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Images and Report from anti-Orange riot in Dublin earlier this afternoon

category dublin | summit mobilisations | feature author Saturday February 25, 2006 17:52author by kevin - imc eire Report this post to the editors

featured image
Larkin statue oversees riot

Rioting in Dublin in protest at the marching of the Orange Order on Sat February 25th 2006. Pictures and video. A crowd of 500 counter-demonstrators burnt cars, smashed British-owned businesses and threw missiles and a petrol bomb at Gardai in the center of Dublin as they attempted to stop the march by the loyalist paramilitary associated "LoveUlster" group. Several Gardai were hospitalised.

More breaking reports:1.Mon aboot toon ; 2.PhotoEssay ; 3.Elaine ;
Reports From Elsewhere: 1.DossingTimes blog ; 2.SluggerOToole ; 2.John W's Photoset on Flickr

"A thousand ordinary unionist people are on the buses heading back north right now - just passing Dundalk as I type - and their abiding impression of the Irish Republic is going to be one of being penned into Parnell Square by violent republicans with petrol bombs and of having their right to get their point across stifled - (jeeeez, I mean the irony of republicans penning Protestant protestors into Parnell Square, named after perhaps the greatest ever Irish Protestant proponent of tolerant Republicanism...)"
Comment from David Christopher a Unionist Poster

From the newswire (by kevin): The counter protest against an Orange march in Dublin turned violent today around 12.45pm. Initially the demonstration at the top of O'Connell Street near the Parnell Monument was small but boisterous. Further demonstrators from republican groups were also gathering near the GPO.

Seven or eight coach loads of Orange marches arrived with a Garda escort on the north side of Parnell Square, in front of the Hugh Lane Art Gallery, at approximately 12.30pm. They got out and began playing lambeg drums and whistles, which were audible to the crowds nearby. The marchers lined up to get ready to head down towards O'Connell Street.

Around 12:45pm the crowd at the Parnell Monument had swelled to approximately 500, and were throwing fireworks and fruit at the Gardai, chanting "CIRA". The Public Order Unit (aka Riot Squad) moved in and tried to move people back from the junction. This elicited a shower of rocks and stones from the crowd in O'Connell Street. The building work in O'Connell Street provided the crowd with a constant source of ammunition. Several Gardai were injured by flying paving stones and brought away in ambulances.

A line of Riot Garda then attempted to push the crowd southwards towards O'Connell Bridge. Rocks, stones, planks, paving slabs, slates, and even a petrol bomb was thrown at the Gardai [I have video footage of this, will up it soon]. The rioters built barricades with pallets and metal fencing, which the Gardai had difficulty in passing. They slowly pushed the crowd southwards, with a continuing hail of missiles.

A crowd then branched off towards Merrion Square/the Dail, where it was rumoured a group of Orange marchers were heading. A car was overturned and then set on fire near the National Gallery extension on Nassau Street. Several other cars were then set on fire, as well as windows smashed. The crowd was then pushed back towards the bottom of Grafton St. Several people branched off up South Frederick Street, where the offices of the Progressive Democrats were smashed with chairs from a nearby cafe.

The bulk of the rioters then headed back in the direction of O'Connell Bridge. The Londis at the junction of Aston Quay and Westmoreland Street had its windows smashed with iron bars, and beer and wine were stolen from the shop. The Gardai then baton charged the crowd here. One Garda had a bottle smashed in his face. The crowd was split in three sections by Gardai. One section went down the south quays, attacking the Boots Chemist in the old Virgin Megastore building.

More images and video up soon.

Burning Car in Nassau Street
Burning Car in Nassau Street

03_carburning.jpg

04_gardaline.jpg

author by m.karlspublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:38author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Well the loyalists got what they came for . Theres no doubt they came to provoke and anger and they did just that thus arming themselves with more complaints about Ireland. Such immature tactics they use, they are commited to avoiding a peace agreement and working with nationalists. If only the general i.q of society was a little higher we could have agreed to ignore their idiotic attention seeking march...but alas there are always the idiots willing to let themselves be provoked. They can hide their intentions under any vail they want but everyone knows that march was about provoction, nothing more.

author by pat cpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

it took the garda 2 hours to drive us back as far as o'connel bridge.

what a bright idea to decide they would let a loyalist march go thru a building site. plenty of material to block the road with, plenty of flaamable stuff and plenty of missile maaterial for those so invclined.

the pd offices in sth frederick st had their windows done in as well. no idea who did it.

todays action was a joint effort: republicans republican socialistsd, anarchists and even labour party members participated.

no orange feet on o'connell street!

author by Séanpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

'The great only appear great because we are on our knees'

Let Us Rise
Let Us Rise

author by wondererpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

i thought you guys were all happy and rich down south and would be too busy shopping to bother rioting and wrecking the place. What's the point of it all? Is it just anarchy or does this CIRA really have a following and were they dublin grown or imported for the day? Now the gardai actually have something to do rather than gratuitously harass people, let's see what they can do. It's a big time collection of undesirables in dublin.

author by unclearpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

just to clarify

It was the protesters in Dublin against the orange marchers who did all this? Was it a Sinn Fein/IRA mob?

It wasnt bus loads of orange marchers who caused all the problems?

Anyone know what happened to the orange marchers? Did they just get back on their bus and go home?

author by lufuspublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

fair play for robbin the drink though

author by pat cpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 17:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

the riot squad attacked the crowd. in the ensuing uproar about 50 peeople spilled onto the street. when they were there naturally they stayed there and blocked it using building site material to and. this was at about 12.30. who sent the riot squad in?

it took until 2.30 before the gardai pushed us back as far as o'connell bridge.

author by Eimearpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:05author address author phone Report this post to the editors

These were taken by my sister Aoife today on Nassau Street at about 3.30

burning_car.jpg

burning_car_2.jpg

hidden_faces.jpg

author by ...publication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:12author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The riot unit were not even involved in the policing until after these thugs started their mindless distruction.

author by johnathonpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

to unclear:

no, it wasn't SF or the IRA. SF have been telling people to ignore this march if it goes ahead.

it was Republican Sinn Fein, a breakaway group which left Provisional Sinn Fein (the ones generally known as SF) that organised a portest. Continuity IRA and RSF are linked, so no doubt CIRA called out some of it's members to engage in this ctivity, and got help from dublin scumbags looking for a fight, whatever the reason...

author by popeyepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:16author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Shame on the "protestors" for bringing the rioting to the Streets of Irelands capitol.

Is a drum and flute really that offensive to your ears that you must reply with violence?

You can blame the gardai all you like for "attacking protestors".

But who will you blame for burning cars, throwing petrol bombs, and smashing windows?

I know who I'll blame, and the last two letters in their name are SF.

SHAME ON YOU

author by pat cpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

i was there. at approx 12.30 pm the riot squad appeared and attacked people outside frazers. this caused a panic with people spilling onto the street. people were falling so the ordinary gardi removed the barriers to let us on the street. then the road blocking started. none of it would have been possible without the action of the riot squad.

author by kwai chang cainpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

david:

didn't you think that you should advise your 'friends' that it was not a good idea to associate with loyalist bigots like willie fraizer or jeffrey donaldson, or to march into dublin for 'protestant victims' (why not all victims?) alongside the orange order? you are either incredibly naive or full of shit. perhaps both. no room for a 'british garrison' in a united ireland. pass the word.

author by No 6publication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Scared where they Pat? When i get scared I don't burn cars and start looting, don't tell me this was a "glorious day" for the "risen people of Ireland". Exactly were was the harm in letting some pompous unionists have a wee march? The lack of maturity on display by you is staggering. Boasting about orange feet, when all you've done is make us look like morons and thugs? What back slapping can you have when ordinary dubliners cars were destroyed and Irish business' attacked.

author by KenDpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"But today is different - I've just been talking to a friend of mine in Dublin - he was taking pictures of the riots with a digital camera and was threatened by the rioters. At Reclaim the Streets it was the Gardaí who were threatened by the cameras. It was the Gardaí who tried to shut them down. Cameras were their worst enemy because it was they who were in the wrong."

That's quite funny actually,a unionist who attended an event like Reclaim The Streets.How about we reclaim the world-from imperialism and greed.You can't support something like an occupational force and then try "reclaim the streets". I'm far from a Republican,but I find that odd none the less.

RSF are as bad as the Orange Men it must be said. I''ve heard Anarchists,Republicans and Republican Sociats were involved EARLIER.I believe the earlier riots were needed, but once the orange men went home,everyone else should have to.Its only thugs out now

author by RSF Watchpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Republican Sinn Féin's dream of a United and Federal Ireland is this evening even more pie in the sky than it was this morning.

RSF have been hyping this parade up since it was first mooted last December.

They knew what the consequences of this would be and they are responsible for the disgraceful scenes around the city.

FAIR is a loyalist front organisation. It's leader is pally with known loyalist paramilitaries. They are selective in remembering the victims of the Troubles and gloat over some of the atrocities committed against innocent nationalists.

However, they should have been let march. The RSF counter-protest brought the scum of Dublin out onto the streets today and what a propaganda victory they've provided for the likes of FAIR. And what a hot marching season it's going to be up the North.

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and RSF/CIRA - you've done nothing for a United Ireland and today proves that. You've been unable to kill a member of the Crown Forces, enjoy no support in the North, and no support down South. Today's counterprotest was an attempt to raise your miserable profile. Well, you've done nothing apart from making yourselves the political wing of drunken Celtic-jersey wearing bonehead scum.

author by mookpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

While walking through today's Shinnerfest, I made a number of observations:

1. Lots of people were rioting for fun. I overheard one guy shouting 'common guys riots are what we live for'. Despite the fact that it was a riot, the atmosphere was jovial.

2. Police moved very slowly to cordon off O'Connell street. Many didn't even seem to know what was happening. Shoppers were still allowed onto O'Connell street by Guards as the situation escalated. Guards well intentioned but hopelessly organised.

3. Dubliners continued to try and shop even when the situation was clearly dicey. They were happy to take their children with them. Possibly Dublin needs more attractions for Children.

4. Allowing any contentious march through a building site was, in foresight, not a smart move.

5. If the rioters singing was anything to go by, the Fields of Athenry has become the defacto National Anthem.

6. This was clearly a shinnerfest, and you can see clearly how much those northern thugs who lead them, disrespect free speech. Having killed more Irish men than the British, they are now happy to destroy Dublin, a city whose economy has risen in spite of them. Time for a rethink?

author by Oppose.publication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"why would any protestant agree to a 32 county republic when they can't even come down south without these fuckwits trying to stop them"

Aren't you great.Protestants?What does religion have to do with this?Nothing.Catholic,Protestant,Athiest,Muslim,Jew or anything else,religion does not play a role in ones politics,or should not.

Also,if you turn on your TV set,you'll see a host of black/red flags among the crowd,this was not just republicans.This was a large group of people angered at a fascist parade through Dublin.This was not about a 32 county Ireland,but a racist bigot group marching.I believe that it is shameful RSF showed their faces in public,as they are not in the slightest admirable, but I am glad the Orange Parade did not go ahead.I feel it is a shame on the city that looting etc. went on,and rioting occured AFTER they had gone home.Ian Paisley will have a field day.

Anyone who opposes imperialism,fascism and racism should be glad the Orange Order did not march in Dublin today.A world without bigots like the Orange Men,and indeed RSF,would be a better one. It was nice to see so many black flags among the crowd,and not just narrow minded "Celtic supporters".

author by David Christopherpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:54author email david.christopher at uup dot orgauthor address author phone 00447913441933Report this post to the editors

"But today is different - I've just been talking to a friend of mine in Dublin - he was taking pictures of the riots with a digital camera and was threatened by the rioters. At Reclaim the Streets it was the Gardaí who were threatened by the cameras. It was the Gardaí who tried to shut them down. Cameras were their worst enemy because it was they who were in the wrong."

That's quite funny actually,a unionist who attended an event like Reclaim The Streets.How about we reclaim the world-from imperialism and greed.You can't support something like an occupational force and then try "reclaim the streets". I'm far from a Republican,but I find that odd none the less.

Ummmm... so you reckon you can understand the reasons why a nationalist Irish person might attend a Reclaim the Streets event, but you can't understand why a unionist Irish person might want to do so?

You don't know unionists very well.

Whose Streets?

Just yours? Or all of ours?

DC

author by socialistpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Pat C is deluded. The "Love Ulster" crowd are backward right-wingers. They are not fascists. They are entitled to march down through Dublin if they wish. If you want to voice your opposition to them do so without petrol bombs and destrying innocent people's cars. Pat Corcoran do you condemn the attacking of cars of innocent people?

The scenes from Dublin city centre today shows exactly what kind of Ireland these RSF/CIRA people want. They want a united Ireland that will not extend rights to protestants. The people tearing up O'Connoll street are sectarian thugs and deserve no support for their thuggish actions.

"Left" Republicanism or "Socialist" Republicanism are contradictions in terms. It's dead-end politics. I hope the actions of these fools will make RSF/CIRA and their fellow travellers even more isolated and irrelevant than they already are.

author by Innocentpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:58author address author phone Report this post to the editors

is this just a random agenda-induced name yuo decide to give the riot??? idiot...

as for the #protestants' view of Ireland now - if you;'d been ignored and went north silently (doubt it) - would everyone have wanted an end to British involvement in Ireland?? LOL dont make me laugh..

if a united ireladn ever comes about i hope this isnt what its like.. i dont fancy sectarian marches in Dublin every day....

author by photographer - anarchist youthpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

five.jpg

burning barricade
burning barricade

two.jpg

three.jpg

Property destruction
Property destruction

author by Saerbhreathach - Irish Republican Bulletin Boardpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 18:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The blaming of Republican Sinn Féin for the actions of many rioting Irish people just reaffirms a sad fact that Indymedia Ireland is often not a reliable source for news, but worse than the mass media for promoting a biased, untruthful point of view.

Spokespersons and members of Republican Sinn Féin made their views and plans for their protest perfectly clear in Irish media outlets, their paper Saoirse and on the internet months before and up to today - yet as usual that fact is ignored by those with anti-Republican and anti-RSF agendas.

The truth will be continously be spoken inspite of those here that believe they can silence it with lies and black propaganda.

Related Link: http://www.irbb.rr.nu
author by kevin - imc eirepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

More images coming... hang on.

Injured Garda being seen to by medics
Injured Garda being seen to by medics

author by chiefofpolicepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Well there might be some trouble in town on the love ulster march, with two groups who have an undoubted history of rioting against themselves and police, so I've got to choose a route..., now hmm I wonder if those buildings works are finished...?

duhhhh eh duuuuhhhh

author by Innocentpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Socialist - honest question- why do these people have the 'right to march on DUblin?'

they are loyalists who do not recognise Dublin as part of their 'country'. they probably have exclusively British passports. they hate Ireland. they were carrying banners with the picture of a man majorly involved in the DUblin/monaghan bombings.

WHy do they automatically deserve to march in Dublin?

its the old issue with trying to 'seem open and fair'... governments forget what is most important from the outset becayse they want to be seen to do the right thing.

this should never have been allowed - and i totally condemn the idiots who rioted.

author by socialistpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:08author address author phone Report this post to the editors

It's irnonic that this idiot Republicans want a united Ireland but don't want protestants to be full citizens!

"Love Ulster" have right to march as they are not fascists. They may not agree with you or me. Last time I checked agreeing with bar-stool republicans was not a precondition to haiving civil rights.

"Innocent" I put it to you that you're a sectarian bigot. You oppose rights for protestants or anyone that doesn'y fit into the norms of being a Catholic Gaelic/Irish person. You scum should be cleared off the streets

author by Normal Dub Guypublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Video of the cars on fire on Nassau Street -

http://www.cult.ie/nassaust.zip

More observations here -

http://www.cult.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=257

author by Dublinfidelpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

\\\\\\\'no orange feet on o\\\\\\\'connell street!\\\\\\\'
Who decides that there should be no Orange feet on O\\\\\\\'Connell Street?
I welcome my fellow Irishmen onto the streets of our city, not the Republican Brownshirts attacking an Garda Siochana.

These rioting thugs are no different than the thugs torching embassies and burning flags in the ME.
No free speech? No right to free assembly?
When does the bonfire for the book burning get lit?

author by Ignazpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As a Brit, I could see the strategy of the Orangemen from the beginning - let's try and provoke a riot, get the march cancelled and then tell our Northern brethren how a united Ireland will never work for us or - if we drive this Love Ulster - Orange March (oops sorry, commemoration to the victims of the IRA) down O'Connell street, we'll use this against nationalists objecting to us marching in their neighbourhoods in the future.

A riot was pretty inevitable. As for all the holier than thou 'we're grown up down here in Dublin, we're mature and sensible so how dare people come and disrupt this march' nonsense being spouted on here - people have been hurt on both sides. The Love Ulster commemorative event was not just a dignified commemoration focused on reconciliation, as it should have been - it was political and provocative. GET REAL!

author by kevin - imc eirepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:15author address author phone Report this post to the editors

A few more to come...

