in any way how stressful these incidents can be. Mr Morrow, a DUP colleague of Mr Brush on Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council has repeatedly attempted to discredit anyone who raises concerns over medical care, the living conditions or the overall treatment of Republican prisoners in Maghaberry. He has questioned the reliability of statements by prisoners who are either on dirty protest in Maghaberry or in the case of Gerry McGeough who is not on protest, but who finds himself in the middle of a dirty protest. Mr Morrow has never asked for prison video footage to be broadcast across the world. The DUP have never attempted to resolve the situation within Maghaberry and they have never raised concerns as to why, after the 2010 agreement, the dirty protest continues.
Gerry McGeough may be released after serving two years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. However, when the British Government can so freely violate international agreements with impunity, can we really be sure that they will adhere to the terms agreed in 1998? If Gerry is not released after serving two years, will this further violation of an international agreement be raised by the DUP?
When politicians and public representatives throughout Ireland, America and Spain who would not normally be associated with Irish Republicanism begin to question and raise concerns about what is happening within the peace process or question the motives surrounding the imprisonment of Gerry McGeough and the abuse of human rights against many others, surely there must be something seriously wrong with the situation we find ourselves in. In their outrage at the council motion being passed, the DUP focus on the inclusion of Gerry McGeough in the motion and on the health of Mr Brush in dealing with a stressful situation. Have they raised any concerns about the health of Marian Price? Have they raised concerns as to how Martin Corey can remain imprisoned without trial since 2010? Did they raise concerns about the stressful situation Martin Corey and his family found themselves in when former British Secretary of State Owen Paterson decided on 9th July 2012 that Martin was not to be released as he was about to walk free? Martin’s appeal against this decision was due to have been heard in September. It has not yet been heard. Why? The DUP chose to avoid too much reference to the cases of Martin and Marian.
In their efforts to dismantle the Good Friday Agreement the DUP have consistently refused to dedicate themselves to reconciliation, tolerance, mutual trust and the protection of human rights for all. They will pose for the cameras and travel the world seeking investment. They will promote themselves as honest law-abiding decent citizens. But behind the fabricated tales of goodwill and the veil of deception and political myths is the reality of Unionist bigotry, sectarianism and vindictiveness as experienced, not only by Gerry McGeough and his family, but by many others, fourteen years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
The DUP have little to offer the peace process. They built their party upon the rants of Ian Paisley and they can only ever thrive within an environment of bigotry and sectarianism.
Damian Herron
Northern Chair Free Gerry McGeough Campaign
Posted by admin on October 20, 2012
A decision by the Police Ombudsman to investigate allegations of collusion between the PSNI and the unionist paramilitary UVF has been welcomed.
The ombudsman is to examine allegations that police colluded with the UVF by failing to properly investigate fatal shootings in north and west Belfast between 1989 and 2010 — including that of Bobby Moffett, who was murdered on Shankill Road after a dispute with a senior UVF man. It is widely believed that the PSNI had approved the cold-blooded murder, which took place in a casual manner on a busy street in May 2010.
A number of families of UVF victims have welcomed the Ombudsman’s intervention and it is their testimonies which have led to this move.
It is believed investigators will examine claims that no-one has been charged or convicted in connection with the murders because police agents and informers were being protected.
The investigation bears strong similarities with another Ombudsman inquiry.
Operation Ballast, which homed in on north Belfast’s Mount Vernon estate, revealed UVF killers were protected from prosecution because they were police agents.
Raymond McCord, whose son was murdered by the UVF, has welcomed it.
“What people have to understand is that when people from the unionist community or any community go to the Police Ombudsman’s office and make a complaint it has to be investigated,” he said.
“This isn’t having a go at any paramilitary group and I’m delighted because hopefully now it’ll show that there wasn’t a proper investigation in a lot of the murders.”
INQUEST OPPOSED
Meanwhile, the PSNI have said they are ‘unable’ to extradite a man suspected of killing Derry republican Kieran Doherty in 2010 — but do not want an inquest to go ahead.
A PSNI inspector said a suspect had left the jurisdiction some time ago, but that extradition “would not be relevant”. He said was concerned that “matters would be revealed” in the coroner’s inquest which could be “detrimental to the investigation”.
Senior coroner John Leckey said during decades of conflict in the North, coroners routinely held inquests quite soon after a death and he could not remember police objecting.
The Doherty family remain suspicious of the involvement of MI5 (British military intelligence) in Kieran’s death, despite a report by senior British barrister Alex Carlile which denies this.
Family lawyer Fiona Doherty said: “There is a serious allegation, a serious issue in this inquest about the approaches made to the deceased, Mr Doherty, by MI5 for a continuous period of time up to his death and the family have serious concerns about that and serious concerns about the possible involvement of state agents in the death.”
The family want the full contents of the Carlile report to be available to the coroner. Kieran Doherty’s uncle, Vincent Coyle, said they were only given two paragraphs of the report.
“Now we know there is a lot more in that report which we have not seen. In fact we think there’s a report the size of a phone directory and that must be made available to the inquest,” he said.
——————————————————————
Posted by Jim on October 13, 2012
A Cairde,
May I begin by extending my warmest and heartiest greetings to you all. This evening’s event is a tribute to the organisational skills, fundamental decency and great Patriotic spirit of the wonderful people of Dublin. May God bless you all.
When I was arrested following the 2007 northern Assembly elections, in which I had stood as an Independent Republican candidate, the British were sending a very clear message to the Irish people: Any expression of Irish Patriotic political sentiment or opinion by any Irishman within the 6 counties would not be tolerated.
