The recrudescence of rioting factions and paramilitary groups in this country should be a concern for all. In recent weeks we have seen rioting in the North against the decision by councillors in Belfast to only occasionally fly the Union Flag. And in the same week Continuity IRA prisoners in Portlaoise prison made a statement stating that any Irish citizen that serves in the British military is a ‘legitimate target’ for their organisation. A planned Loyalist protest this week in Dublin was scrapped but only because it was hurried and not planned. The group was to ‘sarcastically’ call for Leinster House to lower the Irish flag in a reaction against the Belfast City Council’s decision to fly the Union flag on certain days of the year.
The rioters in the North have caused unpardonable infrastructural damage, injured and maimed many PSNI officers trying to keep peace and brought parts of Belfast to a standstill. There has not been a night this week in which some form of rioting has not occurred in the city of Belfast. PSNI officers have been at the forefront of the mayhem and have been exemplary. Rioting thugs have burned out many vehicles in the city including a double-decker bus in the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey and have single-handedly caused hundreds of thousands of pounds in damage. Reports also suggest that the thugs who have closed off roads in protest have refused access to local individuals trying to go about their business. A number of disgusting reports have come to light; a local GP being refused passage to get to a cancer patients house; an elderly man refused access to the area where he lived even though his terminally ill wife awaited his return; and other reports of thugs attacking random cars as they passed through their imposed blockades.
The situation in the North had been improving but the recent snag has suggested a return to high tensions between factions.
The other issue of concern regards Irish citizens serving in the British Armed Forces. In a disgusting statement from Continuity IRA inmates in Portlaoise prison it was said that such Irish citizens were targets for murder. Inmates stated that “The moment you don a British uniform you become a legitimate target for the IRA”. The outlawed organisation has never so directly incited the murder of Irish citizens but recent statistics have suggested a rise in the number of Irish citizens joining the British Armed Forces. The number is still relatively low; around 400 Irish citizens serve in the forces. Many of them have served overseas fighting the fanatical Jihadist group the Taliban but now face a threat when they return home to their own soil.
In December Gardai foiled a plot by the Continuity IRA to assassinate an Irishman serving in the British army while he was home for the Christmas period. The man was supposed to visit family in Limerick but was advised not to return home because of the serious threat to his life. The would-be murderers had befriended the man, who is in his 20’s, on Facebook months beforehand and had acquired a gun to carry out the assassination. The sinister development of the CIRA’s decision to actively seek to carry out such murders is one of major concern.
The British Ministry of Defence duly condemned the statement, “We condemn any threat of mindless violence against members of the British Armed Forces. We are committed to protecting them and all Irish personnel are being informed about this specific threat. The statement made by the Continuity IRA is a matter for the Garda Síochána”. Gardai are continuing to investigate the threats and warn any Irish citizen serving in the British Armed Forces to be aware of such a threat.
By Shuki Byrne
Irish News Review 