Burning barricade in O'Connell Street
Burning barricade in O'Connell Street

Injured Garda
Injured Garda

Crowd singing Fields of Athenry
Crowd singing Fields of Athenry

Riot Line
Riot Line

Road Closed sign put up
Road Closed sign put up

Dumpster overturned near Supermacs
Dumpster overturned near Supermacs

photographer crouching behind wheelbarrow
photographer crouching behind wheelbarrow

09burning_dumpster2.gif

Smashed window of car in Nassau Street (before being set alight)
Smashed window of car in Nassau Street (before being set alight)

Car overturned
Car overturned

Smashing the window of a car
Smashing the window of a car

Heavy smoke
Heavy smoke

Overturned car set on fire
Overturned car set on fire

Smashing the windscreen of a van
Smashing the windscreen of a van

Chair being put through the PD's windows...
Chair being put through the PD's windows...

...and a table.
...and a table.

Legging it
Legging it

Smashing the windows of Londis
Smashing the windows of Londis

Garda gets hit with a petrol bomb in O'Connell St
Garda gets hit with a petrol bomb in O'Connell St

Garda on fire
Garda on fire

author by emerjennpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:15author address author phone Report this post to the editors

where exactly did the uniform gardai say that the riot police were to blame? i'd like to see that...

author by Innocentpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

are you just randomly typing away insults or readin the posts i made??

these people do NOT consider themselves Irish citizens you tool! they do not have Irish passports!!

what the fuck are you talking about me not calling them 'full Irish' because they are not Catholic/gaelic????

i never said anything of the sort - THEY SAY IT THEMSELVES!!
they dont want to be Irish - nor never will!

what IS your point?

i aske what inherent right they had to walk thry Dublin on a clearly provocative cause!! I would not support an 'anti-nigerian immigrant' rally through some part of Dulin that had a massive immigrant population.

you haev to use your mind here and weigh up PR stunts with practical caution.

i would gladly welcome any protestant (your emphasis) to march on O'C street if part of a United Ireland - but they have to be not inciting hatred... like any marcher i woudl turn away..
put that in your biased pipe and smoke it...

author by pat cpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:19author address author phone Report this post to the editors

its reported elsewhere on either this or the other thread. i cant go searching now. have alook.

author by Mowglipublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:20author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This is purely down to the idiocracy of the Irish Government. These are two dogmatic groups, who both feel their position is right. If the Irish govt had prepared it properly, non of this would have happened. Free speech is a must, but it is clear that a group of Sinners, and youths from the scumpit that is Dublin's inner city, are responsible. They managed to alienate the rights of freedom of speech, and took it one step too far by injuring innocent police and civilians. I think its time taht we relinquish links with the North, and i would encourage Britian to do the same. What we must do is give them their own sovreignty, and let them fight it out in their bucket of piss up the North. I am deeply embarressed by the actions taken by those who are effectively a form of National Front

author by kevin - imc eirepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:22author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Sorry about the interlacing (jagged lines), these are still grabs from video footage.

I'm a bit knackered now, so I think video footage will have to wait until tomorrow.

Burst water pipe
Burst water pipe

Person arrested
Person arrested

Purple Smoke bomb
Purple Smoke bomb

Sit down protest
Sit down protest

Another arrest
Another arrest

Street Clash
Street Clash

Garda swinging a baton at demonstrator
Garda swinging a baton at demonstrator

Barricades in O'Connell Street
Barricades in O'Connell Street

Injured female Garda
Injured female Garda

author by ne plus ultra - "= get the fascists out of both nationalism and unionism"publication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

so they didn't say it with flowers after all.

author by Seanpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

anyone is normally respected in Dublin and allowed to march freely no bother.. irrespective of religion completely. get off your high horse (predictable that this would be unionist feelings after this setup) and tell me why on earth these people (provoking trouble) wanted to march in a city they see to be in another country?#

if you and your friends are willing to relinquish british government of nI then you are welcome here whenever you want. of course you cant march with banners of the man who was key to the Dubln./monaghan bombings...

why the need to march fuckign everywhere!?!? especially areas in which your not welcome. this is a wider issue btw, not just Dublin.

author by pat cpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"Clarifications
by Radiohead Sat Feb 25, 2006 16:55

Overheard a garda say that the Public Order Unit fucked up."

it was on the other storyline.

author by Photographer - anarchist youthpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

they ignore protest - you cant ignore a city on fire
they ignore protest - you cant ignore a city on fire

overturneed builders skip
overturneed builders skip

riot3.jpg

scumbags
scumbags

PD's office getting hit
PD's office getting hit

author by Ignazpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:33author address author phone Report this post to the editors

With regard to the protest, what on earth Did the Irish government expect????????? Did anyone seriously think everything would go jolly well and that the Love Ulster boys would be met with open arms? Perhaps your politicians are so far removed from reality that they actually felt that the whole event would be well received.

Incredibly strange................

author by emerjennpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

and you take that to mean that they started the violence? it could mean they got there too late. it's a comment without context that can be taken as anyone wishes

author by No 6publication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:38author address author phone Report this post to the editors

s reported elsewhere on either this or the other thread. i cant go searching now. have alook."

You've got nothing......

Your delusional rants are falling apart. You've so petty and small minded that you cannot comphrend that someone can find you and your thug mates actions reprenhensible and not be a unionist. You cannot defend the actions of the looters and car burners yet feel proud of your thug mates. The petty insecuirty displayed by these thugs is a propaganda victory for Paisley and his thugs.

.

author by unrepentant fenian bastardpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:38author address author phone Report this post to the editors

david:

yes, why don't you and your two friends pool your resources and start a blog for 'all' of those from the 'progressive' unionist tradition. or maybe the three of you can just get together and have a chat now and then.

dont you think 'progressive unionists' would be better off devoting their precious time to fighting the rampant sectarianism among loyalists, who stabbed young devlin to death in nb and dumped lisa dorrian's body at sea than wasting their time trying to lecture a bunch of fenians?

socialist:

i put it to you that you are not a socialist at all, whatever you may call yourself. wille, jeffrey have no 'right' to march accompanied by the oo and with pictures of 'innocent' victims through a city in which at least one of those 'victims' carried out the worst atrocity of the troubles. you must be one of those 'socialist's who responded to harryville and the murder of postal worker mccolgan by piously condemning 'all' sectarian marches, violence, etc. ducking the question, in other words.

author by Ignazpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Or perhaps the Irish government is attempting to sideline SF, and used this event to suck in as many shinnners as possible - time will tell.

By the way, mouthing off about 'fascists' doesn't help the situation. I've seen this kind of language used all over the place (I'm a British journo). Discuss, don't insult.

author by pat cpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

i saw the riot gardi attacking the crowd. its reported by one of the indy editors at the start of thev story and another person has commented on what he heard a garda say. now the indy editor and i were both there, you were not.

bye bye my sweethearts.

author by RadioHeadpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 19:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

At about 12:10, I overheard a few people saying that was gonna be trouble. Things were so quiet then, I wasn't sure how they could be so certain.

When riot police began moving northward on O'Connell Street (near Frazers) at about 12:35, the crowd on the ieast footpath were hemmed in. I wasn't sure if the steel barricades separating the people from the road were coveniently there from construction or whether they'd been part of a "public order" operation. They were a nuissance, anyway, and there was little room for manoeuvre or escape.

A man behind me was shouting "There's a baby here...Stop lads..." over and over. He was back-to-wall with nowhere to go. At this stage, the crowd was raucus, but not violent from what I experienced - hard to know when you're so hemmed in though.

I went south (opposite direction to everyone else being pusheed by the shields), and got through riot police line - heading to Earl Street junction to get a better (safer) vantage point.

The riot squad passed me by as i stood at a bus-stop, and gardaí began to clear O'Connell Street (behind RiotSquad line) at about 2:15.

Standing in at Earl Street junction, I heard a garda say "Yes can read about it in tomorrow's papers...the deay democracy died". Another garda was telling a colleague that "the Public Order Unit have fucked up." This could either mean they started it, or they weren't handling the situation well (not hard enough or not soft enough - who knows?). Only one guard's opinion anyway.

author by anonpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:07author address author phone Report this post to the editors

rte presenter saying that it might not have been rsf or sf at all but perhaps anarchist and anti-globalistaion people sure we've seen what we've done before

author by Adrianpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:11author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I was near the front of two police charges today (O'Connell Street outside Penneys and later South Frederick Street, off Nassau Street). The cops acted well, overall. They were generally patient and restrained, despite having rocks and missiles lashed at them. Had they acted with one tenth of the irresponsibility of the protestors, people would be dead this evening. A special award for stupidity to the protestors who attacked and injured journalists, including Charlie Bird who went on the RTE 6 o'clock news to tell what happened to him. I saw the main culprits:

-- 1. O'Connell Street, 2.30pm: 90 per cent of the stone-throwers were kids and tracksuited-youths. I doubt many of them have ever heard of Republican Sinn Fein. They saw the opportunity for a bit of craic. The studenty types who proudly paraded a Republican Sinn Fein banner acted grossly irresponsibly in lending acceptability to the destruction.
-- 2. South Frederick Street, 4pm: I watched as chairs and a table were thrown at the windows of the PD's headquarters. I saw three individuals throw most of the chairs. Two were tracksuited hoodies. But the one who finally broke the main window was a guy dressed in black, with a black scarf around his face and wearing a napsack or rucksack.

This is a crap day for Sinn Fein (RSF is so small it has nothing to lose). Most people will associate today loosely with Sinn Fein.

author by risiblepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Plays very nicely into the hands of any Minister for Justice that wants to show that a firm grip is needed on the populace. The gardai should have used one of those public order acts that forbids people from gathering in large numbers. That would have sorted the problem out right? Maybe the Gardai need stronger powers to prevent this sort of thing from occurring? (And of course you can't trust those republicans)

author by panic on the streets of dublinpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

orange order weren't harmed, this turned into an anti-garda riot.

What a day.

author by on another sitepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:24author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"self-styled 'anarchist photographer' on indymedia who appeared to be at the centre of the action wherever it was with a camera. Rather touchingly s/he photoshopped out the faces of some on the march wearing black hoodies, but not others wearing more national regalia. Presumably there is a hierarchy of comradeship in these situations - one I suspect from analysing the pictures which is more fond of mouthy middle-class anarchists than the proles in their Celtic jersey's"

author by anonpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Looting section 12 for looting schue and/or public order and assault.

author by Alanpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

RSF associated themselves so publicly with this protest beforehand that in the mind of most Dublin people they are behind the subsequent rioting. I dont believe for one second that RSF was involved in the rioting and that should be noted by those posting here. However RSF should have predicted the outcome and they should have realised that they would be made accountable for something they no longer had any control over. Its a bad day when Irish people destroy their own capital city at the behest of men like Willie Frasier. A loyalist mob would not have been able to cause half the damage to both property and the reputation of the city that we have seen.

author by photographer - anarchist youthpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I blocked out the faces of people who were engaged in illegal activity, I dont know who they are. In other photos I didn't block out faces of people as they were not engaged in illegal activity.

author by eye2eyepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Very well put Risible.

There is a much bigger picture to this.

It does play very well for the minister. Based on this stint, he can start the ball rolling on civil liberties and security . (sound familar?)

Puppetry - play one against the other to introduce change while everybody is distracted.

author by confusedpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:31author address author phone Report this post to the editors

So it was a march about something or other, i think that the motives of the crowd can be seen in the fact that they looted schuh and foot locker stealing runners and tracksuits before stealing the londis window display of booze that has been there for god knows how long. Which british business's did the attack again i thought foot locker was a US company, eddie rockets thats irish, coyle hamilton ehh irish that newsagents on nassau street, i was unaware that it was a MI5 listening post or maybe they just wanted some lucozade a sparkler and 10 john player blue

I was almost ready to start pretending i was welsh for the day

Go on the glorious warriors for our national freedom, I would like to offer the iraqi government a deal, we take some of your refugees in exchange for this lot, all the civil war fun they can handle, lets see them throw those shapes when there is any real danger of a response, awww buzzz man...blowhard paper tigers

author by Philpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 20:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

this was posted on the irbb, by a RSF member who was there:

"back a little over an hour from the Dublin counter-protest : and the way we are looking at it is that the loyalists and their pro-Brit buddies in LH succeeded in getting a violent reaction from some of those present for the counter-demo . I was with a group of six men (two of the sons and three of me mates) - we got to the Parnell Monument at just after ten AM : there was about twenty uniformed FS cops [all carrying batons up their sleeve , as we were to learn later!] and at least four SB filth , all keeping an eye on the three (yeah - 3!) RSF protestors that were there then , at that time !

Within half-an-hour , there was about 50 people (RSF members/supporters or just individuals protesting against the loyalist presence/ members of other political organisations) in the traffic-isle around the Parnell Monument - some had Tri-Colours , others had banners and placards etc . The atmosphere was friendly , not threatening - no sign of aggro : it was cold but dry , traffic driving by as usual , some of which flashed their lights/sounded their horns in support - number of uniformed cops now about fifty , with six on horseback - we spotted at least 12 SB filth , some of whom were trying to mingle with us . The cops had , by now , placed 4-foot high metal crowd-control barricades around us . At this time all was quite - a crowd of supporters had gathered to our left (outside the Ambassador building) and to our right (on the far side of the road , outside the internet cafe and down from that cafe , about 100 yards , another crowd of supporters had gathered outside Fraisers Pub ) - between us all , we numbered at least one thousand strong ! And , even though we were in four separate groups (all within about a one-hundred yards radius)
we all of us were kept behind those crowd-control barricades .
And then ..... a 'sing-song' started ! Very threatening , wha' ... ! The Irish National Anthem was sung , some then started singing the Fields of Athenry , whilst others were singing 'We Shall Overcome' - and , with a group that size , in the four different locations that we were in ,
the songs over-lapped , as ya would expect ! But THAT was the atmosphere at that time - about 12.20PM - good natured , but determined to show the loyalists , who were due in ten minutes (12.30PM) that not everyone welcomed them under their new flag of convenience .

Thats when things got nasty - the riot control cops (think mini-SAS wannabe's!) , about thirty of them at that point , dressed in black , carrying batons with helmets and perspex shields , moved in to remove the crowd of us at the Parnell Monument who , by this time , numbered
about 200 strong and had taken-up positions , with their placards and banners etc , across the by-now closed-off [by the cops] road junction - O 'Connell Street itself was not being blocked by us - we were just lined-up along that one side of it , but the riot squad wanted us gone from
there - we said no ! They lifted their shields chin-high , formed a straight line about three feet in front of us , drew their batons - and briskly waded into us , batons flying . And THAT , folks , despite what the media are now saying - was the spark that started the whole thing off .

A young-fella , standing about three feet to my right , went down on the ground , having got batoned on the head - before the riot control cop that hit him could withdraw his arm , it was grabbed and he got a fierce punch in the face by one of that fella's mates - the same was happening all along that line of 'us and them' . They waded in and , sometimes before they could land a baton on anyones face , they themselves got hit . With that , the uniformed cops , also with batons drawn , came behind their dressed-in-black mates to have a go at us - that's when the other three groups of anti-loyalist protestors broke through the ranks of uniformed
cops that were , up till then , managing to hold them back from where we were . There was , literally , hand-to-hand street fighting between we anti-loyalists and those two groups of FS cops - they managing to push us back a few yards , they we would get the upper hand and gain
ground , to try and get those bastards out of our faces . It was such a scene , for a good few minutes , that the cops on horse-back could'nt do anything to help their mates , because we were all inter-twined with one another , rolling around the ground - with us trying to defend ourselves from the cops , who lost all plot and just , for then , wanted 'revenge' on us for having the nerve to resist them - but they certainly did'nt get it all their own way . It continued like this for about half the length of O' Connell Street : from the Parnell Monument to the GPO . The cops got worried when they seen dozens of people running-up to the battle-scene from the O' Connell Bridge direction , all wanting to help us . That battle , and that is what it was , lasted for about 30 minutes , then the cops took up positions on the street and stopped coming at us .
A different crowd had , by this stage , gone running all the way down O'Connell Street on a looting and burning spree - but those that did that were not RSF members or supporters : they were the type that ya get everywhere at things like that - troublemakers , using the
opportunity to their own advantage . Anyway - at the GPO : the cops were in disarray , and they had stopped trying to attack us so , obviously , we had stopped defending ourselves against them , and we made our way back up to the Parnell Monument , just in case the loyalists might be on their way down . A crowd of about one-hundred of us stood at the corner of O' Connell Street and Parnell Square (with the Ambassador to our left) , nursing our wounds , ringing buddies , sitting having a smoke and a yap - but still willing to stand our ground and
let the loyalists know that they were not welcome to parade in a sectarian march in our city .