When this was followed-up by my being ritualistically dragged through the corrupt Diplock court system and finally flung into jail, the British were issuing another warning that this was to be the expected fate of any Irish Patriot who did not bow the knee to English rule and Orange domination in the North of Ireland. In other words: “Croppies lie down”
Encouraged by the disgraceful submissive silence of the Sinn Féin leadership in my case, the British believed that they had won and there would be no further ramifications over my incarceration.
Once again, these foreign rulers had failed to take into account the refusal of the Irish people to be bullied or intimidated by them. The courageous men and women of the Irish Republican base are made of stern stuff.
The British wanted me to rot in silence in jail, but thanks to the efforts of great people like yourselves and members of our Justice Campaign in Ireland, north and south, in the United States, Spain and throughout the world, the political persecution and injustice that had been perpetrated upon my family and I has been highlighted and exposed for all to see. For that I am truly and deeply grateful.
In your refusal to be subjugated to the dictates of alien rule, you are following in the ancient tradition of Independent Irish nationhood. It is fitting that tonight’s event should be held in Dublin just a few miles from the site of the Battle of Clontarf where, almost a thousand years ago in 1014, the great king Brian Boru, champion of the Irish Christian Nation, literally drove the Viking heathens, who had been terrorising our country for centuries, into the seas around Dublin Bay.
Though born in Munster, this great leader of our people was buried in Armagh as a mark of his kingship of all Ireland. There, his bones lay honoured and undisturbed until the 19th century when a group of drunken British soldiers, enraged by the Irish pride in Brian and our reverence of an ancient nationhood, vandalised his tomb and pulverised his remains into dust.
The British hatred of our sense of independent nationhood continues to this day and my arrest and continued incarceration is a manifestation of this. To the people of Dublin and Ireland I say pay tribute to Brian Boru by celebrating with gusto the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf in the Spring of 2014.
To the English occupation Establishment still in Ireland, meanwhile, I say: For God’s sake, just go home!
Finally, in once again thanking you all for your prayers, support and solidarity. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work that has been done on our behalf by Mr. Éamon Ó’Cuív TD, a true stalwart and great Irishman.
On that note, I wish everyone an enjoyable evening and a great night’s craic! Beannact Dé oraibh agus Éireann go Brách !
Gerry McGeough
Posted by Jim on October 6, 2012
There have been calls for the Parades Commission to be scrapped after legally-binding restrictions on the giant Ulster Covenant parade were again ignored by Orangemen and loyalist bands on Saturday.
The most provocative behaviour was seen in east Belfast, where a loyalist mob took advantage of the relative absence of media cameras to incite bandsmen to engage in hate-filled actions.
The chanting and shouting of loyalists fused with the hammering of drums to reach a terrifying crescendo outside St Matthew’s Catholic Church as its bells struck at 6pm.
From the outset a number of bands disregarded the restrictions and played ‘The Sash’, The Famine Song – the source of controversy when played outside St Patrick’s Church on the other side of the city centre on the Twelfth of July – and other sectarian tunes, to the delight of loyalists waving flags and holding banners. At the same time, nationalists were cordoned off from their own church and community.
Only one of over twenty loyalist bands passing the church on their return obeyed large electronic road signs warning them to play ‘sacred music’ only.
At various stages during the day loyalist spectators also broke into spontaneous renditions of ‘The Sash’ as the parade passed by. By 5pm the main road was strewn with the cast-off litter of beer boxes and cans and bottles as the mob became increasingly intoxicated.
On several occasions spectators, some of whom were drinking openly, verbally abused a band and Orange Order members because they did not play ‘The Sash’ as they passed St Matthew’s.
Supporters also jeered when a bands walked past the church to a single drum beat.
As tension started to rise one woman stepped into the road and held up a placard reading: ‘We don’t want hymns’ before shouting “No Surrender”.
One bandsman could be clearly seen urinating against the gate pillars into the church — which had cancelled Saturday’s scheduled morning Mass– as women and children walked past.
One of the returning bands stopped to playing loyalist tunes outside the grounds of the church.
The last bandsmen passed after the supposed deadline of 6pm — but not before the playing and singing of sectarian tunes had reached fever pitch.
STILL NO RESPECT
In north Belfast, the presence of the international media and a banner held by nationalist residents again calling for ‘Respect’ failed to deter a number of loyalist bands from starting up sectarian tunes as they passed the doors of the church.
The restriction to play hymns outside the church was openly mocked by the loyalists.
Several bands deliberately paused to beat drums as loudly as possible at the doors of St Patrick’s, with one loyalist jumping around in a hysterical fashion.
“I have never heard ‘Abide With Me’ played with such vigour,” said local priest Fr Michael Sheehan.
There was no sign of the Young Conway Volunteers, the Shankill band who sparked months of trouble around St Patrick’s by playing the sectarian Famine Song and walking in circles outside its doors on the Twelfth of July.
But Frank Dempsey of the Carrick Hill Residents Association said the Parades Commission determination had been “smashed” [destroyed].
Pensioner Elish McEarlean, who was stopped by the PSNI at North Queen Street and prevented from accessing her regular church service at St Patrick’s, described the cordon stopping her as “a disgrace”.
She was eventually allowed through to Mass.
Sinn Fein assembly member Gerry Kelly said bands had behaved “provocatively”.
“If the bands had played a single drum beat or were silent when they passed the church as the residents asked, there would be no issue. That said it has been calm there was no trouble but the core issue of mutual respect remains unresolved,” he said.