Irish Post currently hitting the shelves in Britain

by Irish National Head Fri Mar 03, 2006 19:13

Gardaí under fire after city-centre riots
By Jon Myles

GARDAÍ were facing mounting criticism this week after riots erupted in the centre of Dublin.

At least 14 people were injured and an estimated £8million was lost by city centre businesses forced to close in the face of the frightening violence.

Gardaí were taken by surprise at the ferocity of the rioting — despite indications demonstrators were planning an assault on a Love Ulster parade scheduled for the centre of Dublin on Saturday.

Opposition TDs have called on Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy to explain the flaws in intelligence that may have contributed to the policing difficulties.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell said it was clear the violence had been orchestrated — claiming an organised mob had come into the city centre with the intention of creating mayhem.

Officers knew Republican Sinn Féin had planned a counter-march but expected it to be low-risk.

It meant the 300 gardaí on duty for the parade were caught off guard when the rioting began.

Another 200 officers were rushed to the scene and came under a hail of missiles from rioters armed with petrol bombs, hammers, iron bars and snooker and golf balls.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said gardaí had seemed ill-prepared to deal with the violence.

He said: “You would have to express surprise there was no advance intelligence of this.”

Approximately 450 people and eight marching bands from the North of Ireland had gathered on Parnell Square for the Loyalist parade intended to honour victims of Republican violence.

But gardaí cancelled the event because of concern at the size of the crowd protesting against it — estimated to number at least 300.

Violence then flared, with bricks, bottles and petrol bombs hurled at gardaí.

The trouble moved to Nassau Street where several cars were burnt out and shops looted.

Gardaí battled for almost three hours to bring the violence under control.

Some 40 people were arrested — 13 of whom were charged with public order offences at a special sitting of Dublin District Court.

The rioting left the city centre looking like a battlefield and many shops and businesses were still repairing the damage this week.
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O’Dea: No repeat at 1916 parade

IRISH Defence Minister Willie O’Dea pledged the forthcoming 1916 Easter Rising commemoration in Dublin would not be hijacked by troublemakers.

Thousands of members of the Defence Forces are due to take part in the parade which will be the central piece of the commemoration.

Mr O’Dea said his main concern following Saturday’s riots was that the 1916 commemoration ceremonies at Easter in Dublin would also be targeted by violent elements.

The Limerick TD said: “I have responsibility for organising the commemoration ceremonies.

“I condemn what happened on Saturday. It was appalling and unacceptable.

“We will have to be ready for any recurrence in the future. I will be ensuring there are adequate measures in place for the 1916 commemoration ceremonies.”

Mr O’Dea said he was very conscious of the dangers of certain people trying to hijack the ceremonies.

He said: “We will just make sure that everything goes off alright in Dublin.”
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Terrified visitors forced to flee violent scenes

Shopper and visitors to Dublin scattered in terror as the riot broke out on the streets of the capital.

Among those caught up in the violence were Welsh rugby fans in the city for their team’s clash against Ireland.

A group of former rugby players in their 40’s and 50’s got trapped in a coffee shop on O’Connell Street as protestors surged in to escape pursuing gardaí.

Once said “You see things like this on TV, but you never imagine getting caught in the middle of it”.

Londoner Mark Bryant and his family were also caught in the violence as they were spending a weekend break in Dublin.

He said “It was terrifying. Once moment it was quiet and then the next there were missiles flying and people running everywhere.

“I saw rocks, scaffolding and golf balls being hurled at gardaí. We just ran to try to get away from it all.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

And another tourist said “We came to Ireland for a peaceful break. “You don’t expect this sort of thing on the streets of Dublin.

“I was very scared when the violence started. I don’t know what it was about but it’s not something you want to see.”

by Irish National Head Fri Mar 03, 2006 19:14

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by Mark Fri Mar 03, 2006 22:07

As someone who has lived in London for six years and who has worked for the Irish Post as a journalist, I am some what bemused and disappointed by indymedia Ireland giving an increasingly right-wing tabloid newspaper in Britain publicity for its bland coverage of the Dublin riots.

Not only did its coverage of Dublin's "Terror Thugs" summarize it brainess, pro-establishment position on the national question, it also typified the disgusting tabloid-style popularist position on anything news-worthy.

I recall a front headline a number of Christmas' ago. It read: "SAVE ME SOME TURKEY MUM I'LL BE HOME FOR X-MAS". The sub-headline read: "Message from our boys in Basra". Of course, the Post wasn't referring to a couple of modern-day Frank Ryans doing their internationalist bit alongside insurgents in Iraq. It was referring to members of the Royal Irish Regiment - those up-holders of torture and imperialist rule in Iraq and Ireland (now to be disbanded.)

This was same regiment led by Col Tim Spicer - former commander of the Scot Guards at the time when members of the regiment, Wright and Fisher, murdered North Belfast civilian Peter McBride. He was searched then shot in the back in 1992. Wright and Fisher claimed Peter had concelled a bomb under his coat and claimed self-defence, which was dismissed by a crown court judge who sentenced them for murder. Released in 1998, they were re-admitted into their Regiment. Spicer, one of the Irish Post's "Boys," defended the soldiers then and continues to peddle their discredited version of events today.

Has the Irish Post supported Jean McBrides' fight for justice? Begrudgingly, only after a critical mass of public opinion was formed which could not be ignored. The Irish Post hasn't ran with a campaign issue worth mentioning for years. Although funding of Irish voluntary sector organisations in Britain has been warranted obligatory support . Even Christie McGrath's case had to be pushed on to its agenda.
Since Frank Murphy came along the paper has intensified its efforts to become the Daily Mail with an Irish angle. Now he is gone I assume Jon Miles will take over. We will continue to read tales of third-generation Irish women married footballers in England, Michael Collins' intelligence squad "murdering" British forces, of Republican criminality, blah, blah, blah. Jon Miles is no friend of the wretched of this earth, the people of no property in Dublin, the victims of imperialism throughout the world, those in the North caught in the intelligence web of M15/special branch, the displaced workers of Ireland and Britain, the Jean McBrides of this world, no friend of Indymedia and no friend of working-class Irish in Britain, so what the hell is his newspaper and his bloody article doing on Indymnedia? Please can somebody tell me, WHY?

by Seanna Fri Mar 03, 2006 22:37

I agree totally. That was posted by a newspaper editor for free publicity. If it held the same values as Indymedia then why not, but the Irish Post, owned by a big newspaper company which includes the Sunday Business Post, which has huge resources that can be spent on advertising campaigns in Britain and is indeed, right-of-centre (organically conservative Irish).

Indymedia should be giving free publicity to a paper like the Irish Democrat in Britain.

It was formed by the London branch of the Irish Republican Congress in the 1930s and has been published ever since. Its best known editor was Marxist historian Desmond Greaves, who past away in 1989. Since then it has struggled on a shoe-string budget and its editor and contributors work for free. These people include Eoin O'Brion (Left Republican Review), Tommy McKearney (IWU), Fr Joe McVeigh (Liberation theologian), Peter Berresford Ellis, David Granville, Sally Richardson, and other radical trade unionists, anti-imperialists, leftist republicans in Britain and Ireland.

They are still there, following a proud tradition of activism, working not for profit but for Justice, and their light shines 1000 times brighter than that of the Irish Post. Their newspaper not only speaks the truth but looks fantastic. Can Indymedia not advertise its coverage for free?