At around two o clock we got the word from some of our lads that the loyalists had been put back into their buses and had been driven , by a different route , to the LH/Molesworth Street Offices of the FS Administration - they had been advised to cancel their sectarian march !
It was over - for now , anyway !

We are all gonna hear (or are already hearing) a lot of half-truths/mis-truths and outright lies and FS propaganda over this event : as I type , Republicans are being given the full blame for it , as expected . But ask yerself this - how many marches/commemorations/demonstrations
have Irish Republicans held through Dublin (and other cities) - but nothing like this happened ?
How many Republican protests like that have resulted in riots on the streets ?
What was the extra 'ingredient' today that led to it turning into a street-battle ?
The answer is heavy-handed riot-control cops being deployed BEFORE there was a riot , and the presence , in the city , of loyalist thugs .
Bertie and his shower of lackeys now know that they cannot force us to accept loyalist bowsies on our streets . North or South . "

author by Ignazpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I'm just waiting for the inevitable comment from that O'D...., sorry, McDowell idiot.

The more I'm hearing about today's events in Dublin, the more I'm thinking that the Irish Government knew what would happen and saw the event as an opportunity to discredit Republicans.

All I can suggest is that you shouldn't discount anything.

BTW, I'm currently working on an interesting story that should break in an Irish newspaper within the next month - will flag it up on Indymedia in due course.

author by Lola Lee Loopublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:04author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Eye2Eye and Risible... thank God someone is realising the point of what happened today. You are saying what I have been trying to say since this avo on another thread. Who benefited here?? Smash and grab looting doesn't help anyone's cause unless you wanted the mob to behave that way. Why would anyone want this to happen? Again, people in power can be expected to conform to type and they, in turn, can expect mindless idiots to also conform to type. A deliberately provocative sectarian parade was sanctioned by the people in power. No one could understand why. Once the decision had been made, Sinn Fein advised ignoring them. i am not a Sinn Fein member but the wiseness of that advice can be seen now. Look at what is happening now. RSF is now caught up in something that was clearly not instigated by them. My witness at the event, who was impartial stated that she saw RSF people , peacefully blocking the street and standing at one side of the street. They were singing, they had flags and banners. Something happened and suddenly all hell broker loose. then she said it was other people, people just seemed to start joining in. They were agressive and angry, they were just wrecking the place, firing stuff, hitting people with missiles. She said there were kids throwing stuff who just joined in. I feel sorry for anyone who felt strongly enough to protest at the parade today but got caught up in this mess. i don't feel sorry for the sheep who just started wrecking the place for the sake of it. If only people would realise when they are being used. Now all over the media, RSF and SF, ( used interchangeably), are to blame for what happened. this obviously, was the end that was to be achieved in Mc Dowell's view. On Indymedia today, there are people fighting amongst thmselves about the whole thing. Anyone should see, that this was an outright spin operation. certain sections in political life are getting a little too close for comfort. Whether or not you agree with Sinn Fein or RSF, we should all be fighting for variety in political life. To allow Mc Dowell to blatantly control public behaviour like this is the real crime here. Forget about the mindless thugs today, spare a thought for our brothers and sisters who wanted to register their protest and next time let's not play into the hands of those who would divide us to conquer.

author by Keithpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Im a little confused as to why the politicians are acting so shocked. They decided to let an anti catholic group, connected to loyalist and unionist paramilitaries, organise a march through an area which they bombed not that many years ago. They allowed this despite many objections. In my view this is the same as if the Brits decided to let Sinn Fein march through Omagh. how about letting the Nazis march through Poland to protest on behalf of the soldiers who died invading Poland in the Second World War. The orange men should never have been given permission to march in Dublin. This had nothing to do with civil rights and everyone knows this. Whoever signed off on this march should lose their jobs immediately.

I also think Minister for Justice Michael McDowell should step down after this. What kind of person in his position could not foresee this kind of trouble? It is my opinion that he purposely undermanned the Gardaí today so he could have scenes like this to use against the Republicans he so dearly hates. Even if this isnt true his blindness to the chaos that was imminent is enough to show how bad at his job he is.

I think the people who are blaming the Gardaí are talking a load of crap. Obviously the Gardaí are going to respond aggressively to a riot. They are just doing their jobs. If you don't want to be hit with a baton don't get involved in a riot. It's as simple as that. Besides, I reckon most of the people that were there when the riot police arrived were local criminals out for a good time fighting the cops.

It's obvious that Ian Paisley is going to use this as ammunition but honestly, who actually listens to him besides the orange men?

Lets just hope they don't try and march them in the Paddys Day parades.

author by Keithpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Something just came to me. Anyone remember what happened when Catholics tried a civil rights march in Derry on January 30th 1972? Something to do with blood on a Sunday wasn't it? Perhaps we should have dealt with this situation like the British government would. So really, the Gardaí should have started shooting the Orange men (women and children) indiscriminately.

author by eye2eyepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

We are being distracted.
The bottom line this was sanctioned by the government.
I hope this fact is not clowded by what actually happened (unfortunate and costly it is)

All sides of this were (are being) played.

The question that needs to be asked is "why?"

Why was this sanctioned?
Who gains from the all this mess?

We will see in the oncoming days plenty of column space devoted to the actions of the day and how this wasn't right and they should have done this and that - all of which miss the point and asking the incorrect questions.
They should be asking Who gains from all this mess?

Alas they won't, because editors or moreso newspaper owners will have issues with that sort of analysis.

I'd bet the knight in shinning armour might well be the cause (for whatever reason) and be sure enough an new report will be commissioned and it will recommend that a new, tougher meause will be put in place so this does not happen again - but at what cost and why?

The next few weeks will be interesting to say the least.

author by anonpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

See image of loyalist band outside dail today.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluetit/104241962/

www.irishblogs.ie/ blog aggregator

http://www.flickr.com/groups/48889078629@N01/pool/

author by Ignazpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

That guys a danger to the peace process and Ireland - as an ex Brit soldier who lost many comrades in the North, he's a massive problem in my opinion and is p*****g around with some weird agenda to smash the republican movement. SACK HIM!

Heads should role in the Irish government for allowing this to happen. And ask yourself this, what on earth is a victims group doing aligning itself with Orange marchers and Loyalist groups at an event like this. It's a sham and you know it!

author by kintamapublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:39author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Clearly the sensible thing to have done today was to ignore the march organised by Frazer the apologist for loyalist/british murder gangs. The decision by Mc Dowell to greet the organisers of this hardline loyalist MopeFest did in my opinion however inflame matters. It is regrettable that an inadequate force of Gardai was sent to marshall Frazers crowd and the counter demonstration and that those of them who took the brunt of the initial attacks were so poorly protected. Frazer himself was confident that the Gardai would be 'more than equal to the task of facilitating and securing the parade'. He obviously had more confidence than the rest of us that Mc Dowell would ensure proper resources were made available to avoid trouble. Frazer will be happy that he now is a victim in all parts of the island and Mc Dowell probably thinks that a spot of violence he can link to republicans will do him no harm. A Frazer /Mc Dowell common cause. Mc Dowell will no doubt seek to blame everyone but himself and while the suspicion that hospitalised Gardai suited his agenda will remain no more than suspicion he cannot escape blame for todays events.
Bertie clearly was miffed by Mc Dowells posturing about the power of small parties maybe he will now take the opportunity to dump this political liability.

author by Bystanderpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Some 'patriot' tried to steal my girlfriend's handbag off O'Connel street. I managed to catch him with a restraining elbow to the face. Luckily there was an american tourist there who helped me give him a hiding ... it's amazing how tough these guys aren't when they're isolated.

author by Jimmypublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I do not believe anyone in the southern administration and media who claims they did not foresee what would happen. they are just lying through their teeth. There seems to be another agenda going on, could it be that the southern establishment are in the process of discarding republicanism?

Regarding the availability of so much material suitable for rioting, this should be a lesson for those who allowed the main street of our capital to remain a building site for so long. That paving job should have been finished long ago.
As for Mcdowell -he has to go -along with anyone else who was involved in authorising the loyalist march. They should have had their buses stopped and turned around the moment they crossed the border.

author by Mr Angrypublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 21:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Since the loyalist march was legal, the scum who rioted on the streets have Dublin had no right to stop it. It's called democracy. I hope the cops gave them a good going over back at the station.

author by Skepticpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 22:03author address author phone Report this post to the editors

If McDowell did consciously reduce policing levels (despite the expectation of violence witnessed by the removal and sealing of rubbish bins around the city) then the question is whether he did this on his own or in cahoots with other cabinet members. Questions need to be asked in the Dail. Specifically: what intelligence reports and briefings McDowell received prior to this; whether there was an expectation of violence mooted in these reports; who decided the policing levels etc.

author by Dompublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 22:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Phil, i too was there in your group when the trouble started, when the riot police moved in with batons drawn. You told the tale very well, pity you left out the fact that all the shinner scum were continuously chanting abuse at the police, that some of ye have already thrown stones at them and that the riot squad didn't actually move in until of of you mindless assholes had actually thrown a petrol bomb (crude but effective) at the police and injured one of them. For the record, this was thrown at the unarmed, unshielded uniformed police, not the riot ones. If you are gonna tell a story, tell it true and tell it all you intellectually challenged moron.

author by John Meehanpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 22:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Well done to Kevin and other Indymedia reporters for putting this story together.

I'm pasting in the the story below (copied from today's Irish Times), as this is a "sub only" site.

It deserves a wide readership.

Susan McKay shows that the main organizer of "LoveUlster", Willie Frazer, is a loyalist sectarian bigot - in cahoots with Ian Paisley. (See details berlow of Paisley's vicious attack on Eugene Reavey).

While we can sympathise with opponents of the sad sectarian FAIR marchers, it appears the counter-protesters achieved only a public relations own goal today.

Susan McKay's story once again raises an interesting question that goes to the heart of why the Good Friday Agreement is rotten to the core - why is Sinn Féin, which positions itself on the left, seeking the "implementation" of an agreement which will result in a far right bigot, Ian Paisley, becoming first minister of Northern Ireland? The same question is addressed to all people who support this agreement.

At last week's Sinn Féin Árd Fheis party leaders put in a lot of effort into blocking delegates from making the abolition of the Offences Against the State Act a precondition for going into a coalition government in Leinster House after the next general election - there's nothing new under the sun.

No Coalition with the right - north or south.
Thanks for that John. The cut and paste has been moved to be a story categorised as OtherPress. Long pieces such as this one that are from other media sources should be published as OtherPress and you can then link to them in your comment. -- R.Isible 1 of IMC Ireland Editorial

Related Link: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74511
author by Johnpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 22:31author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Clearly the only response to today's events is for the Mayor of Dublin to invite the Orangemen back next Saturday to hold the march they had to abandon today. Now that the evil intent of the republican protestors is known, it shouldn't be difficult to muster a strong enough police presence to contain them. Its not as if there were thousands of republican protestors, perhaps just a hundred or so. And they are unlikely to repeat the scenes we saw today as most of them will be in jail or on bail. It would be intolerable if the republicans were allowed to gloat over the 'victory' they achieved today. A dose of humiliation by having the march go ahead next Saturday is just what the republicans need to put some manners on them.

author by TAFKABOpublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 23:15author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As a unionist I just wanted to thank every rioter who took part today;
I would also like to offer my thanks to every contributer on this thread for their frank and forthright contributions.

I sincerely hope that all the rioters had a bloody great time today, because the price they will pay for it is probably higher than they realise.

A united Ireland?

No chance.
It aint gonna happen.

All that stuff I've been hearing about how unionists have nothing to fear from an Ireland of equals?, don't make me laugh.
Unionist aren't welcome in Irelands capital city.Fine, we get the message.
It seems that everyone finally agrees with us, partition is a good idea.
We'll stay in our part of the island,and you stay in yours.

Slàn.

author by R. Isiblepublication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 23:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Which calls LoveUlster "hardline" but doesn't mention their links to loyalist paramilitaries. Also calls the rioters "IRA supporters" and gives the impression that they all travelled down from the North for the day.

Related Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1718054,00.html
author by Coillte, and proud of it!publication date Sat Feb 25, 2006 23:52author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Tafkabo! you may have just blown a hole in my little theory. Maybe, you could be interested in what I say. Basically, we in the South are utterly confused, we do not know what is important any more. The only mantra that we are genuinly interested in, is the making of more money!
The riots in Dublin today puts a hold on a United Ireland, seems to be the refrain from many republican commentators and now from you Tafkabo, hic!. How right ye are! But you are viewing things away from the facts. You see, the events just delay the instigation of the last piece of Paisleys i.e. innermost Unionists plan. The South has changed utterly since Paisley came on the scene:
• The Roman Catholic Churches influenced has waned a lot since he first started mouthing off in the sixties that the South was ruled from Rome!
• We have brought in contraception. There is now c. 250,000 less young people fewer, under twenty years of age today in the Irish Free State then in the middle 1980s. Many GAA clubs up and down the Free State will be shortly finding it difficult to field a seven aside team, never mind fifteen aside.
• We brought in Divorce. Our Free State lawyer/politicians argued that this would placate the Unionists. The Irish family, the bedrock of Republicanism and no doubt in the unionist heartland, is in free fall!
• We have changed our constitution (Articles 3 and 4); we no longer claim any territory in or around the six counties.
The last piece of Paisley’s plan, the final piece of capitulation on behalf of the Irish Free State, undermining the existence of our major political parties that originated with the Civil War, is to fly the Union Jack over O’Connell St, preferably over the GPO. Unless Paisley decides to change sides and start all over again. He does seem a very difficult character to placate; but no doubt there will be somebody in authority working on it!

author by kintamapublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Thousands of Unionists enjoy the hospitality of the capital on a regular basis and when they dont try to justify the murder of fellow citizens Dubliners are happy to accommodate them as fellow citizens. Attempts by semi literate bigots like Frazer to airbrush loyalist/british murder from the record books will however continue to be treated with contempt. If Sean Kelly attempted a Love Ardoyne parade on the Shankill Road and refused to rule out carrying a picture of Thomas Begley as a victim it is likely disorder would follow . It is also highly likely that senior unionist and british politicians would refuse to meet with him after the LoveArdoyne parade. Would disorder in that case mean the Union was unsustainable and confirm that unionists were unredeemable bigots? Frazer and his ilk are the reason the Union will never enjoy nationalist support .

author by Joe Doakes - Nonepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

To "Republican" Sinn Fein: You ignore and have contempt for us, for our laws, our lawmakers, our Gardaí and our Army. So, you are not republicans at all. You are no better than the anti-Catholic Loyalist and Orange bigots you seem to need so badly.
To anarchists: you are enemies of our democracy which we freely choose for ourselves. You too ignore and have contempt for us and our institutions.
You both want to take our rights away. You want us to submit to your violence and intimidation.
We will not. Our Gardaí will fight against you and if necessary our Army, when we ask them to; it is the reason we have them, to defend us and our laws against the likes of you.
To all of you, and to all of those who support you, who sympathise with you, who encourage you:
You are the enemies of the Irish people. We will not have you. Today and every day in the future is OUR day. Yours, will never come, not ever; because we won't have it.
To Unionists/Loyalists: No on wants you; you're a disgrace and an embarrassment to the British, who don't even regard you as British, can't you figure out why not? There will be a united Ireland sooner or later, and you can love it or leave it, it's up to you. United Ireland with you in it? You're unfit to unite with anyone. You had 50 years to show what you were made of, and boy didn't you just. You proved our point about what sort of people you really are, all by yourselves, without having to be asked. We sincerely thank you for that - we really do owe you one.

Ps; does anyone know why RSF and anarchist scumbags in general are such lousy spellers?

author by Abroadpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:17author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Pat C and Risible and your fellow travellers - you're all totally deluded!! It amazes me how you can even try and turn this story on its head and blame the Government or Michael McDowell. Maybe I shouldn't be so amazed though - it's so sadly predictable.

(i) It is clear that the riot was started by the protesting crowds (whether RSF or just plan old scumbags) and cannot be blamed on anyone else, least of all the Guards. Only those of you who clearly hate our "Free State" Garda and all that our democractic institutons represent could have the sheer audacity to claim otherwise.

(ii) To claim that there was deliberate under-policing in order to allow McDowell to impose harsher legislation or knock the Republican movement smacks so much of a ridiculous conspiracy theory that it's laughable.

(iii) How can you explain away the crowbars, bottles and other implements brought to the O'Connell street area by protesters. It is clear that there was intent to cause serious disuption or worse.

It apalls me to think that this tiny group of bigots can undermine our excellent record of freedom of speech and assembly in Ireland. This is the same freedom of assembly and protest that the Reclaim the Street marchers - many of whom appear to be on this forum - invoked in recent years. Can nobody see the irony?

author by philpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Recently in the American mid-west activists as well as "apolitical" black youths stopped a kkk march. Im sure that would be applauded here and rightly so. That is the same as what happened today. Throwing the epithet "skanger" around freely here is merely showing the distain you hold disenfranchised poor working class youths in.

author by De Burca U - Irish citizenpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:36author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Motion 57. (from Ard Comhairle and Comhairle Ceantair Chiarraí)

"That Republican Sinn Féin develop its role as a campaigning body including ANTI WAR protests".

