violence in Belfast
I hadn't seen the news at all over the weekend, so I was a bit shocked to see this story this morning about violence that escalated in Belfast over the weekend after a march. Maybe I'm being naive, but I truly thought that the strained peace of recent years was going to be permanent, especially after the recent IRA announcement that it wasn't going to use violence to further it's aims in the future (or words to that effect).
And is it just me, or does that story seem a little... well... pro-police, and missing a couple of essential elements? I want to know what kicked off the violence (ie why it went from a protest march to a riot). I want to know if it was directed at the police or by the Orange Order at the Catholics and visa versa. I want to know if the rioters were just the protestors from the Orange Order, or included people from the Catholic area. I want to know why the decision to reroute the Whiterock march was such a big deal in the first place. Doesn't it just make sense to keep it out of the Catholic area?
And I'm not sure that plastic bullets can be claimed to be non-lethal. Sure that's their aim, but those things are bloody huge (see the photo below), and can still kill if they hit someone in the wrong spot.
Update 3:30pm: I've just seen this further article, which explains some of my questions above. Apparently the rioters were all Protestant (or is being blamed on the Protestant side rather than the Catholic side), and the Orange Order were upset at the decision to reroute the march because they think it "was the latest in a series of attempts to "erode Protestant culture" and deny Orangemen their rights". I still don't understand why it matters where they march as long as they are allowed to march. But perhaps that's because I don't have a really strong sense of loyalty to a geographic location, as I've never had to fight for it. If life became too difficult for me in Brisbane for some reason, I'd just move! ;o)
Listening to: Enigma (the first CD which consists of a lot of roman numerals which I can't remember right now.. ;o))
And is it just me, or does that story seem a little... well... pro-police, and missing a couple of essential elements? I want to know what kicked off the violence (ie why it went from a protest march to a riot). I want to know if it was directed at the police or by the Orange Order at the Catholics and visa versa. I want to know if the rioters were just the protestors from the Orange Order, or included people from the Catholic area. I want to know why the decision to reroute the Whiterock march was such a big deal in the first place. Doesn't it just make sense to keep it out of the Catholic area?
And I'm not sure that plastic bullets can be claimed to be non-lethal. Sure that's their aim, but those things are bloody huge (see the photo below), and can still kill if they hit someone in the wrong spot.
Update 3:30pm: I've just seen this further article, which explains some of my questions above. Apparently the rioters were all Protestant (or is being blamed on the Protestant side rather than the Catholic side), and the Orange Order were upset at the decision to reroute the march because they think it "was the latest in a series of attempts to "erode Protestant culture" and deny Orangemen their rights". I still don't understand why it matters where they march as long as they are allowed to march. But perhaps that's because I don't have a really strong sense of loyalty to a geographic location, as I've never had to fight for it. If life became too difficult for me in Brisbane for some reason, I'd just move! ;o)
Listening to: Enigma (the first CD which consists of a lot of roman numerals which I can't remember right now.. ;o))
posted by OLS |
Monday, September 12, 2005 | 8:36 am
2 Comments:
As an Orangeman whose moved from Belfast to Brisbane I can easily see how those Orangemen in Belfast feel.
The question is - why are there Catholic areas. Why are there areas where Protestants are not allowed to go.
Its been an eyeopener living in Brisbane. If there were parts of Brisbane that were no-go areas for people of a certain religion - there would be riots too.
I have replied to this comment in a separate post here
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