Morning:
6°c
Shots fired at Northern Ireland police as marching season sparks riots
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor13 Jul 2010
A masked gunman opened fire on police in Northern Ireland early today as republican terrorists were blamed for a new wave of rioting that has led to dozens of officers being injured.
The attack, in which five shots were fired but no one was hit, was in the Bogside area of Londonderry after a police vehicle was hit by petrol bombs and set on fire in the early hours.
It came only hours after another attack in which a policewoman was taken to hospital with head injuries after being hit by a missile as protesters in Belfast pelted her and colleagues with petrol bombs, bricks, bottles and, in one instance, a blast bomb.
In another outbreak of violence, police fired baton rounds and deployed water cannon to control nationalist rioters in the Ardoyne area.
The trouble came as Protestants began their annual July 12 celebrations to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and led to a call for a new attempt to defuse the tension caused by the marching season.
But Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly, a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and former IRA prisoner, warned that extremists from the Continuity IRA — who have been blamed for a rise in terrorism in Ulster over recent months — were fomenting the violence by exploiting “anti-social elements” in Catholic and Protestant communities.
Police were also attacked yesterday in other areas across Northern Ireland. Last night's disturbances came after three police were hit by shotgun pellets during rioting in Belfast on Sunday night. Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said the challenge was to find a way to resolve the parades for good.
“This is the only way we can move away from the disorder, tensions and fear that grips Northern Ireland every year,” he said.
Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists agreed a blueprint for parade management as part of the Hillsborough Agreement that secured the powersharing institutions in February, replacing the Parades Commission body with a model focused on obtaining local settlements to contentious marches.
But the proposals, due to come into effect next year, were rejected by the Orange Order last week.
Mr Finlay said: “We need to see real joined-up strategic political leadership, backed up by everyone in communities making their peaceful voices heard.
“Northern Ireland cannot afford to have violent images beamed across the world every summer — images which are totally unrepresentative of the vast majority of people.”
More than 20 police officers have now been injured during the violence.
Reader views (8)
Northern Ireland don’t want the image of violence that was displayed on the 12th to beamed around the world each year. Well common sense tells you ban the marches as they are purely there to repress and cause violence against a majority catholic Northern Ireland.
I also heard that the parades first stated in the west country England late 19th centaury so they are not something that was celebrated straight after the battle so ban them. This is the modern world and you don’t see the other community trying to march down protestant areas celebrating Bloody Mary each year.
Anyway it looks as if Ireland will be reunited in the next 100 years with catholic’s out numbering protestants, all it takes is a vote and Britain can finally get rid.
- John, Bucks, 14/07/2010 11:39
Report abuse
So much for hopes of tourism and Londonderry becoming European City of Culture .
- john, london, 13/07/2010 15:55
Report abuse
If the National Front or BNP held marches that went through black or ethnic areas displaying banners about slavery or making songs that were anti black and they paraded these on one day of the year which was made a Bank Holiday For Hatred, along with other days we would be up in arms.
The orange parades are to celebrate the victory by protestents over Catholics in 1690.
No other country retains such hatred over others in their community 320 years after the event.
It is time for the parades to stop especially in areas where they clearly are intended to create a reaction.
The future is brighter if the future is not ORANGE.
- Patrick Mc Crossan, OPINION LAMBETH LONDON, 13/07/2010 13:55
Report abuse
Use tasers, CS spray, round them up and lock them up.
- Kay Burley ate my hamster, Hackney, London, 13/07/2010 13:52
Report abuse
Daveb, you're right.
I see a bunch of hooligan youth causing mayhem.
shouldn't both sides be done for inciting racial and religious hatred? or is that law reserved only for the mainland!
- Amir, London, 13/07/2010 13:36
Report abuse
looks like kids and idiots using the excuse of the troubles to be thugs...what a surprise....thats been going on for decades
- daveb, london, 13/07/2010 12:57
Report abuse
Please remember that these people, on both sides, do not represent anything Irish, They are british citizens and this is a british problem.
- Mike, London, 13/07/2010 12:42
Report abuse
Why won't the gov. hit this nail on the head.
These 'Orange Parades' and 'Marches' are, and always have been nothing less than poisonous displays of hatred and triumphalism directed towards the Catholic community, but now disguised as some sort of happy-clappy, harmless family day out!
If there were no Catholics to taunt, -there'd be no more 'Parades' in U.K.
If the Gov't wants to end this violence,-ban those marches !
All this hand-wringing and blaming 'Republicans' is just playing to the gallery !
- Huggy, Cumbernauld Scotland, 13/07/2010 11:55
Report abuse