I assume this means all wars EXCEPT the 'war' against the 'occupying forces'

Also, could someone explain this one:
"44. That this Ard Fheis condemns any outside influences which try to disrupt or split the Movement and to ensure members are vigorous in preventing such influences. " Comhairle Átha Cliath

Actually, don't bother explaining - everyone knows what it means...just more encouragement of free speech...ha..ha!

When you sad people are gone Ireland (Protestant and Catholic and Moslem and Jew and Hindu and Orange and Green) will be truly free. Please stay at home, go on holiday, have sex, love your children, do some helpful work, stop living in 1798, 1848, 1916, 1921, 1966,....get a real life - LIVE for Ireland today.
I encourage everyone to look at the photos at: www.rsf.ie - such a bunch of sad, dangerous, deluded loners.

author by philpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

some black youths at the anti-kkk rally also attacked innocent whites. it didnt negate that the fact that the counter protest against the kkk was right.

author by Keithpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I think its fair to say that if the Orange men come back there would be a lot more people there to stop them and a lot more trouble. Of course that would be the point of the march. People keep talking about Democracy. My understanding of democracy is that it follows the will of the people. I think most people would agree that the march shouldnt have been held in the way it was. I think next Saturday a march for the victims of violence on both sides should be held. And it should be organised by a neutral party. Nothing political and no orangemen or terrorists.

author by Maldinipublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 00:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Bangarda who was injured was dragged into a pub by a gang who locked the door behind them. They proceeded tobeat her senseless and then threw her back out onto the street. Who do these idiots think they're representing?

author by McDowell Fancierpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 01:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Ahern says trouble expected. McDowell lays low. Opposition to ask who knew what when? Is McDowell incompetent or did the government expect this to happen? See link below for one story from Taoiseach and the other from McDowell.

Related Link: http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0225/loyalist1.html
author by Paulpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 01:12author address author phone Report this post to the editors

And arn't we the poppets to give him that excuse

author by anonpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 01:58author address author phone Report this post to the editors

.

Todays riots were brought to by SIAC
Todays riots were brought to by SIAC

author by Albagubrath - SSPpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 02:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Easter 1916

"The breakdown of law and order that accompanied the rebellion was marked by widespread looting, as Dublin's slum population ransacked the city's shops. Ideological tensions came to the fore when a Volunteer officer gave an order to shoot looters, only to be angrily countermanded by James Connolly."

Thats class warfare folks it aint a dinner party. Strike revolution from your dictionary if you think it is. No to capitalism and orange fascism!

author by Paul Moloneypublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 02:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"If mankind minus one were of one opinion, then mankind is no more justified in silencing the one than the one -- if he had the power -- would be justified in silencing mankind. "

For all those above who think we should have having majority votes on freedom of expression.

P.

author by Darrenpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 02:13author address author phone Report this post to the editors

They wanted a riot and we gave them one. How could the goverment let them come down? they knew it wouldnt be a peaceful march. Maybe the goverment might listen to us now.

author by Republican resistancepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 02:21author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This is what awaits pro-British elements in this part of the country,where our coutries founding-fathers laid down the basis on how to achieve freedom,resistance in all its shapes and forms,we republicans are not sectarian or mad-men,we're people who love our country and its foundations and will defend it at whatever cost,this is what awaits the free-state establishment when they allow partician to flourish and support KKK stlye British organisations which have supported Loyalist death squads in the past,and have a nazi-type underbelly,this resistance will be making it up to these peoples homelands soon.

Today we saw republicans and the working class show that the celtic tiger dosent apply to them and anger was vented as we saw

32 County Socialist Republic Now
Up Oglaidh na hEireann
Tiocfaidh ar La

author by Maldinipublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 02:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The worst part of this whole debacle is the fact that these deluded idiots seem to think they're carrying on the work of Connolly, Pearse and the rest of those from 1916. It's embarrassing to hear them comparing themselves to men who put their lives on the line for what they believed in. It's just an attempt to legitimise thuggery and you know it. It all went tits up today and you're all on here trying to justify it in any way possible.

If they had marched down O'Connell St, what effect would that have had? Fuck all, The Orangemen and all their triumphalist nonsense got EXACTLY what they wanted today, the continuance of the status-quo will in perpetuity. I suppose that's what those responsible for the riots wanted too though, they can go on conducting criminal acts all in the name of an ideology they claim to believe in but betray by their actions.

author by Idontthinksopublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 04:22author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Ìts great entertainment watching the complete shite posted here trying to justify the thugs.

For starters the Gardai have CCTV of the whole thing and many journalists were there so the tapes will and do clearly show the thugs attackign the Gardai well before the PO unit show up.

Secondly, you can claim victory all you want but the fact is you got beaten of the streets by the smaller force of Gardai. how many thugs? 500 or 1000? how many Gardai? Not even 200 all in.

lastly, the looting is on CCTV idiots so expect a few Gardai with warrants to knock on your door real soon.

author by Edpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 04:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I am delighted to see that some people refuse to get pushed around in their own city. What the hell was expected to happen when you let a gang of sectarian bigots march down the main street of the capital (with its symbolic buildings) waving a union jack? Its a disgrace that any government or city council would allow this. I'm suprised that this shower didn't ask to do it at Easter. Of course, in an a la carte "democracy" like ours, we allow this kind of "free speech" and we wonder why people get so angry about this kind of demonstration. Sure why don't we let neo-nazis march with swastikas through Tel Aviv to demonstrate their right to free speech. There was no thought given to any Nationalist concerns as there rarely is in these matters as this disgrace of a government who has the audacity to call themselves Republican pander to Unionism and the British. Well if the government wouldn't stand up, the people made sure that they did. The only shame is that well-justified resistance was high-jacked by skanger scum who only want to cause trouble and vandalism. It makes me proud that someone still has a backbone in this country

author by emerjennpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 04:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I'm irish through and through, i love my country, i love its foundations and culture and i've devoted my studies and life to the study and revival of our language and i dont believe that the march today was a threat to our freedom in any way shape or form. all we saw today was a bunch of thugs using the name of those who won us our freedom to pillage burn beat and injure. If anyone wants to try and justify the disgustingly indiscriminately violent "counter-protest", dont use the names connelly, pearse, hyde and collins as they are surely spinning in their graves.

The right to counter protest was and is undenyable, but to do it in such a fashion serves only to undermine the protest. I personally believe that if the families of victims want to march they can do so wherever they please. I didnt think the OO did an incredibly smart thing in joining in and i see why people were apposed but the method of opposition was so grotesque that i can hardly believe it occured.

author by Joe Doakes - Nonepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 04:45author address author phone Report this post to the editors

No Compromise? This is OUR republic; no semi-literate nazi or communist scum such as you or your bogus "republican" bunch of criminal wastes of space are going to get their hands on it. Do yourself and all of us a favour - emigrate to Colombia or somewhere. You have no future here.

author by Maldinipublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 06:03author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Jesus, I'm so glad those nasty sectarian bigots didn't get to march down O'Connell St, who knows what could have happened!! They might have rioted and wrecked the place! Connelly didn't die to let some moany fucker whose son was killed in cold blood march in protest down that street did he! He obviously died so that degenerates with nothing better to do could get pissed up and attack random passers-by and lob petrol-bombs at this state's police force who were trying to maintain the peace.

What the fuck difference would it have made if the march had gone ahead? Seriously!? Childish nonsense!

"Romantic Ireland is dead and gone, it's with O'Leary in the grave"

author by cop - coppublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 06:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

nothing but a shower of lower class thugs out with nothing better to do. This has nowt to do with rsf/or any other political group,just general scumbagism as seen in any dublin suburb at the weekend, people wake up

author by Harry Flashmanpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 07:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This is so funny, I am laughing me caks off at the idiocy of these guys, they just don't get the point do they?

When people say this has put the cause of Irish unity back a decade they think it means the northern Prods are alienated. No chance! They were never going to sign up even if flowers and candy had been handed out to the Love Ulster mob.

No my little Shinner friends you have just alienated the elephant in the corner - the FREE STATERS! You can just see across the length and breadth of the 26 counties the ordinary viewers watching their tellies and saying "Jayzuz them bleedin' Nordies are a nightmare, we should have feck all to do with them, seal the feckin' border tomorrow I say". And come around the next election when the Sinn Fein represrentative comes knocking at the door, he'll get a polite welcome but when the door is closed the election leaflet will be crumpled up and thrown in the bin. This is priceless, honestly ya couldn't make it up.

By the way as for those people who say supporters of terrorists should never be allowed to march through the cities of the places that they have bombed and that government ministers shouldn't meet them either you're right of course.

I mean can you imagine Sinn Fein rallies being held in the middle of London or Manchester or Birmingham? And there's just no way that members of the IRA Army Council would ever be admitted to Downing Street or the House of Commons. . . er, hang on, what's that you say, wow, no kidding!

author by Edpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 07:38author address author phone Report this post to the editors

What a shame that the scumbags who turned up today got “pissed up” and wrecked cars and shops, giving all the apologist ars3holes a good excuse to write off what happened. The Orangemen have enough “Queens highway” up the north to march around intimidating people, so why come to a place that they aren’t wanted in the least to do it? Lets go up to Sandy Row Rangers club and have a big demonstration outside there for Republican dead and see how its tolerated. It’s a pity the gardai took the full force of what happened today and not the Orangemen themselves and the people who make excuses for them. What difference would it make letting them march? Nothing obviously to me-feiners, who couldn’t give a toss either way.

author by Cormacpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Do youse really think they would let us republicans march down Shankill road remembering the deaths of our fella country people? Not a chance in hell.

Why the F*** did the Irish Government allow this in the first place? These bastards are not even on ceasefire and have said no to the good friday agreement but wait! Everyone is still yamming about republicans even though we called it a day!!

Dublin got away lucky that this was only Dublin scangers trying their best to be hoods, if that had to be a Northern Republican riot Im sure it would have been a re-run of 1916.

author by acabpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 11:12author address author phone Report this post to the editors

JIM CUSACK

According to the Department of Justice, the Government gave no instructions on policing the march. But the Justice Minister was "briefed" that the policing operation would be "low key and non-confrontational".

The gardai had, according to some reports, just 54 riot police on duty yesterday. According to the Justice Minister, there were 300 gardai (including some trainees) available to police the march. But garda sources told the Sunday Independent that there were only about 100 gardai in the O'Connell Street area when the trouble started.

Gardai took a hammering for almost three hours before the first batton charge.

Because of the roadworks, the gardai found it almost impossible to deploy properly and they could not even contain the thugs in O'Connell Street, with sections of them breaking through to Nassau Street and the Grafton Street shopping area.

The scene was very clearly set for a violent confrontation in the main street of the nation's capital yesterday.

Yet, once again, garda management failed to anticipate and respond in force to the threatened violence.

author by Ignazpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

How About a Love America rally in Najaf? Now there's an idea for McDowell to suggest!

Or Songs of Praise from Mecca

Or a Hunger Strikes commemoration on the Shankill.

Or an Irish Republican fete in Portadown town centre.

Any other mad ideas McDowell, Paisley and Co.?

author by Indy Photographer - 1 of Indymedia Ireland Editorial Grouppublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:00author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Please do not repost images from other sites without credit. If you see a photo on another site or on a blog, please either post a link to it or give full credit. If somebody goes to the trouble of taking photos and making them public, they at least deserve credit for it

author by Lola Lee Loopublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:05author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Check out what's hapening today in the mainstream media. As I and several other people said yesterday, who benefits from these riots? we always have to look, in strange situations, to who benefits. A provocative sectarian parade was sanctioned by the Republic's government. Why? A building site was left with all it's attendant bricks and stones and barriers, sitting in the middle of the street. A mindless mob will always act like a mindless mob , guaranteed. So who benefited? Now check out the wording in the Guardian,
"after thousands of republican protesters rioted in the centre of the Irish capital yesterday, with several Irish police among 40 people injured."
"Irish police tried several times to remove the protesters, many of whom hid their faces with Celtic scarves, from O'Connell Street, but they reassembled in side streets. "

"Ruairi O'Bradaigh, president of republican party Sinn Fein, which organised the protest against the Love Ulster rally",
( I swear the above is not a typo, he is president of Sinn Fein now)

So, eventhough, Sinn Fein advised ignoring the parade, now they actually organised it. As I said yesterday, RSF and SF would be used interchangeably. RSF, itself would be painted as the instigators of the whole thing. "celtic scarves"???? That's pertinent, obviously. Clearly, the whole debacale was the work of "republicans". from footgae I have seen and witness reports, a load of fools lost the head anad started wrecking the place. Anyone woith half a brain could see that this would happen given the circumstances. people who were firing stuff and wrecking the place are merely idiots and acted like the government wanted them to act. RSF should have had the sense to ignore this prade as it was sanctioning it was just a provocation and a useful tool in blackening political opponents who seem to be getting too close for comfort. There's a lot of support for Sinn Fein, ( not RSF), in the Republic. certain right wing people, like Mc Dowell, can't have their fan base moving left. So, he has achieved his aims. Republicans and possibly anyone left of centre were responsible for yesterday's appalling scenes. The people in South Dublin needed a reminder that they need to be fearful of these animals and that they need a hard line protector to control them. The people who were acting like violent fools in town yesterday, should be ashamed of themselves but really they just didn't realise that they were part of a much bigger game. We all need to be a little cleverer in future

author by Seanpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

While everyone argues over the rights or wrongs of this Ireland is gently becoming a parish of europe. It's interesting that anyone that sides with a 'nationalist' agenda is now branded a RACIST (in capitals), yet is there any other agenda available that might rescue Ireland long term? The issue here is one of strength - the government is playing very similiar cards to those played by thatcher in the 80's when the 'force' was doubled over two years after the brixton riots. Could any clear thinking people please remember what we have lost and still have to lose - this is not racism, it is a reaction against control of the many by the few!

author by ThisBikeIsAHypeBombpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Anybody seen todays Sunday World?What a load of crap.According to Mr.Williams it was Sinn Fein "thugs"(I'm not a SF supporter,but know enough to know they discouraged people from protesting AND designated Sat. a day of action against Dunnes) and "Anarchist troublemakers".

How are the Broadsheets reporting it?Hopefully a bit more factually?

author by eeekkkkpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:26author address author phone Report this post to the editors

sounds a bit out there to me - that's the sindo for ya

author by Sound Headpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As an Irish National living in the UK, I scanned through all the British papers today to see what kind of coverage has been given to yesterday’s events. The only stories or photo’s I could find were from two Irish papers available (images below). I find it interesting that the British Sunday Newspapers have failed to cover it. I am aware that this maybe due to the timing of the event as papers are usually in print at that time. Let’s see what reaction tomorrow’s Tabloids and Broadsheets will bring – if any. Coverage on British TV and radio is very little.

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dub_riot_press_images_05.jpg

author by Sound Headpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

.

dub_riot_press_images_06.jpg

dub_riot_press_images_07.jpg

dub_riot_press_images_08.jpg

dub_riot_press_images_09.jpg

dub_riot_press_images_10.jpg

author by Sound Headpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

.

dub_riot_press_images_11.jpg

dub_riot_press_images_12.jpg

author by eeekkkkpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Had photo on front cover

author by Sound Headpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 13:55author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I am aware that different editions in different regions maybe covering the story. i.e. The UK version of the Irish Sunday Independent.. My comments should be taken in the context of my region and access to material.

author by jack whitepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 14:31author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Thats totally mad. The IWU were handing out 'Join the Independent Workers Union' leaflets at a stall in in North Earl Street. I got the Sindo last nght and it didn't mention the IWU at all though... Basically it blamed Sinn Fein for everything. By the looks of things they had plenty of reporters on the scene but they concentrated on stating that the riot was organised by SF'ers rather than provide much accurate news - not that this was to be unexpected or anything.

Jim Cusack also went into some serious flights of fantasy when he talked about the Mayday 'riots' in 2002 (when cunning anarchists managed to organise a riot and arrange things so that the only footage taken showed gardai battering the shite out of kids - out of context!) and 2004 (brave heroic gardai sucessfully handle another anarchist riot out on the Navan road).

author by Journo2publication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 14:39author address author phone Report this post to the editors

You can imagine the headlines abroad - IRA implicated - Sinn Fein implicated - just takes a British / Mi5 / McDowell friendly to file some story that gets picked up by the international media, and there we have it. The protesters should have seen that this was a trap from the beginning, but hey, when emotions get stirred. It was all a trap designed to suck in as many hoods as possible!

