Jude Collins

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Who were those masked men?



Just the teensiest of footnotes to yesterday’s item which clearly touched a nerve of some kind: the VO this morning (and yes, I have been less than complimentary about some of their offerings and will be again, no doubt) has an editorial which links McDowell, McIlroy and Harrington as being winners who are very good news for Irish golf. I’ll buy that.


Now, The VO also has disturbing reports from last night, when around 100 masked men in East Belfast wearing surgical gloves,  armed with stones and petrol bombs set out to express their version of neighbourliness on the people living in the small nationalist enclave of the Short Strand. Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey was on BBC Radio Ulster/Raidió Ulaidh  this morning, saying something similar. Ex-Special Branch officer Rev Mervyn Gibson and unionist MLA Michael Copeland spoke of Short Strand nationalists attacking unionist homes from the grounds of St Matthew’s chapel, and of two unionists being shot in the leg.

There’s a need for clarity here.  Maybe  Maskey, Gibson and Copeland are all three right – there were masked men in surgical gloves attacking the Short Strand and there were nationalists attacking unionist homes. Or there was misinterpretation of what was seen: maybe the men in surgical gloves were doctors on their way to a surgical conference and maybe the nationalists in St Matthew’s grounds were defending it against attack (it’s happened before). 

The third possibility is that somebody’s lying: Alex Maskey is lying or Mervyn Gibson is lying or Michael Copeland is lying. Will we ever know which, if any? Mark Carruthers, the BBC presenter, seemed to believe the PSNI would have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He could be right. Or, of course, wrong. 

15 comments:

  1. According to Brian Rowan the attacks were carried out by the UVF. They were planned for some time and are a response to the HET. The UVF are starting to feel the heat. Maybe they are worried their friends in Special Branch and MI5 are going to throw them to the wolves in order to save their own skins.

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  2. Shot in the leg did you say...? Maybe he meant shot in the foot...twice...!Someones's being a bit Ecumenical with the truth methinks...I dunno some people couldn't lie staight in bed as they say...Mighty craic yesterday Jude...wound them right up... sometimes it's just too easy...You must do it again sometime...!

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  3. Probably getting in training for the upcoming 'Queen Billy' parades...

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  4. And then their are the stories in the Sunday World newspaper over the past few weeks. Of a UVF brigadier turning supergrass and that he is ready to give evidence against most of the UVF leadership.

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  5. So if these attacks have been planned and the plans known about for sometime...Where were the PNIS or whatever they're called these days...?
    And why target Nationalist i.e. Catholic homes...? When are Nationalists/Catholics going to be protected and allowed to live in Peace...? These questions are rhetorical btw...It just defies belief...Still I suppose the children don't need a police escort to school...

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  6. Jude did you ever think of standing for the Presidency...? Ahh gowaaaan...!

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  7. Dunno Kemo Sabi...perhaps the surgical gloves were there in case they needed to conduct rectal examinations to remove the big heid fundamentalists from oot their fundaments...sorry aboo the use of the 'f' prefix there...

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  8. And they wonder why neither the Brits or the Republic want them...!

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  9. All the trolls have gone..tralaa...must be out conducting rectal examinations...

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  10. News footage shows PNIS sitting looking at a crowd of 'young hooligans' targetting Catholic homes and doesn't even attempt to lift them...? Seems the PNIS is an organ as flaccid as the Orange free press...'Meet the new boss same as the old boss' Catholics left to defend themselves allowing the Orange free press to peddle the lie that this is 'Sectarian' the same as targetting Neil Lennon is sectarian...New kids on the block the 'rioting tourists'...? A few questions to be asked in the House methinks...oh and apparently the UVF have no political representaives in the Arsesombly...mar dhea...this really is the start of the silly season...

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  11. Even Kevin Myers has a good go at the loyalists of East Belfast.

    http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/kevin-myers-tribal-bigotry-is-not-a-response-to-ira-violence-it-was-there-before-2803409.html

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  12. The 'beast' remains financially well off, with reportedly sufficient funds to holiday in a Barbados villa or in a chateau in Tuscany. It has also been reported that he purchased a €45,000 caravan on the Costa Blanca. The 48 year old from East Belfast is now more popular with his fellow loyalist paramilitaries than he was only a couple of weeks ago.

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  13. The UVF wants millions of pounds of Government funds to be ploughed into the east Belfast interface that its members turned into a war-zone last week.
    Loyalist chiefs asked for the pay-off after they met with First Minister Peter Robinson on Thursday.
    Among the UVF-linked delegation who sat down with the DUP leader was well known east-Belfast loyalist Stephen Matthews.

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  14. I see the Red Hand Commando have threatened to turn Bangor into the Short Strand if they don't get there own way. Loyalist bands protesting on Tuesday night at North Down Council Offices.

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  15. Im a citizen. Im ashamed. Im embarrassed. Im frustrated. Im a father. Im concerned. Im helpless. Im angry. Im a human being. Im aware there is little too no hope this will make a difference in my community but maby a set of eyes with influence on theese people will read it and stop this mess around us because when there dead and gone there family will live on and and be tarnished by this evil.

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