Eamonn McCann writes in the Irish Times that the Conditions that spawned New IRA have not gone away.

The events which were to culminate in the killing of Lyra McKee began with plans for a commemoration of the Easter Rising.

Saoradh, widely taken to be the political wing of the New IRA, had announced a march from the Creggan to the Republican plot in Derry city cemetery on Easter Monday for the traditional reading of the Proclamation, a message from the movement’s “military” leadership, a rendition of the national anthem.

If the march had gone ahead it wouldn’t have attracted a big crowd – a colour party in combat fatigues, a band piping rebel tunes, a straggle of followers, mostly young. A couple of hundred souls at most. In other circumstances, hardly anybody would have noticed.

The march would have been illegal ...

… Everybody knew there was going to be bother.


Continue reading @ Irish Times

Everybody Knew There Was Going To Be Bother In The North

Eamonn McCann writes in the Irish Times that the Conditions that spawned New IRA have not gone away.

The events which were to culminate in the killing of Lyra McKee began with plans for a commemoration of the Easter Rising.

Saoradh, widely taken to be the political wing of the New IRA, had announced a march from the Creggan to the Republican plot in Derry city cemetery on Easter Monday for the traditional reading of the Proclamation, a message from the movement’s “military” leadership, a rendition of the national anthem.

If the march had gone ahead it wouldn’t have attracted a big crowd – a colour party in combat fatigues, a band piping rebel tunes, a straggle of followers, mostly young. A couple of hundred souls at most. In other circumstances, hardly anybody would have noticed.

The march would have been illegal ...

… Everybody knew there was going to be bother.


Continue reading @ Irish Times

7 comments:

  1. The hurling of petrol bombs which preceded the pistol shots which killed Lyra McKee began when police apparently searching for paraphernalia associated with the planned commemoration, emerged from raiding a house on Fanad Drive.

    Assuming Eamonn McCann is correct and the raid was for a few flags/uniforms for an illegal parade, the state used a lot of resources. This is video footage of the trouble in Creggan that led to the murder of Lyra McKee. When put together with the open source Bellingcat investigation,.I am left wondering why did British Police/Army not raid whoever's house they went into at 6am in the morning? Who within the Police/Army thought it would be a good idea to carry out a raid using at least nine ATO/forensic vans in the middle of the afternoon? Why not simply let the march go a head and if it was illegal then arrest the colour party later. They have done it before (arrest people after parades)..

    The blame for Lyra's needless murder lies at the doorstep of the gunman who pulled trigger and who ever thought out the badly planned op...Again, after watching the video footage, who ever with the Police/Army who planned the raid...can't help thinking that that op was just as badly planned.

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  2. Frankie,

    If the parade had went ahead with the paraphernalia then every Unionist on both sides of the Bann would have went berzerk. Cops caught in a tough choice.

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  3. Steve R,
    Yes, tough choice for them, caught between the DUP and the UUP....FFS

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  4. Stevie,

    If the parade had went ahead with the paraphernalia then..........

    Lyra McKee would be alive today, as Cathal Flemming pointed out the two Irish Republican volunteers who were directly involved in the fatal shooting of Lyra, their lives wouldn't be destroyed. They have to live with their mistake the rest of their lives. The rioting that led up to the shooting wouldn't have happened....And as a side note, money that was used in the police/army operation could have been used/directed into the Creggan to give people hope that things are getting better. As the video shows, the amount of state force personnel used to raid one house for a few flags and a couple of broad black brimmers was disproportionate. What was found exactly...? Your point about Unionist's would be vexed if the parade head went ahead..Fcuk them. The parade was in a Republican area, if the parade was walking through PUL area, fair point but it wasn't. I don't see any problem with anyone marching in their own area for what ever cause. If people want to go along they will and if they don't want to go, they wont. It had more to do with showing who is the 'boss' and quelling dissent.

    A few days ago eleven Republicans were fine £750 each for marching in an ' illegal parade' in the Creggan in 2018. Guess what, no one died last year because the tactics state forces used...Again my question is, why couldn't the same approach have been taken this year...Let the parade go a head and arrest who ever at a later date.


    Anyone who believes PFR will now simply go away is living in cuckoo land. Same as dissenting Republicans being banned from social media, serves no purpose.

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  5. Frankie,

    I don't disagree with you but you can hardly lay the blame on the cops for two kids opening fire at them. Hindsight is always 20/20.

    I personally don't like parades from any quarter. They can all get fucked as far as I'm concerned. But you've hit the nail on the head, more money needs to be poured into these areas to give them hope.

    Sadly the two young kids may have successfuly actioned against that happening.

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    Replies
    1. Stevie,

      I am not using hindsight but using what happened in the Creggan last year..It was the same organization involved and state forces let it go a head.

      To understand what is wrong with Derry and most things west of the Bann, read Pauline Mellons blog. Anyone who does, it reads the land that time forgot.

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  6. Steve - on the surface, totally logical. How does it factor into a situation where the cops are running agents and in order to protect them allow this type of thing to go ahead? I am not talking specifically about Derry but in general.

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