Reminds me of the Dublin bombing at the time of the voting on anti-republican legislation during The Troubles (not the Dub-Monaghan bombings) - guess what - the next day the papers were full of claims that the IRA were behind the bombings and anti-republican legislation was passed, just as the British had planned. Lies Lies Lies and more Lies.

Brian M

author by eeekkkkkpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 14:39author address author phone Report this post to the editors

becomes the nations reality

keep throwing lies and they'll stick

author by Mr O'Duffy Callingpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 14:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I've often thought that the Indo should be re-named Blueshirts Today, or something - that O'D, sorry O'Reilly guy is obviously another of Thatcher's brigade, like McDowell

author by PJ . O'Grapublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 15:05author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The gardai were obviously under strength. What is needed is a reserve force - say of about a thousand part-timers - who could be called out when the police get over-stretched. I wonder why nobody thought of such a simple solution before.

author by Ilyanpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 15:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Commiserate with them that they have been sold out at the top, the British Royals are becoming Catholics through and through, and there was a Queen's private meeting with the Pope..

And thank them for teaching the Citizens' Army how to obtain arms. Was it Asguard that copied what they had done?

There is much ground to be covered to find common cause. Better start soon, before the eggs hit the fan when Carlo comes out for Liberation Theology and the Catholic Workers.

I don't suppose there will be a riot on Wednesday in Cardiff though there could be Republicans and UKIP puzzling over what to do at the opening of the new Welsh Assembly building.

I suppose I ought to post this up on Indycymru.

author by Sindopublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 15:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Eoghan Harris in the Sindo today bascially blames Daily Ireland and Newstalk (!) for whipping up the Dublin working class into an anti organge frenzy! His comments about Newstalk are just amazing!

Also Cusack in his piece comments about "Sinn fein supported Daily Ireland", but in reaility Sinn fein were against the protests!

author by RadioHeadpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 15:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Apart from the predictable ráiméis from PJ O'Gra (see above e.g., r.isible for such predictions), Dom's vitriol would lead one to ask what he was doing there in that group in the isle. Dom will know that things began to heat up when a bean-garda photographer was spotted filming at 12:15. The riot police were called up from the back of the Gresham Hotel, and were there battoning people by 12:35 (according to a photographer I met + my timing).

The petrol bomb and some other utensils might indicate pre-planned violence on the part of some, but the Public Order Unit have some questions to answer about their own hunger for action. It'll be a while before they're so batton-happy again, I think.

author by Republican resistancepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 16:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Funny how alot of you like to class the people involved as scumbags and thugs,these are the people the Celtic tiger forgot,these are the people who are ignored no matter what economic state this half state pocess's,you are very reactionary for folk of socialist outlook,you'd be jumping for joy if a mcDonalds in any other european country was smashed up,but here if your own elk do it,you call them every name under the son.

90 years ago irish men and women did the exact same thing,held a violent rebellion against imperealism,we were just re-enacting that event.

Fuck nassau st etc,those middle class snooty aristocrats probabaly never adknowlegded the existence of inner-city working class people such as myself,they know we exist now,i dont care about the womens beamer flipped over,she could probably buy 2 more anyway

TIOCFAIDH AR LA
SAOIRSE GO DEO

author by RadioHeadpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 16:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

the propaganda machine on 26-county media swung into overdrive almost immediately yesterday.

Charlie Bird claimed on the SixOne News on RTÉ television that he arrived at the scene at 1pm and seen gardaí getting stuff thrown at them from both sides of the street. So, as far as he was concerned, it was clear who started it. Since he'd been told to go there 'cos there was a situation by the RTÉ newsroom, he was clearly in no position to see how the situation began.

Newstalk had an hour and a half of conservative analysis from 10-11:30 am. Pundits didn't include witnesses.

Marion Finuchane had Charlie Bird on RTÉ radio, licking his wounds. There's no condoning attacks on any journalist, even propagandist ones. Hand-wrining trying to pass itself off as analysis.

Today FM's Sunday papers' show had the regular guest Mickey McDowell. He likes the gig 'cos there's no challenging on it: he can trust his mate Sam Smith. Fair treated as if they're championing Civil Rights.

McDowell back on RTÉ radio for on o'clock "This Week" programme as well as Deputy Commissioner of Gardaí - very balanced.

Will FF, Lab, FG condemn the unilateral violence of a few hundred on O'Connell Street 90 years ago which caused millions worth of damage? That'd be as unlikely as admitting that at least some riot police like getting paid to commit acts of bullying and violence. Unprotected civies need goding to react in kind to such a robotic machine.

author by Maldinipublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 16:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Don't try and make out this was some sort of triumph for the working class. It was coawardice of the highest order. attacking cars, beating up women and firing stones and bottles from a distance.

Your delusions are embarrassing, painting yourself as a romantic freedom fighter, lashing out at some ethereal imperialist power that no longer exists.

Victory for the working class people...really? How the hell do you figure that?

By the way:

Related Link: http://www.youtube.com/v/pgIlZgt4XV8
author by Tom Chardlepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 16:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Good point Republican Resistance - there's a big underclass in Dublin despite the best economic-cleansing efforts of the big cheeses. Drawn into this melee, for propoganda purposes, by the government and its scummy friends. Shame on you McDowell - why don't you just RESIGN along with all your neo-con pals!

Tom

author by uh?publication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 16:52author address author phone Report this post to the editors

you've started a class war. oh well, they have different rules you know.

author by Anti-sectarianistpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 17:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I thought that the Irish troubles were long over, but this disgraceful incident proves me wrong. What is this violence going to achieve except further divide catholics and protestants in both the north and the south! The people who want to take part in sectarian violence belong in the past. Sectarian violence has no place in modern Ireland. It is time for peace and reconciliation. What message are those Orange marchers going to bring home to their fellow protestants in the north are this outragous show of hatred against them?
The people who conducted this violence are not friends of Ireland, they are its enemies who want to plunge it back into brutal sectarianism!

author by Aidanpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 17:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

as much as i want to engage in an analysis of the interesting events that occured yesterday i simply dont have the time, however, i want to make one point: the manner in which those involved in yesterdays riots ( ordinary working class forgotten excluded inner city youths who nobody gives a fuck about until they highlight the hidden tensions in irish society, of course there was a handful of vanguard minded middle class politco's whom are waking up in the morning in their private school uniforms to tell their middle class friends about how anarchistic they are whilst not having a fucking clue what social anarchism actually is ) are described as scum, knackers and the usual insults that society throws at that sector of society that has been shit upon by irish society and the celtic tiger is indicative of the contradictions within left politics. I have heard on several occasions what might be regarded as progressive activists letting slip their in built prejudices towards Dublins 'scumbags' while ranting about class and social inequality. This symbolic violence is consistently acted out by Dublins middle classes be they anarchist, socialists or the ordinary Joe Sope on the street. As much as it disappoints me to see people engaged in direct action under the banner of crude plastic nationalism it is a fact of our everyday grammar of life that the issue of nationalism is an issue that ordinary working class youths idenify with. Labeling these events as the result of 'Dublins Knackers' highlights the class prejudice that exists internally within left and activist ciricles. It is something i have spoken about at length before and tried to bring it up in many circles but to no avail. The reality is that one can argue for all forms of poltical correctness, sometimes painfully exagerated , ie - safe spaces, however, it is completely accepted to talk about the scum on our streets without anyone blinking or taking offence, personally i dont appraise yesterdays events but equally i do not condone them, none of us are in a position to condemn and the language being used to describe our inner city youth by those who consider themselves 'progressive, socialist, liberal or whatever' prove this. The reality is that yesterday was an event that highlights the hidden hypocrisy, exclusion, tension and blatant inequality that exists in Dublin city. Young working class excluded men and women identifying with a form of nationalism directly confronting issues they identify with by striking at the heart of a decaying self deluding ' liberal society': In short: class prejudice and middle class snobbery reproducing a discourse that serves to excluse the already excluded inner city 'scumbag'.

author by pólpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 17:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

the orange order are an organisation that discriminates on religious and gender ground. the provoke religious and sectarian divide. why should such an undemorcatic organisation be give such a free voice. i commend the protesters. republicans are the only group that physically stands up for what they beleave in. you cant shout at a wall to break it down. republicans wanted to stop that march, and that march was stopped. these orange bands are aligned to the UVF and UDA, who where to march by the streets they murderes on, they have close connecctions to right-wing facist organisations throughout the world. why let them walk on us, parading their impearialism. it seems that for people writing on an indymedia board, there are a lot that are falling for gov sensorship media of RTE and those rag papers. one more point, why is it alright to say reroute drumcree, but not reroute dublin. end all sectarian marches. that includes dublin.

author by Steve - Nonepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 17:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

But that's the problem, all this is sectarian, self-perpetuating, the march was sectarian, the violent reaction was sectarian. Why is their organisation called Love Ulster? is it that Nationalists don't love Ulster, Nationalist vicitms are lower down the ploitical agenda, unless they are killed by the IRA then everyone wants to known about it. According to some reports the Loyalist Marchers wanted to carry a pciture of an infamous Loyalist killer responsible, some claim, for the Dublin and Monagahan Bombings and about 20 other murders. It is all sectarian, why did they need to bring down marching bands that usually show up at sectarian marches ... UVF and UDA shows of strenght? Their usual argument up in the North is that the particular routes they take are 'traditional routes' but they never marched in Dublin til now, so it's not their traditional route so why march at all, why not lobby the TD's, senators, MEP's, Local Reps, I am sure there would have been loads of PDers and Fine Gealers who would have listened to them. Why turn up in Dublin with Union Jacks and orange bands? The answer is simple, they expected a violent sectarian reaction! Those who gave it to them should be ashamed!

author by Galizaeirepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 18:43author email galizaeire at gmail dot comauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

My personal, paranoic, interpretation: http://galizaeire.blogs.ie/

Related Link: http://galizaeire.blogs.ie/
author by Padraig De Bruinpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 19:00author address author phone Report this post to the editors

How can someone call themselves a republican while wearing the jersey of a Scottish club who play an English game?

author by dunkpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 19:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

irish times
arda say they had no intelligence on riots
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/0226/ind...48304

RTE news tv
http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0323/6news.html

RTE news radio - not updated with yesterday and todays news yet
http://www.rte.ie/news/RADIOindex.html

irish independant
Fireworks and rocks rain on unprotected gardai as cars burn and marchers flee well-organised terror
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=...13729

bbc
Thirteen charged over Dublin riot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/475...2.stm

sky news
Charges After Dublin Riot
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13510750,00....html

newstalks sports show covered the events of the day as they happened, lots of interviews
get show on their podcast
http://www.newstalk106.ie/podcasting.html

author by dunkpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 19:44author email fuspey at yahoo dot co dot ukauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

point well made above by aidan, the celtic tiger came and in theory it should have helped more deprived areas of society; both people and places. instead rich get richer and divide widens - for many living in inner city communities and on the streets nationalism still is something that people feel strongly about- a spark unleashes the anger against many things.
strange things indeed happening on dublins streets...........

yesterdays riot:
on united irelander found from slugger o`toole site
site:
http://unitedirelander.blogspot.com/2006/02/footage-of-....html

vid footage of car being overturnedn on nassau st "some shocking Video footage."
http://www.youtube.com/v/pgIlZgt4XV8

car being smashed in on nassau st
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlNoEqO2mUY

related:
paris riots
The Suburbs Are Ticking... Why The Nihilism Of The Paris Riots Is Not A Political "Insurrection" imc-ie feature
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/72857

vid and radio on democracy now
http://www.democracynow.org/
-As France Uses Colonial-Era Law To Impose Curfews, a Look at the Plight of Immigrant Youth in Europe
and
-The Roots of Civil Unrest in Europe: Robert Fisk and Behzad Yaghmaian on Post-Colonial Muslim and Arab Immigrants

timeline of events on wikipedia
-2005 civil unrest in France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_civil_unrest_in_France

author by FCpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 20:04author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Fair play to everybody fighting the cops on the streets yesterday, and thanks for providing the most exciting day in Dublin's recent history. A beautiful interlude in the mind-numbing normalcy of technological civilized life. It started as an anti sectarian-bigot protest, continued as a mass fight against the pigs of An Garda Siochana and continued with the looting and plundering of shit shops on our capitals main streets. Congratulations all round. Pity about the random acts of scumbaggery (as I would define them, probably a much smaller part of the actions than most commentators would attribute the term to ...) but shit like that happens all the time. I'm delighted to see youths who are shit on all their lives taking a bit of revenge against the most visible elements of the repressive social system, and also happy to hear that most of the crowd were cheering as windows of shops were put through unlike on most anti-capitalist demos where it gets berated by self-appointed peace police. sometimes I think the 'scumbags' are way ahead of us in their understanding that everything needs to go... Now alll we need to do is get them waving blackk flags instead of green and we can try to take this fucker down :)

author by Figgspublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 22:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

In this age of money grabbing and stepping on or ignoring those worse off, (The Celtic Tiger) we seem as a society to go with the flow. This must look like the average guy on the street is a sheep or work horse whose mind has been numbed by a trashy media filled with celebrities, tits and global scares. No wonder government elements thought an orange march designed to in the least insult the Republic would go off with out much fuss. I hoped it would have been ignored. This may have been the case if it were to be held on say a Tuesday morning when most of us are in work or otherwise occupied and O'Connell Street wasn't a building site with ample missles etc.
I understand those who took part in the riot feel voiceless and abandoned by our neo-liberal leaders, but I hope they turn up at the polls on election day. I doubt that many of them are even registered.

author by countess mpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 23:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

and exactly who are the voiceless and abandoned ment to vote for?......

author by No 6publication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 23:36author address author phone Report this post to the editors

You make severly "pofound" points about "inner city youth" yet offer no real points to fix the situation. Anyone can see a problem few can find a resolution. You're not one of em......

author by Yamo - Anti Bullshite Leaguepublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 23:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Congratulations to all you brave republicans for terrorising my 9 year old daugher and her friends who were in O'Connel St yesterday. My daugher and her friends are obvously agends of MI 5 (oops sorry SF ) intent on supporting the crypto capitalist neo conservative anti repubican anti catholic pro protestant British/ Columbian / Bush/ Marks and Spencers /Jervis Shopping Centre/Pound Shop conspiracy to deprive the poor South Armagh smugglers of their haciandas and the bona fida business activities of former Chairmen of British Banks ( now who would that be?) Not to mention the extensive landbanks of pubs flats hotels slots machines of the oppressed and poor republican class intend on freeing us all from the misery of the protestant Irish.

any way I have spoken severely to my daughter for her conspiracy and for failing to recognise the actions of these true republicans who quite righly protested at the presence of protestants on our sacred streets. I urged her to to look to history and to the solutions proposed by others in terms of cleansing our streets of people who are not like us.
I urge you all to join us in this crusade to rid our street of free speech , protestants , foreigners. Tiocfaidh AR La. This is our CRYSTALNACHT. More to Come Comrades. RECLAIM the STREETS FOR US.

author by emerjennpublication date Sun Feb 26, 2006 23:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

you think you should be able to deny the OO free speach because they're undemocratic? does that actually make sense to you?

author by FC2publication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 00:38author email wicked_witch1969 at yahoo dot comauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

You've definitely left me inspired for taking on this coming October's Columbus Day parade in Denver Colorado, where we are annually subjected to the white supremacist, anti-Indian triumphalism of neo-nazi Italian's celebrating a genocidal maniac, whose murderous invasion touched off the slaughter of 98% of Turtle Island's indigenous peoples.

Thanks again, for the inspiration Dublin Town. Well done.

Related Link: http://www.transformcolumbusday.org
author by peacepublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 03:00author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Saturday February 25th 2006
What a propaganda stunt on behalf of the Irish government. Not only have they put the peace process back another few years but have knocked the wind out of SF’s sails. This incident has also given power to the Unionist Clap Trap and their cronies so as to be the catalyst for more violence in the north and more than likely more incidents as seen on Saturday, down south. RSF, CIRA and any other fascist types who bask in the colour of their flag should be ashamed of them selves of what took place on O’Connell Street. It just shows these flag waving morons to be the thugs that they are. You would think one could see through the bullshit propaganda machine and make an informed decision on what approach to take for such an event to happen and all involved that is from; plain old thugs, cops, fascists, government officials, media of all sorts and yes those few who call them selves anarchists, not to be the instigators of trouble but the proclaimers of peace. Can’t everyone see that this is the perfect opportunity for the hand of repression to clasp its boney grip ever tighter, smothering all of us?

author by gazpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

If anyone thinks there is going to be a united ireland on here they are wrong. This has just pushed a wedge between north and south.

