24 July 1997 Edition
Canada to hear Garvaghy facts
GEORGES BERIAULT, a member of a high-powered Canadian delegation that witnessed events on the Garvaghy Road on July 6 when the crown forces forced an Orange march through the nationalist enclave spoke to An Phoblacht about what they saw on that day.
The delegation, made up of members of the Information on Ireland Campaign and the Coalition for Peace in Ireland, were in Ireland as observers to events over the Drumcree and Twelfth period. They were invited by the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community. The group also met Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, West Belfast community groups, representatives of the Ulster Unionist Party, the NIO, RUC and George Patton of the Orange Order.
Of their meeting with RUC Chief Ronnie Flanagan Beriault said: ``He accused Warren Allmand, former Canadian Solicitor General, of being non-independent and challenged statements he made in the press about the behaviour of the RUC. In fact he said Allmand left a false impression of the Garvaghy Road operation in the media. I would describe Flanagan as being aggressive and impolite.''
Beriault is a French-Canadian trades unionist with a long time interest in events in Ireland. He was shocked by the ``concentration of military and police power on the Garvaghy Road that morning. It was more than an excessive presence in such a small area and the degree of apprehension was something I haven't felt in a long while. As well the RUC with their balaclavas and new black uniform were like robocops; this added to the threat and menace of the situation.''
Among the delegation were two MPs Roger Gallaway and Chris Axworthy from the Democratic and Liberal parties both of whom expressed a desire to return to the North next year, especially after what happened on Garvaghy. Both men have also agreed to participate in tours of Canada when they will report their findings from the North to universities, human rights groups and trades unionists.
The delegation will be reporting back to the Candadian Department of External Affairs. ``They will be able to clarify a lot of the misconceptions that exist in External Affairs about Ireland'', said Beriault.
Beriault maintained that their trip would also go some way to counter the view that Canada is a stronghold of Orangeism. ``A lot of Irish nationalists now live in Canada and are obviously eager to hear about developments. Also in places like Montreal which has a 75 to 80% French Canadian population, a lot of whom claim Irish descent, there is a very big interest in Ireland and among trades union groups in Quebec there has always been strong support for Irish self-determination. In Toronto the nationalist emigrant population is also very large, so generally what we want to do in Canada is become a focal point and try to get people to look at the effects of British imperialism in Ireland.
``We hope that Garvaghy Rcan be a catalyst that will get Canadians to see the situation in Ireland in a different light.''
The delegation, made up of members of the Information on Ireland Campaign and the Coalition for Peace in Ireland, were in Ireland as observers to events over the Drumcree and Twelfth period. They were invited by the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community. The group also met Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, West Belfast community groups, representatives of the Ulster Unionist Party, the NIO, RUC and George Patton of the Orange Order.
Of their meeting with RUC Chief Ronnie Flanagan Beriault said: ``He accused Warren Allmand, former Canadian Solicitor General, of being non-independent and challenged statements he made in the press about the behaviour of the RUC. In fact he said Allmand left a false impression of the Garvaghy Road operation in the media. I would describe Flanagan as being aggressive and impolite.''
Beriault is a French-Canadian trades unionist with a long time interest in events in Ireland. He was shocked by the ``concentration of military and police power on the Garvaghy Road that morning. It was more than an excessive presence in such a small area and the degree of apprehension was something I haven't felt in a long while. As well the RUC with their balaclavas and new black uniform were like robocops; this added to the threat and menace of the situation.''
Among the delegation were two MPs Roger Gallaway and Chris Axworthy from the Democratic and Liberal parties both of whom expressed a desire to return to the North next year, especially after what happened on Garvaghy. Both men have also agreed to participate in tours of Canada when they will report their findings from the North to universities, human rights groups and trades unionists.
The delegation will be reporting back to the Candadian Department of External Affairs. ``They will be able to clarify a lot of the misconceptions that exist in External Affairs about Ireland'', said Beriault.
Beriault maintained that their trip would also go some way to counter the view that Canada is a stronghold of Orangeism. ``A lot of Irish nationalists now live in Canada and are obviously eager to hear about developments. Also in places like Montreal which has a 75 to 80% French Canadian population, a lot of whom claim Irish descent, there is a very big interest in Ireland and among trades union groups in Quebec there has always been strong support for Irish self-determination. In Toronto the nationalist emigrant population is also very large, so generally what we want to do in Canada is become a focal point and try to get people to look at the effects of British imperialism in Ireland.
``We hope that Garvaghy Rcan be a catalyst that will get Canadians to see the situation in Ireland in a different light.''