Two days were spent in a British colonial court and it came as no surprise that the unionists got their way by getting the go ahead for their sectarian march to walk the road we were on today.
All the talk by Sinn Féin about a 'shared island' was exposed as nothing more than drivel. When many of us warned about the British government protecting and supporting the unionists we were told they would never be allowed. Stormont is nothing more than a super council that is dominated by unionists and their police force will be there to protect them.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of peelers were in Portadown and it reminded a lot of us who took to the streets of Garvaghy Road, Crumlin Road, Ormeau Road and other areas years ago. We were battered off those roads and the usual suspects claimed they would put manners on the peelers and what did we see today? Yes, the very same police force.
We were there not to hear mealy mouthed platitudes from Sinn Féin but to support the people of Garvaghy Road. Sinn Féin people had bodyguards on a road where nobody was going to attack them and as they spoke it was about themselves as they look forward to elections next year.
As sure as I'm writing this they will call on people to join the same force that harass people and they will batter those trying to stop sectarian bigots walk where they should never be allowed. They'll go back to Stormont and sit with unionist scum that want marches down roads where they should never go. They'll meet British politicians that continue to pump billions of pounds into their armies and police forces while people live in fear of more sectarian marches. The hypocrisy isn't lost on many of us.
I stand with the people of Garvaghy Road as do thousands of others but I don't support Sinn Féin making political mileage out of a dire situation.
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| Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican prisoner and current political activist. |
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