So thanks to everyone who was throwing stuff, great.

author by Ali H.publication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

that our political class and its security aparatus are incompetent. They didn't do their homework and didn't prepare for a situation of their own making. Letting kick the pope bands and orange thugs to march down O'Connell St. meant that trouble was definitely on the cards, whether from one quarter or the other. The hopefully former minister for "Justice" and the garda commissioner didnt manage to control a few hundred Republicans so imagine what would have happened had a few thousand hardened orange rioters been let loose in the streets of Dublin? I've seen more cops on the street for union protests, reclaim the streets etc. than what I saw the other day. McDowell and that clown of a commisioner must go and any further protest marches should be be properly marshalled.

author by Micheal o Coinneainpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 13:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Being a resident of da g road, i am used to orange men triumphing over innocent people. These loyalists view us as second class citizens and treat us worse than dogs. if you mistreat a dog it bites back an in Dublin those patriots did bite back. For too long have these racist,sectarian thugs denied us rights and now they try to triumph over dublin. NEVER!
Tiocfaidh ar la.
Its coming soon.

author by Micheal o coinneainpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 13:58author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I would like to add that those people arguing against da riots should read da lyrics from take it down from da mast irish traitors.
Once again da southern people(not all) make concessions to paisley and his band of merry men Robinson,Donnaldson and co.
If they love britain an distaste Eire so much why dont they go and march in london. I am sick soare and tired of the people in the republic looking down on us northerners. We are the patriots da republicans. da dubliners made a stand at da G.P.O just like Pearse an Connolly. We arent hijacking da 1916 parade. Youse abondant it and turned your backs on your republican heritage. Traitors all; i believe the Republic Pearse and Connolly envisaged has yet to come and that the dail can never fulfill it.
One nation proud and free is all we want, just like da risings leaders.

author by eeekkkkpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 14:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

wow

rich irish liberal doublethink at it's finest

if you disagree with protesters/rioters call them criminals or ignorant headbangers or gobshites

but 'knackers'

that's pure sectarianism in itsself

author by The Dude - Dude & Companypublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 15:03author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I used knacker to describe the people based on their actions, not on their background, you obviously assume they come from lower income families, I don't know what their backgrounds are, they could be D4 for all I care or know.

guess you're making the sectarian assumptions, not me.

author by The Dude - Dude & Companypublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 15:07author address author phone Report this post to the editors

1. Why would you assume I'm either rich or liberal, you idiot.

2. Since the exact phrase was 'knackers pinching car radios' what would you describe them as? Republicans pinching car radios, now that would be stupid wouldn't it tinkerbell?

author by Anti-Scumpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 16:07author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The thugs and scumbags that roam the streets of Dublin should get what they deserve, a spell in jail and start them working on chain gangs so that the tax payer gets something in return for housing them.

I want to feel safe on the streets of Dublin not scared to the point that I constantly have to look over my shoulder or cross the street when I see a bunch of young fellas. It's not right. Why does the ordinary decent citizen have to suffer at the hands of these thugs.It' s time the law changed to reflect the changed times in which we live. Chuck them in jail but make them suffer while they are there. Otherwise let the Garda give them a good hiding or bring in the birch.Whatever has to be done, should be done to get the scum & filth off our streets.

Let the decent people of Dublin have their safe streets back. No more, and no surrender to the thugs.

author by Nogpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 16:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Orange men have NO PLACE marching in the streets of Dublin.

They got exactly what they are looking for and if they are not happy about it, then they should start growing a brain.

If they want to march they should march in their own streets and stop provoking and causing riots in a Republic that has nothing to do with them.

They shouldn't have been allowed to do it in the first place. I'm sure if I wanted to organise and Free Northern Ireland March in Belfast it wouldn't be approved!

If they come again I'm sure it'll be even worse.

author by Hisbigal in Glasgowpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 16:52author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Talk about 'dancin' in the streets.' I don't see why anyone, including, Indy Media, is surpised that the Dublin riots took place. The rioters certainly had a sense of their own long and bloody history, assessed their circumstances quite carefully, and acted appropriately. Whether one supports or opposes the violence it should NOT be a suprise it happened or became so widespread. Fron Detriot to Los Angeles to Paris, Fallujah, Bagdad and to Dublin, people are getting tired of being dismissed, shat on, and patronised by the governments and so-called progressives, leftists and armchair "Marxitsts" handing out platitudes of solidarity whilst still living their comfortable middle-class lives, certainly far away from council estates and the grinding poverty in part created as a result of the boom of the so-called Celtic Tiger. People are making the connection and they're not liking what's happening and how it's affecting them. I would say prepare for more of the same, and not just in Dublin and not just by the disaffected "lumpen" proletariat.

author by ARGYLE747publication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 19:21author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I'm a yank and I can see the utter stupidity of these "Brits" trying to parade through Dublin. From the looks of it, their group was all senior citizens and their numbers couldn't have exceeded 40 members- pretty week showing if you ask me. That group really had no business being in Dublin and it appears that a parade such as this would just be organized to stir up trouble in the first place... Being an outsider the way I look at the whole situation is this- British colonialism has been forced out of every nation it once occupied, i.e. India, Hong Kong, etc. So why the hell do they still have a presence in Northern Ireland????? I say orange northerners belong in Britian- not in Ireland. They can do all the parading they want in London.

author by geoffpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 19:26author address author phone Report this post to the editors

...means allowing others express their opinion peacefully. The rioters were scum. People should be allowed march peacefully in a western democracy. IRA/Sinn Fein have been able to hold marches for years in British cities, so cop on and grow up.

author by Papatpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 19:55author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I was there for the match and ended up being shunted into the national gallery for 20 minutes while a car went up in smoke and some chairs were thrown at police cars. As far as I could see there were a few "grown up" ring leaders and a bunch of kids having a great time. It felt more like football hooliganism than political violence. Regrettable certainly. Should have beeen avoided of course. Should have been more police about, definitiely. And maybe i didnt see the worst excesses but things have to be kept in perspective this was small scale stuff and everyone soon got on with the boozing and shopping.

I didnt meet anyone who saw any sign of any "Love Ulster" marchers and there were maybe 500 hooligans runing about. If thats all your die hards from both sides can raise you' ve not got that much to worry about.

author by The Dudepublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 20:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Nog, what did they get? It wasn't their cars torched, their shops looted and smashed up, their population embrassed, their city rubbished.

So what did they GET?

A coach trip home in a hurry, that's all.

Well that showed them alright.

author by johnpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 20:47author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Over here in Glasgow this barely made the news. Small earthquake in Peru as far as we're concerned. Rightly or wrongly.

author by Sound Headpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 20:55author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Check out this link

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74528#comment140230

author by roosterpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 21:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Orange men have NO PLACE marching in the streets of Dublin.

Why, if Dublin is the capital of Ireland, why can people from the north of Ireland not meet in the capital of the island, what you suggest is that there is in force some kind of second class citizenship, whats next? ghettos for prods?

author by renus o'gularaoinnpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 22:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

those people were just mindless working class scumbags. plain and simple. none of the people there had opinions (valid or otherwise) on the north beyond "orange scum" and "26+6=1". if they actually cared about ireland, would they do what they did? not a fucking chance. all they are interested in is hating the proddies and supporting celtic... shwehr!

author by hist 2publication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 22:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Today's Daily Ireland:

Portadown bandsmen go on the rampage in wake of Dublin brawl

27/02/2006

Loyalist bandsmen returning from Saturday’s Love Ulster rally ran riot in Portadown, Co Armagh.
The PSNI said six police officers had been injured. The force said the violence could have been triggered by the riots on the streets of Dublin that afternoon.
Sinn Féin councillor, Brian McKeown, said loyalist bandsmen had attacked taxi ranks owned by Catholic drivers.
“It seems that bandsmen returning from the march chose to make their way and attack taxi drivers who are known to be Catholic. It was a disgraceful act,” he said.
“A loyalist crowd attacked people leaving two Catholic-owned premises in Woodhouse Street. Several people were assaulted and beaten by the mob, and a number of others were struck by bottles and other missiles thrown by the attackers.
“The loyalist crowd, which included several loyalist bandsmen who had earlier been in Dublin at the Love Ulster rally, is believed to have emerged from premises in the town centre where a loyalist function was being held.
“A number of Catholic-owned taxis were also subjected to attack.”
Loyalists ran riot in the centre of Portadown firing stones, bottles and bricks at the PSNI, taxis and nationalists.
At one stage, a policewoman was dragged to the ground by a group of men, who kicked and punched her repeatedly.
The PSNI said another officer had suffered serious facial injuries in a suspected hammer attack. Two men were later arrested.
It is believed that up to 100 loyalists emerged from a bar in the town at around 1am yesterday.
David Simpson, the Democratic Unionist Party MP for Upper Bann, said he had seen the disorder in the town. He said the PSNI had offered only one explanation for the outbreak: “They could only think it was sparked off by what happened in Dublin,” he said.
Mr Simpson said he was “horrified” by the street fighting. He claimed nationalists had started the trouble before loyalists, spilling out at pub closing-times, became involved. The rioting was concentrated in the High Street and Edward Street areas.
A 30-year-old man was charged with disorderly behaviour and assault. He is to appear at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court next month.
A 34-year-old man was arrested but released on bail while the PSNI carries out further inquiries.

author by uneenpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 23:26author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Why anyone would blame RSF or any other republicans for this blatant provication is beyond me. The nazis would not be allowed to walk through Tel Aviv. And the Unionists should not be allowed to walk past the very same spot where 30+ years earlier, their loyalists friends murdered innocent dublin shoppers just because they were Irish citizens. (Look up Willie Frazer - the organiser of the Love Ulster parade - to see what a hateful bastard he was / is.) No warning was given then.. These people should not have been invitied down here. The government are to blame for that.

Those who blame the protestors are either mad, stupid or agent provacateurs. I was in the middle of the it and the riot police started tried to beat Irish citizens off the streets. Why is this OK if it is a republican issue but not OK if it is Mayday. Those of you on this who want to blame disaffected and marginalised youth who are seriously pissed off when the real culprits are the state and the media are way off the point.

author by Tsu Dho Nimhpublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 01:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

DON'T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!

What if they had a march and nobody came to protest it. Imagine their pride when they had a designed-to-provoke march and no one was shouting at them, no one attacking them, no one protesting their presence. Just a quiet street with mums and children shopping, lovers strolling the sidewalks, no one paying any attention at all to their presence, as if they were unimportant.

author by Sammypublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 06:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

ok i am a forginer to this country and i think it is a blatent disrespect to those who lost their lives in the 1916 battle for the orange order people to march past where they lost their lives defending what is now the republic. in my oppinion they should have stayed up north where they have done these marches for years and even there they have had problems in the past, it was stupid of the government to underestimate the dislike and the hatred towards this march going ahead, also the complete disregard for saftey of not only the orange march but the general public with regards to the building materials that are just lying around o’connell st. i am ashamed by the methods these people took toward this but im not suprised

author by Micheal o coinneainpublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 14:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Once again a loyalist mob has attacked innocent people enjoying a wee drink in Portadown. My friend Shea was present at the riot and was attacked himself for breaking up fights(hes a pacifist). The loyalist people who where enraged by the cancelling of love ulster decided to attack innocent people, WHY? because there Catholics. Love ulster can claim to be looking justice for victims of republican violence but we know that its a cover 4 loyalist paramilitaries who pretend to protect thei version of Uladh but actually are in it 4 da drugs. We cant even have a drink without being attacked and having U,U,UVF shouted at us, but us republicans to da sectarian,scumbag,full of shite Mr Frazier are the sectarian ones, we are the criminals; wise up. Da P.I.R.A only came about to protect da catholic/nationalist people from genocide by the U.V.F, R.U.C, U.D.A, Paisleys private army, British soldiers and the L.V.F. what about the catholic victims. Has willie forgotten them, or, like all orange men view them as second class citizens who r just as guilty as the Provos.
Tiocfaidh ar la agus saoirse.

author by Gay Georipublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 14:52author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Joe Duffy just quoted INdymedia comments live on RTE. The caller agreed with them and said they were "spot on"

author by Ianpublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 15:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I am a member of an orange lodge in the south of Ireland and i think last saturdays riot was a manifestation of the mental capacity of Republicans. We have a right to march in the republic, we march in Donegal every year without any hassle, and we will march down O Connell street to celebrate our heritage and culture.

author by TIOCFAIDH AR LApublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 16:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Very well said Uneen - I was in the middle of it from the beginning, when I say in the middle i'm talking about front line all the way. The riot police started evrything at the junction of O'Connell St / Parnell St. They started knocking into the crowd as they tried to push past the crowd and that's when everyone lost it. Me and a few others staged a sit down protest and got battered by the gards. So it didn't matter whether you were throwing stuff or not. Either way u were gona get it. Cannot believe the one-sided versions from the press. It is sickening, full of lies and pro free state propaganda, revolting to say the least. And they wonder why Charlie Bird got battered.

TIOCFAIDH AR LA

author by pat cpublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 16:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Saturdays march was not an Orange Order march. If you were a\member of the OO you would be aware of this. The Dublin and Wicklow OO Lodges were opposed to this march taking place and for that reason marchers who were OO members were refused permission ( by the Grand Orange Lodge) to wear their collarettes or to carry OO Lodge Banners.

The OO regard Willie Frazer as a dangerous loose cannon. They are aware of his links with the UVF and with British Fascists. THey realise that Frazers insistence on honouring people who were members of the UVF (as well as UDR) will prove damaging to the OOs case.

author by C Ó Brolcháinpublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 16:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

‘Hatred of gardaí’ helped to fan riot, says priest
http://dailyireland.televisual.co.uk/home.tvt?_scope=Da...opp=1

Lawyer: Only 110 loyalists showed up
http://dailyireland.televisual.co.uk/home.tvt?_scope=Da...opp=1

Related Link: http://www.DailyIreland.com/
author by Ricky Jpublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 18:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The riot in portadown on saturday night was not started by protestants it was started by catholics coming down firing bricks etc

author by Republican resistance - Republican Resistancepublication date Tue Feb 28, 2006 22:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Do we care what you neo-liberal republicans(if thats possible) say,do we care what the freestaters say,do we care what sectarian British imperealist filth think,do we care what pro-british/pro-freestate/careerist media say,do we care what capitalist traders say,do we care what the consumer class of Celtic Ireland think
The answer to all of the above is,WE DONT GIVE A FUCK.

Michael McDowell,26-county justice minister,allows a loyalist sectarian pro-partician parade pass through Central Dublin,is that justice,what about justice for the forgotten nationalists of the 6 counties,his people,what about justice for the voiceless inner-city people continually ignored by this half country freestate of corruption and capitalism.wheres our justice.and when you push us too far and we react we are filth,scumbags and 'knackers'.

Fuck Nassau street.those 'business'es' dont adknowlegde the existence of the inner city people 10 minutes away,fuck the new fancy O'Connell street,building a French boulavard while Dominick street rots around the corner,fuck the Gardai,who get paid 30 grand a year to put down us.

All I hear is that,shoppers this and shoppers that,
Dont have an opinion,dont have a voice,just shop and forget injustice,sheep and nothing more.

This is a state that we dont recognise,but this states constuition gives us that right,so calling Garda freestate traitors is our right.

This is a state that adknowledges partition,this is a state that makes the rich richer and the poor even more marginalised.

I hope it fucking burns like a union jack

author by Yankee Marine - US Marinespublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 06:10author email plt3077 at yahoo dot comauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

I was in Dublin for two weeks on holiday and left two days before this incident. Had I been there I probably would have picked up a brick myself and lobbed it at the Orangemen.

As an American I can see the Irish national's plight. Can you imagine what it would be like in America if ANY foriegn power tried to control us or portion off our county like the UK did Ireland? Every single red, white, and blue American would riot and fight so fierce for our freedom it'd make this recent riot look like a girl scout picnic.

I don't speak for the US Marines, nor the whole US people, but trust me...there are plenty here who support a free Ireland and are appaled the US isn't involved in negotiating their freedom. Reagan told Gorbachev to tear down the wall, and Bush is trying to make Iraq a free nation...it saddens me why we don't take the same approach with Ireland.

So you Irishmen - my prayers are with you - and be true to your nation. ALL Ireland WILL be free one day. Just keep your faith in the one thing we in America hold so dear - FREEDOM!

author by Dilzybhoy - Unaligned republican socialistpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 07:55author email dilzyboy at yahoo dot co dot ukauthor address 207 Merry Streetauthor phone Report this post to the editors

I've read more than a few comments reffering to celtic fans as being somhow unworthy of a right to have a political view.
How narow minded is that? I believe it to be more narrow minded than how you depict celtic fans.
RSF are nothing but neo-blueshirts and I take no joy from tha fact they have had their fun over this. Sinn Féin's line about, "ignore them and hope they'll go away" never filled me with much inspiration either. I support SF btw.
Frankly, these file appolagists for loyalist/british murder gangs should not be walking on any street on account of there legs being chopped off.
But having said that, I think a slightly more dignified protest would have sufficed.
I live in Scotland and occasionally follow both WOSBA and CNE Marches and I wonder how "fair" would react if we were to march up the shankill.
Glasgow's Loyalist scum turned out to try and stop a CNE march recently in Glasgow, to commermerate Bloody Sunday and failed misserably. All they managed to do was shout "rule britania" and "no surrender to the IRA" with the obligitary nazi salutes of course.

