Updated at 23:57 Last night’s band parade in Rasharkin was rerouted after a lengthy delay caused by a bomb scare. Daithi McKay seems to think this amounts to an illegal parade as the new time and route did not have Parades Commission approval and suggests this will end up in court: Parades Commission did not permit route that PSNI put the parade down. There was also no application for a parade on 21st August.. …ie when bands marched past midnight. …
This afternoon saw a large enough gathering of republicans in Lurgan (500+ seems a reasonable estimate). For those attending their intention was to demonstrate support for republican prisoners and protest against the conditions/regime they face in gaol. It also exposed an entirely different issue, a problem that could present an increasing challenge to the Parades Commission, PSNI, Stormont Justice Minister and the Assembly as a whole. The first large scale republican challenge to state structures on parading came with éirígí’s …
The PSNI no longer use plastic baton rounds, they now use Attenuated Energy Projectiles (AEPs). Unlike previous baton rounds, AEPs are designed to be fired directly at people and aren’t ‘meant’ to bounce before impact. Within British Policing Guidelines (via West Mercia, if the PSNI have them online I can’t find them) they are not permitted as a general crowd control device and should only be fired at clearly identified individuals presenting an immediate threat that cannot be dealt with …
First Minister Peter Robinson has launched a stinging attack on ACC Alistair Finlay who challenged him and Martin Mc Guinness to show a united front against the rioting in recent days. As I noted this morning, Mr Finlay said on the Nolan Show this morning that neither the First or deputy first minister had been in touch with him in the run up to the Twelfth. This afternoon Peter Robinson and Matin Mc Guinness issued a statement. Mr Robinson roundly condemned …
According to BBC NI Home Affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney, at Thursday’s meeting of the NI Policing Board the Chief Constable Matt Baggot will seek endorsement of a plan to use private security firms to replace the estimated 400 PSNI officers currently providing protection for politicians, judges and other potential terrorist targets, and guarding police stations. From the BBC report That backing is essential because the move would require new legislation, and that will only happen if there’s cross-party support within the …
With today’s protest against DUP/SF proposed legislation to restrict the right to public assembly the PSNI earlier demonstrated how they will try and curb the current right to legal Public Assembly anyhow. Last year the PSNI successfully prevented éirígí’s protest against Armed Forces Day in Belfast by blocking protestors as they made their way to the assembly point. This year éirígí got around that by assembling directly at City Hall and not travelling there as a group. This meant their …
So there i was, moochin down the lower Newtownards Rd yesterday afternoon when i spotted two PSNI Landrovers (the second is parked up out of shot on the RHS) and my interest was piqued. As i crossed over the road i saw the officers fumbling to open the bonnet which had me reaching for the camera. As you can see the yellow tow rope had already been produced. I of course took a couple of shots, this being the second, …
The High Court today has ordered that files relating to the government’s alleged ‘shoot to kill’ policy should be released. Mr. Justice John Gillen said: “If inquests are to maintain public confidence, put minds at rest and answer the questions of the families who are bereaved, it is vital to ensure that the interested parties/next of kin can participate in an informed, open and transparent fashion on an equal footing with all other parties throughout the various stages of the …
BBC Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, reports on the case of Kevin Kennedy, who is suing the PSNI after he was forced to resign from a job with the Northern Ireland Policing Board in 2004 after failing a security vetting. Last month, Mr Kennedy failed in a legal attempt to gain access to the intelligence information on which the police based their assessment. During a hearing at the High Court in Belfast, it was revealed that the Board was told during …
As the Belfast marathon made its way through the streets of West Belfast it negotiated a white line picket of hundreds protesting over conditions faced by Republican prisoners in British gaols. At Sevastapol Street there was this striking shot of a PSNI armoured jeep acting barrier between the iconic image of Bobby Sands, at a closed SF HQ, and those that would take to streets on behalf of current Republican prisoners. Blank
A loyalist protester berates the PSNI telling them that they are a disgrace(expletive deleted) as the Independent Republican Parade to commemorate the Hunger Strikes passes the bottom of the Shankill Rd. Moochin PhotomanPhotographer and visual artist based in Belfast. I have facilitated community based workshops with groups as diverse as visually impaired individuals in Dungannn, Travellers across Northern Ireland, Young Offenders and many community groups across Belfast. My work has exhibited extensively here in Northern Ireland in group and individual …
ONE of my favourite stories (as yet unconfirmed!) from 2006 was about the Chief Constable almost having a ringside seat of the Northern Bank robbery. According to a normally-reliable source, while the £26.5 million raid was being carried out, Hugh Orde (and other senior cops and ARA types) were at a Christmas bash in the Apartment bar, less than 100 feet away. Like I said, unconfirmed, but mildly amusing… and strangely plausible! Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Extraordinary headline, but one borne out by this study for the BBC. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
