Dissidents hanging on....

Dissidents Hanging on.

I read this article Incident had hallmarks of bad policing - SF from the Derry Journal as I was starting my workday. It bothers me just a little that the victim, Gary Donnelly, was treated so harshly and I am glad someone ( Sinn Fein) is doing something about it. Police brutality, no matter the motivation, I believe to be a serious breach of trust with the community and society. There is no place for such behavior as it weakens society's confidence in the authorities.

That being said, I also believe that I can understand the Officer's Frustration in dealing with dissidents as a whole. The RIRA ( Real Irish Republican Army) and the CIRA ( Continuity Irish republican Army) have recently threatened to kill Police officer's, and burn businesses during the upcoming Christmas season. These "Dissident" groups attempted to kill PSNI Officers in Derry and Dungannon earlier this month. Emboldened, by the PIRA's ( Provisional Irish Republican Army) disarmament and cessation of activity, the Dissidents are attempting to carry the violent struggle to the fore again. What a Pity. For, I believe that the people of Northern Ireland have made their voice clear. They have accepted the cease fire, they have elected an new Assembly to Stormont, and they have chosen Politics over bullets, to resolve their differences. Nationalists and Unionists are trying to talk through the seemingly endless questions about the Troubles. The 30 odd years of violence and bloodshed have stopped and the people of NI wish to move on.

Not so the rag tag few. The perpetrators of Omagh, want to continue the struggle for a United Ireland by burning down shops. Now that's a plan. They want to shoot Police officers, good going there. To what end I ask? If the goal is for a United Ireland, and the people are seeking it through peaceful means, what is the point of burning shops? If these groups ignore the wishes of the populace they claim to represent they will find that the little support they now have will dry up and blow away on the wind. Violence for violence sake makes no sense at all, and is not a sound programme for victory. Perhaps the Dissidents should sit down and formulate a political agenda that they can present to the Nationalist communities that will actually further the interests of the people.

I do not condone the violence perpetrated against Mr. Donnelly, nor do I condone the violence and threatened violence, of these so called Dissidents. I condemn it all and can only hope that the people of NI will continue to do so as well.

Cheers
Blighter

Update: From the Derry Journal 12/6/2007


Four arrested in cop shooting probe


By Staff reporter
Four men were still being questioned by police last night after they were arrested as part of the investigation in to the shooting of an off-duty police officer in Bishop Street last month.
The arrests were made in a number of areas of the city yesterday and searches were also carried out at a number of houses and police took a number of items away for further examination, including a car. It is believed that leading dissident republican, Gary Donnelly, is one of those arrested.The four men were taken to the serious crime suite at Antrim PSNI station where a police spokesperson said they were being questioned in connection with “serious terrorist crime.”The arrests are part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting of 43 year-old PSNI officer Jim Doherty on 8th November. Mr. Doherty was shot minutes after he left child to school in Bishop Street. The Real IRA later claimed responsibility for the shooting.
The full article contains 166 words and appears in Journal Friday DER Edition newspaper.
Last Updated: 06 December 2007 6:05 PM