Loyalist Protesters @ George Square, Glasgow
Loyalist Protesters @ George Square, Glasgow

author by Dilzybhoy - Unaligned republican socialistpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 08:21author email dilzyboy at yahoo dot co dot ukauthor address 207 Merry Streetauthor phone Report this post to the editors

American neo-Imperialists

Says it all.
Says it all.

author by emerjennpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 09:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I think it's fairly safe to say that if Bush was involved in peace talks in NI, more harm than good would be done. That stalwart tower of idiocy has killed many of those he professed to want to save. Innocent civillians in Iraq didnt deserve to die so some Texan lunatic could leave some sort of legacy.

author by Micheal o Coinneainpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:11author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Da riots where caused by youse cause of Duibhlinn. U's couldnt handle love ulster being cancelled so yous started trouble.
According to DUP MP David Simpson da riots where caused by catholics. David Simpson once again blames everything on Catholics. He is a bigoted Orangeman man who was no doubt angered by Dublin and wanted to blame da riot in Port an Dunain on catholics.
Get real ricky u british patriot an go off to Britain.
Tiocfaidh ar la.

author by Micheal o Coinneainpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I couldnt agree more. The free state created in 1921 with the partition of Ireland sat back and let the Nationalist people suffer and be discriminated against because of our beliefs. People ask me why i dont support N.Ireland an its because it shouldnt exist. James craig said at its founding 'Its a protestant government for a protestant people'; how can any catholic support NI or even play 4 them i dont know. Also the Garda should've supported its people not some loyalist thug who wouldnt piss on him if he was on fire. Da justice minister(traitor) is only concerned about 3 things 1. Maintaining partition. 2. Running down Republicans. 3. Keeping the rich ,rich and the poor, poor. The free state government sold out the patriot game long ago.
Tiocfaidh ar la.
With or Without you.

author by Sinn Féinpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

28 February, 2006
Rioters must not be allowed to undermine fundamental rights of democrats - Ó Snodaigh
Dublin Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh has said those who rioted in Dublin last Saturday "must not be allowed to undermine the fundamental rights of democrats." Speaking in the Dáil this evening Deputy Ó Snodaigh expressed, on behalf of Sinn Féin, appreciation to Dublin City Council workers "who impressively cleaned up the effected streets in a matter of hours."

He said, "Those who acted disgracefully on the streets of our capital city on Saturday past were not republicans. They were, in the main, a crowd of thugs, many of them fuelled with drink. Those among them who claim to be political simply besmirched the national flag and ran riot with criminal elements.

"Sinn Féin clearly and repeatedly called on people to ignore Saturday's march. Our members and supporters did so.''
http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/13279

28 February, 2006
Rioters misused name of Irish Republicanism - Crowe
Dublin Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has described those who took part in the riots in Dublin City centre at the weekend as "a rag-bag who saw an opportunity to create havoc and took it." Speaking in the Dáil this evening, during statements on the disorder in Dublin City centre last Saturday, Deputy Crowe said, "it is important to point out that the riot should have no implications for the peace process."

He said, "The events in Dublin city centre last Saturday were an absolute disgrace. Those who took part misused the name of Irish republicanism and Irish nationalism but they were anything but Irish republicans or Irish nationalists in the real sense. This was a tiny and totally unrepresentative minority, a mixture of people on the fringes of micro-political groups, football hooligans and drink-fuelled opportunists. They were a rag-bag who saw an opportunity to create havoc and took it.
http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/13280

author by Eoghanpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:37author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Irish Constitution [you know, that little thing laying out the legal basis of the Irish state, the thing the Irish people spent 700 years fighting for] specifically entitles loyalists, or Orangemen, or Hare Krishnas, or vegetarians, and indeed anyone else, to freedom of assembly under protection of the agencies of the state, "subject to public order and morality". That is inviolable. It is not an optional deal, it's not something done out of the goodness of our hearts, subject to us agreeing with the message - it is a fundamental right laid down in the constitution.

There is *no* excuse for rioting - the riot squad don't just turn up without reason and start doling out smacks for the craic. There is no way to spin it - the rioters are *always* to blame. "Ooooh ooooh the gardai started it, the gardai started it". Twaddle. The gardai don't torch cars, or loot, or build barricades. Only scum do that. Such disgusting excuses for human beings deserve everything the riot squad chuck at them.

Who the hell do these people think they are? How *dare* they behave in such a base manner?

author by Barrypublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I think even the establishment knows well New Sinn Feins on their side with this one .

Im only surprised they havent blamed " securocrats" as well as the " micro-groups" .

By the way will New Sinn Fein now be banning the sale of Celtic paraphernalia from their shops now too ? And when the queen visits will there be protests about something else organised for somewhere else too ? If Willy Frazer has the right to march down OConnell street I suppose she does too ?

author by aulpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:46author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Ahh, righteous indignation, love it! Fought for? What are you talking about? A proto catholic constitution that is severely outdated and in need of vast amounts of modernising and updating. Social contract theory? What a pile of ....

author by philpublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 17:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Republican Sinn Féin
Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill,
223 Parnell Street,
Dublin 1, Ireland
e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie

www.rsf.ie

1 Márta / March 2006

RSF replies to false accusations

A police report of a planned sit-down protest by Republican Sinn Féin on the occasion of last Saturday's (February 25) loyalist march which has been quoted in Leinster House is without foundation. It is mere speculation and is not true.

The matter of the loyalist march through the centre of Dublin was discussed repeatedly at Ard-Chomhairle meetings. Our information on the growing level of disquiet and opposition to it was much more accurate than that which it appears was available to the "powers that be".

We sought to give this situation a political focus and the sole woman staff member who was in An Ard-Oifig on Monday, February 20 did not refuse to give the facts to a Garda Inspector when he visited without notice.

All was in the open and was carried on the front page of the January and February issues of SAOIRSE. Republican Sinn Féin carried out its protest picket as planned and departed from the scene in an orderly manner when the march was cancelled.

Earlier we had laid a wreath at the memorial to the 33 people killed in the Dublin-Monaghan loyalist bombings in 1974. All through our time in Cavendish Row we were corralled off by police barriers and an open space from the crowd which gathered in O'Connell Street.

In point of fact we were never in O'Connell Street but located ourselves in Cavendish Row, a small street which connects Parnell Square and O'Connell Street. Banner, placards and leaflets were all there for public scrutiny and the media were constantly in attendance throughout our presence there and can vouch for what we are saying.

The principal leaflet was entitled "An address to the People of Ireland" which made a special appeal to those of the Unionist political persuasion. It asked them to reconsider our ÉIRE NUA programme for a new four-province Federal Ireland including a nine-county Ulster in which unionists would have a working majority, but nationalists would be within reach of power.

We held a press conference three days earlier (Wednesday, February 22) in a Dublin hotel at which we gave interviews to UTV among others. Nothing was hidden but false accusations have been made. Rumour and public house talk is no substitute for accurate information.

We declared this loyalist march to be ill-advised. We believe any attempted repetition of it to be even more ill-advised.

ENDS

author by Decopublication date Wed Mar 01, 2006 23:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

a special appeal to those of the Unionist political persuasion. It "asked them to reconsider our ÉIRE NUA programme for a new four-province Federal Ireland including a nine-county Ulster in which unionists would have a working majority, but nationalists would be within reach of power."

I've pasted in the statement of RSF and there seems to have been a terrible misunderstanding. Obviously the unionists haven't read RSF special appeal to them and if they had they would immediately sign up to Eire Nua. Isn't it funny how people can get their wires crossed! So thats the solution to all this bother. I suggest that members of RSF drop in to the Shankhill and have chat wiht a few of the lads and they will surely come around to your viewpoint. A federal ireland , a very good idea Ruari, say, go to the top of the seomra a chara. Maith on buachaill. No homework for you anocht Ruari.
Hey, Ruari if they don't like your Federal Ireland idea (I know unthinkable) maybe we should plant a bomb in say ..Omagh for example and kill dozens of people - Remember that nice girl who had the skin from her face torn off before she got married. Hey they are only ordinary people after all not a great thinkers like RSF.

Question 1 why are there no protestant shinners? answers on a postcard to An Múinteori Rang a Haon or is this too easy for first class students?

author by Sharon - Individualpublication date Thu Mar 02, 2006 00:46author address author phone Report this post to the editors

...more than the British presence ?

Question 1 why are there no protestant shinners? answers on a postcard to An Múinteori Rang a Haon or is this too easy for first class students?

Answer 1 - 'Deco' knows this for a fact . Why ? Because he/she says it is so !
'An Muinteori Rang a Haon' - translates , in 'DecoSpeak' , as Phoenix Park HQ . In the post 'Deco' wrote he never once mentioned the British presence . He projects all his anger against RSF , never once mentioning the British presence and the trouble it is causing on this isle .
Ni seoinini sinn go leir .

Sharon .

Related Link: http://1169andcounting.blogspot.com
author by Micheal o coinneainpublication date Thu Mar 02, 2006 09:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

There is a protestant sinn fein member. In coleraine there is an ex-orangeman and hes an ex-ruc man but runs 4 sinn fein in elections. The question is why there is no catholic dup members.

author by ianpublication date Thu Mar 02, 2006 20:56author address author phone Report this post to the editors

90 % of all the people the irish terrorist have murdered over the span of the troubles have been protestant people the other 10 % are roman catholic, that the thugs took out for what ever reason . the connection with fair and unionism would be very strong .if protestant can't parade in ireland why should catholics parade in Northern Ireland i e st paddys day catholics are aloud to parade in belfast city centre with all their tri colours? when we all learn to live side by side without walls or barriers may be someday without borders ? all terrorist groups are in it for the money and i mean all ,no exceptions...

author by Ferguspublication date Fri Mar 03, 2006 06:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors


The prime minister of Israel has seen the genius of Bertie Ahern's leadership, and has decided to alllow a Love Germany march by hundreds of Germans in memory of all the Germans killed in WWII.
He is confident it will pass peaceably.

The Chinese province of Nanking is allowing a Love Japan march by Japanese commemorating the horrible venereal diseases caught by their countrymen as they were raping and ravaging region.
"Its a question of free speech" says the governor of Nanking.

But seriously: The outrage against this parade should have been so overwhelming that the government would have had no chance but to forbid it. The patriotic zeal and commitment of the Irish people is seriously deficient. There is no reason in the world to allow a march by a group of foreign nationals who are perpetuating the foreign occupation of part of your own country. Insanity!

author by Micheal o Coinneainpublication date Fri Mar 03, 2006 09:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Our marches(St.Patricks day) are celebrating the coming of christianity to Ireland. Orange marches celebrate the defeat of the catholic people by King william of orange. There is a difference between celebrating the word of God and celebrating a peoples demise.

author by familiarpublication date Fri Mar 03, 2006 19:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Seems familiar doesn’t one group making their cause known, then another trying to suppress their expression, OH wait this time it was the ACTUAL victims of the troubles standing up to be heard, and what happened? The oppressors not this time, as it has been generalised through out “British oppressors”, but the “good Irish” people themselves , it wasn’t even an attack on Protestants, lets not forget that there were Roman Catholics killed as well. However what can you expect from the same people who glorify the easter rising?

author by sw - IRA sympathiserpublication date Sat Mar 04, 2006 13:57author address author phone Report this post to the editors

as someone who was there in the middle of this i can tell you the Gardai were responseible for provoking people by trying to forcefully break up an republican counter demonstration.

author by Sharon - Individualpublication date Sat Mar 04, 2006 14:56author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I have published the following on our blog for the past week , and would be particularly interested in views regarding the comments of the 'Evening Herald' journalist -

" RIOT SQUAD RESPONSIBLE FOR STARTING THE TROUBLE-
I was there from 11 AM untill 2.15 PM : this - http://admin2.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=5487 -is what actually happened , as witnessed by myself and that other writer , amongst others , who was obviously in the same vicinity of O' Connell Street/Parnell Street as myself . Sharon.
NOTE - readers may be asking why the 'spark' that set the whole incident off was not shown on television news reports and/or in the pictures and reports that were published in the newspapers : on Monday , 27 February last , in 'The Evening Herald' newspaper , the following was published (on page 5) , by that organs 'Crime Editor' -
" A number of photographers , and myself , were taking pictures of the confrontation and we were surrounded by gardai who demanded that we stop and forcibly stood in front of us to prevent snaps . "
It appears that State agents were , even then , preparing an alibi for themselves and their paymasters . (Thanks , again , to the 'IRBB' for the 'heads-up' on that newspaper article).
Belfast solicitor Pádraigín Drinan was accompanying an official observer from Washington DC when riots broke out - Ms Drinan said that, contrary to many media reports, much of the fighting had erupted after local Dubliners were forced off O’Connell Street and down adjoining side streets by gardaí.
“ I saw hundreds of middle-aged local people jostle aggressively with Garda officers after being forced down side streets. They weren’t the type you would associate with a riot, ” she said. (Sourced from 'Daily Ireland' newspaper , February 28 last. ) "


Sharon .

Related Link: http://1169andcounting.blogspot.com
author by lao tzupublication date Mon Mar 06, 2006 18:15author address author phone Report this post to the editors

In response to Micheal o Coinneain on Marches.

A little off-topic, so I'll be brief, but micheal, might you care to examine this? - that the word of god and peoples demise often be the same thing?

Have a look at the Americas, where xtianity, not money is surely the root of all evil.

Why do you think that the coming of xtianity to Ireland did not involves any peoples demise? Maybe you can give an example of when Xtians have brought their word of God somewhere without killing anybody. Methinks you cannot.

You and everybody is entitled to their God. but please please, do not confuse "word of god" with this xtian misinformation and manipulation, which gives rise to the feelings and subsequent events described on this page. and this may have to be examined before ireland island finds the common exit .

but really, you make me laugh in a sad world, because you remind me of how the irish celebrate the coming of the xtians, the paddy's day beerfest. ha ha

author by Sinn Fein voter...publication date Mon Mar 06, 2006 18:46author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I'm a little confused as to why exactly these people wish to march in Dublin City. To be saying that "we want the people down in the south to understand us better, etc, etc, etc", kind of implies to me that there is an acceptance within the minds of these people that a united Ireland is something that is going to happen, and the unionist people are trying to reserve their place in that united Ireland whenever it may come about. Their wish to march here in my opinion is a sign of resignation on some level, a sign that they are resigned to the fact that they will some day be part of this jurisdiction and are starting to come out of the closet as it were.

I think this is to be welcomed, I always thought the Orange Order should be invited to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade and I would like to think I will live to see a day where we will all turn out to see them in a carnival atmosphere. These people need to be given a warm welcome if we want to see peace in our country, even if they are hostile to us initially. It's strange that during other parades, which is what I liken Orange Order marches to, we talk about the bright colours and musical sounds and all that sort of sensory stuff that you feel at a parade. When it comes to the orange order, we seem to by-pass all this and get consumed in the sectarian dimension of the organisation.

I think we need to take ourselves less seriously in this regard. So what if the orange order is a sectarian organisation? Every church is basically a sectarian organisation, in that it enforces its own set of beliefs and rejects any other doctrines. Anyone who is comfortable and secure in their own religion cannot be hurt by sectarian utterances.

Personally as a Sinn Fein voter, I would gladly turn up in Dublin to see an orange march, my attitude would be "come on down lads, your more than welcome". I suggest we need to be a little more mature and a little less serious about ourselves on this subject

author by TIOCFAIDH AR LApublication date Mon Mar 06, 2006 20:55author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This country has become so full of snobbery in recent years it beggars belief. Amazing the amount of comments that deride those who took part in the riots purely on the basis that it makes Dublin look bad. Look bad to who? Who cares what people abroad think. Oh no, our multi-cultural city has a bad name now boo hoo. It sickens me to read these posts.
NO ORANGE FEET ON O'CONNELL STREET!

TIOCFAIDH AR LA!

author by Sinn Fein Voterpublication date Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Why should these people not march down this street or any other street in Ireland??? If we want a united Ireland, what are we going to expect of them, to closet themselves away somewhere up in some hall in Ballymena somewhere??? If we contiune to treat unionists like this, then we are only committing the same wrong that the British government did to nationlists in the north for many years.

They are part of Ireland, and we should expand our understanding of them to accommodate this. Any prick can throw a stone or a brick or a bottle of piss at someone, it takes someone with couarge, vision and understanding to look someone in the face, be able to shake their hand and say to them, "I can't say I understand your tradition, but I'm prepared to listen and be open to it, what I will do for you is I will accept it as being your tradition". Sadly, especially within our political hierarchy, we don't have people who have this ability. This whole march was handled badly by the government. People should have been encouraged by Bertie to come out and see this march for what it was, a demonstration of culture, music, bright colours and padgentry. Instead, the approach that was taken was to ignore it as a sectarian demonstration and hope that there was no trouble. Do we want to put them into ghettos like the British did in Derry to Nationlists???

