Loyalist groups to march in Dublin

Terry · 23-02-2006 7:33pm

can you imagine that?
it would be great.

speaking of empty.
umm, why are they marching to the dail on a saturday. correct me if i'm wrong, but don't politicians take saturday off to do clinics?

24-02-2006 8:28pm

Someone should so dress up as big orange

Dooom · 24-02-2006 8:44pm

ronoc wrote:

Someone should so dress up as big orange

Nah, banana. Just to really wtf things up.

Peanut · 25-02-2006 12:37am

Spike wrote:

Nah, banana. Just to really wtf things up.

Robots would be awesome tbh.

Robot fruit dancing to Kraftwerk => teh win

jaqian · 25-02-2006 11:04am

It would be class if yis did dress up. Just think of the publicity you'd get, an Orange parade featuring Banana's, Pineapples etc.

Hagar · 25-02-2006 11:21am

Why don't we tell the Muslims that the Orangemen drew the cartoons and see what happens...

Villain · 25-02-2006 11:43am

Let them march peacefully, let them live in their own little world where they think its some kind of victory.

But if they incite violence arrest them.

county · 25-02-2006 11:54am

irish1 wrote:

Let them march peacefully, let them live in their own little world where they think its some kind of victory.

But if they incite violence arrest them.

but surely to some people the fact that they are marching in dublin is inciting violence,
if there is trouble i can only see it coming from the protesters and not the thousand or so marchers

jaqian · 25-02-2006 12:00pm

Parade doesn't start till 12.30 but heres some early photos:

http://static.flickr.com/41/104114659_efc2c605b5_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/35/104114658_419fad356d_b.jpg

Winters · 25-02-2006 2:11pm

Why should anyone care unless you are some sort of close minded tard?

Let them march, and just ignore them. If people take notice you are gonna just give them what they want.

Mr_Roger_Bongos · 25-02-2006 2:22pm

Longfield wrote:

They are all by choice British citizans..If they hold Irish passports then thats their right as citizans of this free country, however they aren't and as such imho don't have this right.

However, they are all entitled, under the constitution, to Irish passports. Anyone born on the island of Ireland is entitled an Irish passport. I realise the idea of a United Ireland is nothing more than a pipedream, but if it were ever to happen, they'd all get passports and have to be accepted as part of the irish national identity.

A Dub in Glasgo · 25-02-2006 2:23pm

Looks like the LU crew have got their wish

http://www.unison.ie/breakingnews/index.php3?ca=9&si=87595

rsynnott · 25-02-2006 2:29pm

Oh, dear, people really are chronically stupid.

Terry · 25-02-2006 2:59pm

for those of you not registered:

Rioting has broken out in Dublin City Centre as the contentious 'Love Ulster' rally was due to get underway.

Gardai have come under attack from Sinn Fein supporters.

And at least three police officers are reported to have been injured.

O'Connell Street has now been blocked off completely.

nosmo · 25-02-2006 3:16pm

I saw busloads of rather worried looking people in funny uniforms racing down Nassau St. with a large Garda escort, so I assume the most of it is over

ghostdancer · 25-02-2006 4:20pm

the article should really read Republican Sinn Fein, gerry adams et al have much more sense than to bother organising a demonstration like this.

the gardaí should really have had this under control tbh.

Dave! · 25-02-2006 4:23pm

I posted this in the other thread, but I'll post it again...:

_________________
Okay... Just back from town about a half an hour now!

I went in with my brother and his friend to have a look and see what was happening. It must have just been kickin off as we were getting there, cos we were strolling on across from Trinity, a fair few Gardaí all standing around, etc., and then all of a sudden, they all start sprinting up O Connell Street! One Garda stood out in front of a bus and demanded a free lift, lol!

