Top Issue 1-2024

25 August 2005 Edition

North Antrim and the real threat to peace

25 August 2005

This Wednesday, following the comments by 26-County Justice Minister Michael McDowell about the Colombia Three, Sinn Féin Chairperson Mary Lou McDonald MEP on a visit to the beleaguered nationalist communities in North Antrim, challenged southern politicians to travel north to see the real threat to the peace process from the activities of unionist paramilitaries. - READ OTHER ARTICLES Free article

Short Strand under gun and bomb attack

25 August 2005

Fears are mounting in the nationalist Short Strand area of East Belfast that the district may be facing into another sustained sectarian campaign at the hands of unionist paramilitaries. The latest fears come amid a series of escalating attacks, including gun and bomb attacks on nationalist homes and property - part of a wider unionist campaign against vulnerable nationalist communities across the Six Counties. Free article

Houses damaged in Ardoyne barrage

25 August 2005

Residents of Ardoyne in North Belfast once again came under attack from sectarian gangs from the Glenbryn Estate this week. Two houses and a car were damaged in the attacks. The trouble began at around 10pm on Monday 22 August when a crowd of loyalists gathered at the junction of Alliance Avenue and Deerpark Road. Two houses were extensively damaged with paint bombs, which the loyalists had by the crateful. Residents and community representatives quickly turned out to offer aid and support to those living in the area. Free article

Exposing chilling reality of unionist campaign

25 August 2005

Sinn Féin Assembly members Gerry Kelly and Philip McGuigan were joined on Thursday 18 August by Councillors Caral Ní Chuilín and Billy Leonard as Sinn Féin launched a major report detailing the horrific reality of unionist paramilitary activity since June 2005. Free article

PSNI admits Ahoghill attacks sectarian

25 August 2005

PSNI Deputy Chief Paul Leighton has been forced to "retract" a contentious statement he made last week and confirm that all the recent attacks on nationalists and Catholics in the County Antrim village of Ahoghill are in fact, sectarian. The senior PSNI member provoked widespread outrage after he suggested that "disputes between neighbours" were partly responsible for the ongoing campaign of unionist violence throughout the North Antrim area. Free article

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Colombia 3 interviewed by Gardaí

25 August 2005

The Colombia 3 - Martin McAuley, Niall Connolly and Jim Monaghan presented themselves to Gardaí in Dublin last week. Martin McAuley and Jim Monaghan spent around seven hours voluntarily being interviewed by Gardaí at Terenure and Kilmainham Garda Barracks. They were both released without charge. Niall Connolly was arrested shortly after arriving at Harcourt Terrace Barracks. He was held for six hours before Gardaí extended his period of detention for a further six hours. He was released at midnight and Gardaí are to send a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Free article

Support continues to grow for Rossport 5

25 August 2005

The Rossport 5 - Mícheál Ó Seighin, Willie Corduff, Brendan Philbin and brothers Phillip and Vincent McGrath, have now spent almost 60 days in jail. The issue continues to attract nationwide support and has now attracted international interest. In the past week, the Rossport 5 have agreed to speak to Shell representatives, but only on condition that they are released from imprisonment. Free article

Death of Mo Mowlam

25 August 2005

Mo Mowlam, who died last week, will be remembered as an unorthodox and unconventional British Direct Ruler during her term in the Six Counties from 1997 to 1999. A senior British Labour politician Mowlam was involved in the negotiations that resulted in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Free article

Shoot-to-Kill is nothing new

25 August 2005

As any observer of the conflict in Ireland will have noticed, the shooting of an innocent Brazilian at Stockwell Station in London bore the hallmarks of many killings by British forces in Ireland. Firstly there was the use of what can only be described as frenzied, lethal force when it was utterly unjustified. This was followed by a campaign of misinformation and straight-up lies to blacken the name of the dead and justify the killing. Then there was the disappearance of vital forensic and other evidence and attempts at the highest level to undermine and obstruct the legitimate inquiry into the death. Free article


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