We take all this stuff far too seriously these days, we should sit back and watch them march, their music is actually quite lively and upbeat and sounds very Irish in its delivery!

author by Dilzybhoy - Scottish Republican Socialist Movementpublication date Thu Mar 09, 2006 04:00author email dilzyboy at yahoo dot co dot ukauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

Yir a star. As are all those who have stood up for the truth.
Fergus was it? You too are up there with the best.
I'm gladdened to see fellas and lasses stand up to the vitriolic hatred that is Orangeism.
Make no mistake. It has many forms. It is the cement that held the forces of the crown together whilst innocent working class people were downtrodden in the north.

Fúck them and all who sail in them.

Chucky ar fúckin La!!!

Related Link: http://www.irishrebel.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
author by Sappublication date Thu Mar 09, 2006 13:55author address author phone Report this post to the editors

It wasn't the "working class" that was on the rage in Dublin on Saturday, it was the "welfare class", a class of piss-flinging twits that want to give out about having nothing while the rest of us pay through the nose for it in taxes. Working class people do exactly that-WORK. The scum that was out at this riot, they have been whinging about not having opportunities for years now while they have 3rd level college places reserved for them and paid for in full. Why don't people ask them why they are not taking up the opportunities that are there for them now??? Because they don't wnat to do a tap, just lock horns with any form or authority and piss all over the rest of us.

author by TIOCFAIDH AR LApublication date Thu Mar 09, 2006 14:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This was a Republican protest - nothing to do with working class or middle class or upper class or what the fuck ever. A bunch of jaffas decided that they wanted to have a triumphalist parade past our GPO and we stood up and said no fucking way. I was there in the heart of it all and there were Republican songs, republican regalia, banners to represent victims of the Dublin / Monaghan bombings ( which the free state gardai colluded in ). There was no way were they gonna be allowed march. All this talk of the working inner city class being pissed at the Gardai as an excuse to riot is bull. There was a small minority i.e junkies and people like that who didn't know what they were doing and a few that just wanted to run amok near the end who were mainly kids etc. The riots on O'Connell Street were for the Republican cause and were instigated by imperialist scum and started off by the gardai and the riot cops. The reason there were so many "inner city working class youth" is because this is were the the march was to take place, on their very own streets. Not in Dun Laoighre or Foxrock or Dalkey or some posh free state loving kip like that. If you r gonna hold a march in the inner city then it is the inner city who are gonna make up the majority of the protestors isn't it? And on that note, anyone who didn't come to protest from other areas of Dublin should be ashamed of themselves. There should have been thousands of us there from the start.

TIOCFAIDH AR LA

author by Micheal O Coinneainpublication date Fri Mar 10, 2006 09:44author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Dia duit a chairde. There is no other country in the world where a sexist,racist,bigoted and sectarian organisation are allowed to exist. Why is ireland different? The orange order and the evils of orangism has been encouraged and allowed to flourish in the 6 counties. These terrorists got exactly what they wanted in Dublin. Had there been no riot they would use it against the northern nationalists but because there was they are now going to claim that a united ireland can never happen because they would be attacked. For the orange bastards it was win win. The only way to defeat them was to not allow them to march in the first place nor should they be allowed to come to Dublin again.

author by Eoinpublication date Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Apple's marketers have their finger on the pulse these days. This photo shows their latest window display for the iPod HiFi (see http://scotthodge.typepad.com/scott/2006/03/apple_lust_....html )

Posted here because I think it's funny to see how quickly marketers commodify dissent (see Tom Frank's excellent Baffler anthology by that title: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393316734/002-6074438...83155 )

Apple Store
Apple Store

author by enlightenedpublication date Wed Mar 15, 2006 17:08author address author phone Report this post to the editors

In response to "Marches by Micheal o Coinneain". I can see how quickly the truth gets distorted...

The riots are typical of the extremist wing of any society, every country in the world has these problems e.g. Israel v Palistine, where a distortation of fact leads to conflict, embitterment & hostilities, both sides are to blame, be it IRA or UVF, certinaly President Macalise's comparison of Protestants to Nazis is as useful as calling all Roman Catholics scum. However it is crap like this that fuels the sectarian fire, my advice is to ignore the ignorant, and work on peace, a United Ireland seems unlikely as neither side really want one another, i doubt gardi could handle the drug runners or organised crime/terrorism, who really believes a united ireland would solve anything? would the terrorist organisations disband? NO they would all move into organised crime, the Northen bank robbery was a taste of what might be, and even those who did would still have splinter groups using their name, i say wait until the democratic majority of Northern & Southern Ireland vote for it (in that well known and used system in irish politics of referendum).
Dont forget the number of changes this would ensure under EU legislation, the Dail & Seanad wouldnt be permitted to remain, all de valeras hard work in 1937 would be wasted!

First off Patrick was NOT irish, he was british, this always amazes me that only the irish, who's mythos of heros like Brion Beru, a 6 foot blond haired blue eyed native looks nothing like a ty-PIC-al irish man, short with black hair. Patrick brough christanity to Ireland, and is the most loved "Brit" i know off!

Prince William of Orange came to Ireland primilary to remove the threat of his father in law James II from invading England, not to kill Catholics. The Protestants of the Ulster Plantation numbered less than 80,000 whilst the "native Irish" numbered about 2,000,000. Had i been there at the time i would have placed my money on the Irish winning, then why didnt the masses stand up and fight possibly they faced no threat? Possibly they realised with the settlers came better farming methods and an increased level of living? Now there are what, there was plenty of land, most irish either moved or were relocated west to land with few inhabitants, then again i suppose the loser will always complain about the outcome.

Racism and sectarinism have no place in civilized society.

author by Sean O'connerpublication date Thu Mar 23, 2006 15:11author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I don't mind if the orenge men down Dublin. What have they done? I remember when I wa younger going out just to watch them martch. It was great and everyone enjoyed it. There was no sectarianism or bigotism. Were are those days? I would like to say them back.

Sean

author by Proud to be a Prodpublication date Wed Mar 29, 2006 14:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This Parade was not an Orange Order Parade,
just because they were potestants dont make it orange.
Why cant Protestants parade in Dublin Sinn fein/ IRA parade and protest in Britain.
All you Republicans should take a closer look at your flag green white and ORANGE!

author by A Considerate member of the public - nonepublication date Sat Apr 29, 2006 19:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

What happend on the day of the love ulster marchs could have been prevented if the march was purely of a commemerative nature. Many people would have welcomed the marchers if they were not accompanied by bigot narrowminded orange men who were only there to instigate hatred. No orangemen should be allowed march with a union jack and some a incompetent reason for marching....
WHY BRING UNION JACKS AND FLAGS OF HATRED IF YOU ARE TRULEY MARCHING FOR PEACE....Thats Just Pure Bigotry..

author by Returned emigrantpublication date Sat Apr 29, 2006 19:33author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Would love to see the Salvation Army marching here with their band. When I was in England in the seventies they used to play outside the block of flats I was in. Even though I was not a believer then (or now) I really enjoyed them.
There would be absolutely no objection to them.

author by Proud to be a Prodpublication date Tue May 02, 2006 13:24author address author phone Report this post to the editors

How are the Union Jack and the Ulster flag flags of hatred.
Yet again i have to say it was not an orange order march i was there and only met one orange man.
The true bigots were those who protested and rioted with the Irish police.

author by feargalmcliampublication date Sat Jun 03, 2006 07:21author address author phone Report this post to the editors

One poster called the typcial Irishman someone who was short and dark haired. That description is certainly the minority of Irish people. The point the poster was trying to make (I suppose) was that the Irish adopt non-Irish (such as St. Patrick) as their own.

The Irish have always been more tolerant in the disputes that existed than the British. From Wolf Tone, to William Butler Yeats to Bono (half) the Irish have always been very keen to accept those who support their causes even if they are not from Roman Catholic backgrounds.

The laws that caused the Catholics to lose all of their land, after all, were not the product of anything that could be described as Irish desires. Yet, they never hated those who may have not been in the majority.

author by roosterpublication date Sat Jun 03, 2006 11:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

And then you go gobbing off about stuff you don't understand, typical Irish eh??
Well lets start with St. Patrick who was BRITISH, he came to Ireland and you ENSLAVED him!
Thats nice and friendly to foriegners is it? Very Tolerant!!

And then you go and mention WB Yeats and Wolfe Tone, members of the Anglican ascendency, who were protestants and were therefore British.

You say that the Irish "have always been very keen to accept those who support their causes even if they are not from Roman Catholic backgrounds" Feargal its easy to accept people that support your cause thats the easy bit, its when people disagree with your cause that we see a peoples true colours just like when the Northern Protestants came down to parade in Dublin.

See how they were treated??

Disgraceful!!

author by By Any Means Necessarypublication date Sat Jun 03, 2006 12:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Typical Ulster Unionist / Loyalist reaction from you and "proud to be a prod" : your ignorance is deafening.

Patrick was not british your britain did not exist until 1800. And what is it about Britain that you identify with, youse are a minority in a population of 65 million, who think that youse are all mini-paisleys at the best and at the worst think that you are all mad irish...you have no future in the UK rooster...its sad that everyone but self deluded norn iron supporters believe other wise.

The Union Jack is known world wide as the "Butchers Apron", Britain's crimes against humanity are well documented.

But as always norn iron apologists prove that ignorance is bliss, as will be seen on the celebration of the battle of the Somme ( where more irish Catholics fought and died than Union supporters ) and the 12th July where a King Billy was blessed by the Pope to defeat an English King.

...where are these two historical facts in your sectarian cultural celebrations Rooster...or does the Norn Iron apologist industry just keep rolling out the same shite ?

author by pat cpublication date Sat Jun 03, 2006 19:20author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Could he have been an illegal immigrant who was subsequently exploited? He got his revenge. He escaped, returned and imposed the Church of Rome on us. Destroying our native Pagan faith. Bring back the Druids!

author by roosterpublication date Tue Jun 06, 2006 02:49author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Patrick was not british your britain did not exist until 1800.

-Patrick was from Britain so he was British, and it was the United Kingdom that was formed at around 1800, what was that about being ignorant?

you have no future in the UK rooster...its sad that everyone but self deluded norn iron supporters believe other wise.

-funny that!, people like you have been saying that for eighty years!
but here we are, Northern Ireland is just as old as Southern Ireland , partition is going nowhere and neither are we.

as will be seen on the celebration of the battle of the Somme ( where more irish Catholics fought and died than Union supporters ) and the 12th July where a King Billy was blessed by the Pope to defeat an English King.

-we do not celebrate the Somme, we commemorate it, we have to make up for your lack of it don't we?
We are well aware of the Popes support for King Billy, whats your point? Are you aware that it was Northern troops that helped liberate the Vatican?

author by Big Ian - Residents for realitypublication date Sun Jun 11, 2006 01:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

St Patrick was English, some claim Welsh.

Ireland as a country was invented by the anglo-French Normans, it was previously 5 counties.

The Normans were invited to invade to recapture land held by the Danes. The Danes founded Irelands cities.

Modern Ireland is a modern english cultural invention (Bar, GAA and riverdance). Get over it.

author by roosterpublication date Sun Jun 11, 2006 13:19author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Irish as a language had by the late 19th century more or less completely died out until it was revived by the much villified Anglo Irish ascendency!!

author by dubliner - Na Fianna Eireannpublication date Wed Jul 05, 2006 22:06author address author phone Report this post to the editors

To those who have said ''dont use the names of connally, pearce and others to justify your actions because they would be rolling in there graves!''
I would remind them that connally himself led meny riots in Dublin aimed against the brits and brit owned buisneses(shops enc..)
Pearce and the other leaders of 1916 organised similer actions to work up anti british feeling in Dublin.They would be prowd of our actions as they did meny similer things themselves.

The pro british media of the day (the Irish Times,The Irish Independant enc..) used exactly the same propaganda then as they use today.
And from reading this disscusion the pro british, right wing readers of these papers are as meny as ever!!

shame on you who claim to stand for what pearce and connally stood for and are against this riot
,it is a contradiction!

Tiochfidh ár lá,
Na Fianna Abú

author by dubliner - Na Fianna Eireannpublication date Wed Jul 05, 2006 22:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I will also respond to the idiot (Eoghan) who said ''The irish constitution,you know that little thing laying out the legal basis of the Irish state,the thing the Irish people have spent 700 years fighting for..

The 'Irish Free State' is not Irish, It's not free, and it's not a state!
The Irish people did not give their lives for 700 hundred years for a diminian state or for home rule.
They gave their lives for a totally free, independant Ireland, no conection with England and since the drafting of the 1916 proclamation, not to be ruled by the capitalist bosses of England or Ireland.
This is what we true Republicans continue to fight for and we will use any level of controlled force to achieve that aim.

You might say 'the riot in Dublin only damaged any chance you have of a achieving that aim'.
We say that while we have no problem with any religion under the sun.
we also say that Loyalisim is a fascist,racist,neo-nazi type idealisim that we simply cannot negotiate with.
What do you think would happen if you sent a neo-nazi parade down the main streets of Warsaw or Moscow complete with swastica flags and playing nazi songs.
nazism or loyalisim are just two ideolagies that have no place in a democratic sociaty
(perticulerly the socallist state we wish to achieve!)

Tiochfidh ár lá
Na Fianna Abú

author by Splinky - N/Apublication date Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:28author address author phone Report this post to the editors

As someone who holds both British and Irish citizenship I am in a better position to see things more clearly than most. I am neither Unionist/Orange nor Republican but would like to see a united Ireland.

If people really want to see a United Ireland then by attacking that march you are saying to the unionists/Orange order that they are not wanted in Ireland. That they wouldn't be allowed to express their identity.

What sort of united Ireland do these people want to see? One that is ethnically cleansed of all protestants/Unionists/Orange memberrs? Well that just isn't going to happen!

The thugs who attacked the march have put back a united Ireland untold decades and maybe it won't ever happen at all!

Let them march and you will have a united Ireland sooner than you think!

Think before you act next time!

author by Barrypublication date Fri Aug 25, 2006 23:08author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Im an Irish citizen but a British subject against my will because of the undemocratic veto these bigots have , purely as a result of their own threats backed up by British military might , so i can see such rubbish clearly for what it is . Im under foreign occupation in my own country . Pandering to bigotry does not temper it in the slightest , it encourages the belief in its holders that its perfectly normal . People let the orange order march over them for decades being too timid to complain about bigots . The orange supremacists simply enjoyed their supremacy as a birthright. The loveulster march wasnt even an orange order parade , it was a parade by supporters of various paramilitary groups honouring their dead , including those who had massacred dozens of innocent Dubliners . Please think before you open your mouth . .

author by Ahempublication date Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Barry you are in a poor position to advise anyone to think before they open their mouths. Your own utterances are an empty anthology of cliches and empty posturing, devoid of the slightest sense of empathy or understanding for those who disagree with you. Whatever you think of the people who marched in Dublin, in any democratic context they have the right to express their views or their culture, however offensive you find it, however bigoted they are, whatever their history.

I for one would hate to live in a united Ireland where bigots like you hold sway - evidently, the only opinions and traditions allowed expressions are ones that don't offend you! Whatever happened to the old maxim 'I disagree with what you say, but I defend to the death your right to say it.' You are an absolutely excellent argument in favour of Unionism. I am afraid that if you did not exist the DUP et al would have to invent you - you are an excellent recruiting sergeant for loyalist bogotry. I might even write to Paisley suggesting that he pays you a small stipend.

author by Neilpublication date Sun Nov 26, 2006 23:41author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The complete ignorance of alot of those in the South of Ireland, especially the well learned Dublin scholars who are so concerned with lining their own pockets utterly sickens me. I was born and bred in West Belfast and even though I was brought up in a very Republican family in a notorious Republican area I grew up with my own views on the political situation in the North of Ireland. I believe that the only way that peace can come about is when the ordinary people of the North ween out sectarian hatred and work together. The politicans earn a handsome wage for keeping the North divided because it suits them.

In relation to the comments I have read on the Dublin riots here I have been left shocked. I can not believe that citizens of the Republic would actually welcome the Orange Order marches or try to defend them. The Orange Order is nothin more than a group of old, bible bashing sectarian farts who have not contributed anything worthwhile to society in Northern Ireland. I have witnessed first hand their intimadation. Orange Order marches can pass off peacefully everyday for all I care but it just so happens that 90% of them MUST march through Catholic, Republican or Nationalist areas. WHY??!! Intimadation. Southeners shuld remember that there are people from the North who care as much if not more about Ireland, would and have died for its freedom and cherish its culture. Too many from the South look down on Nationalsits and Republicans from the North, but we are the ones who have suffered for Ireland, intimadated, held back and beat down. You should all be ashamed.

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