But we walked on up anyways, and we could hear in the background "The I, the I, the IRA!", of course, and everyone was standing around, riot police standing in between the two crowds. We couldn't see the Loyalists because there was a tonne of riot police blocking them, and we were back a safe amount as well, but we could see that there was a fair number of mainly chuckies, and people draped in tricolours, throwing everything at the police and the Loyalists. Planks of wood, stones, rocks, shrapnel, FIREWORKS, and I saw one or two big balls of fire, dunno what they actually were though.

So it continued on like that for about 15 minutes, the crowd throwing things, dragging down the railings and barricades, wrecking the place generally... And then the riot police started charging, and everybody started leggin it back. They did that a few times, and it looked like that was the only way that the march could actually go ahead, but most people could see that it couldn't go on and would have to be cancelled.

Well anyway, that's generally the way it was goin, things being thrown, riot police charging, and people running off, so we just headed home. The shop owners and security people all along the street were standing there with their hand on the shutters, emptying the shop, and waiting for them to come along. I got a few videos on my phone, but they don't show much unfortunately, pretty bad quality. I'll try and get them onto the computer.

Two more things I can think of...

My brother's friend was walking back a bit up from us, and he saw a bloke running away from the riot, half his face covered in blood, and he said it was Charlie Bird from RTE. I guess that remains to be seen, but about 15 people gathered around him and brought him down to the quays, then 10 or so Gardaí grabbed him into a riot van and took him off.

And another thing was, some drunk was telling us that on one of the streets parallel to O Connell street, the whole thing was lined with riot police, and the back door of one of the hotels on the street, were open, and they waiting to charge through if they had to.

I'll post anything else I think of, but that was basically what was happening. Pretty scary stuff really, everyone was in disbelief and shocked, and also wondering why the f*ck it was allowed go ahead, since this was inevitable.

The Welsh picked a bad time to come to Ireland

And as we were walkin back to the LUAS, there was a fur protest outside one of the shops on Grafton Street, and an anti-war protest up a bit further! bloody madness, lol.

EDIT:

Oh, all the bins on O Connell Street all the way to Kildare street, were blocked with metal bands (like Pantera!), presumbably so they wouldn't be set on fire.

rsynnott · 25-02-2006 4:40pm

ghostdancer wrote:

the article should really read Republican Sinn Fein, gerry adams et al have much more sense than to bother organising a demonstration like this.

the gardaí should really have had this under control tbh.

Probably underestimated the stupidity of the protesters.

Dooom · 25-02-2006 4:54pm

LOL.

Tbh, I just can't stop laughing at the reports I'm hearing.
Not in the "Ha, Unionists are ghey and it's funny to see cops being beat" way, just in the "Christ on a bike lads" way.

ghostdancer · 25-02-2006 5:00pm

rsynnott wrote:

Probably underestimated the stupidity of the protesters.

true, but you can never underestimate the intelligence of dublin scumbags in their celtic jerseys. any old chance of a scrap. the garda presence probably enhanced things after it kicked off. scumbags aren't usually renowned for their love of authority.

LovelyHurling · 25-02-2006 5:06pm

irish1 wrote:

But if they incite violence arrest them.

and the 300 who actually committed violence this afternoon? I have never ever been so disgusted at repuiblicanism as long as I have lived in Dublin, as today. It was disgusting nothing less.

Binomate · 25-02-2006 5:12pm

Send in the army and let them fire at will at anyone wearing a tracksuit or a Celtic Jersey. That would eliminate the problem.

December Son · 25-02-2006 5:13pm

live on sky news now, overtunred cars burnt out up near the dail, jesus its spread pretty far. Also said something about closing down temple bar

Dave! · 25-02-2006 5:16pm

Bertie, McDowell, Pat Rabitte, and Gerry Adams, have condemned it.

netwhizkid · 25-02-2006 5:21pm

It was a recipe for Disaster, Similar things would have happened if bus loads of Southerners went up North to Condemn them and call for a United Ireland. Protesting a United Ireland in our Capital, they were asking for trouble. Good job the Guards kept the rioters away from them or they surely be fatalities.