Page 5 | Shooting of police officer in NI

Chickenkeev · 2023-02-23T13:42:13+00:00

I've been listening to news of this all morning on the radio (rte). I was horrified to hear about it and that police are working mainly on the theory that dissident republicans are responsible. I was quite surprised (stunned if I'm honest) that it doesn't seemed to have appeared on any threads on MN, that I can see anyway. Surely it's of national importance to the UK as well as here?

Snugglemonkey · 27/02/2023 06:31

daretodenim · 24/02/2023 08:25

I went to Belfast for a conference last year. First visit to Northern Ireland.

I can't wait to go back. Loved it! Want to go for longer, bring my kids and also travel outside the city.

But I was SHOCKED at how little I knew about the history and daily life in the city.

I was incensed that (at least pre-Brexit) mainland high schools would go on trips to Berlin to see the Berlin Wall. Everybody knows about the Berlin Wall. Spent a fair amount of time learning about it. How many mainland Brits who haven't been to Belfast know it's got a fecking big wall dividing it with gates - proper huge gates, one hydrolic(!) - that shut across the roads every evening and at least one over weekends?

I am someone who reads a lot of news from a wide variety of sources - ie including ones I don't agree with politically - and have some for years. I knew next to nothing about Belfast, a British city!

And what felt almost tragic was the clear connection so many in NI feel with the mainland, yet the mainland barely notices them. We simply don't learn about NI at school and I don't even know how/if it's studied at British universities. I studied Modern Middle Eastern history at university and I know all about the Palestinian situation. There were some Irish and northern Irish students on that course. Once did a wee tour of Belfast it was blatantly clear where their interest had come from.

I'm not surprised there aren't threads - plural - about the attempted execution in NI, because it's a place that's simply off a lot of mainland Brits' radars. They'll have heard it on the news and mentally filed it as "awful", "worrying" and, critically, "over there". Not that this just happened in their own country. I'm not criticising anybody - I think there are complex reasons (mostly not ok) why we aren't more informed - it's more of a sad fact.

I think that every mainland high school pupil should have a trip to Belfast to visit the Peace Wall (interestingly named) as part of a proper tour. That should be far more important than trips to the Louvre, Berlin or ridiculously expensive ski trips. In fact, it's a good time to start as there's not enough guaranteed snow for ski trips now!

I'm so sorry for the children present at the shooting. It's horrific to carry out an attempted execution but to do that in front of children is unspeakable. I hope that those caught are charged with attempted murder AND something that reflects the crime they committed against the children and other bystanders.

And I wish the policeman a full recovery.

I was trying to read this,but it is just offensive and too annoying.

catherinecawoodrtd · 27/02/2023 08:24

@daretodenim your repeated reference to 'the mainland' is going to cause a lot of offence and has drowned out everything else in your post. A PP has rightly had their arse handed on a plate about it.

maddy68 · 27/02/2023 09:20

Changingplace · 26/02/2023 21:04

I am disappointed in how minimal media and social media attention has been on this case.

It’s been in every BBC radio news update I’ve heard since it happened.

Just because there’s not lots of people on MN discussing it doesn’t mean it’s not getting news coverage.

I haven't seen anything about it on the BBC. I only knew about it from Mumsnet. It was on the BBC website but not as a headline

HamFrancisco · 27/02/2023 10:37

maddy68 · 27/02/2023 09:20

I haven't seen anything about it on the BBC. I only knew about it from Mumsnet. It was on the BBC website but not as a headline

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I think you must have missed it, it was top story on TV, radio and online.

HamFrancisco · 27/02/2023 10:38

Is this genuine? I've only seen it on Twitter.

WeAreFromThePlanetDuplo · 27/02/2023 10:43

The turnout in Omagh at the weekend was big, how much that town has suffered.

Cornelious2011 · 27/02/2023 14:39

@HamFrancisco currently being forensically examined by police officers.

Rae36 · 27/02/2023 16:11

That note gives me the fear. Anyone working for the PSNI must be worried right now. And their families.

Eyerollcentral · 27/02/2023 16:47

Well that’s exactly what the note is meant to make you think. Very odd altogether though. Pinned to a wall in Derry is not how statements like this are usually released. I don’t doubt the provenance altogether however the six people in custody must be the top six in the organisation if all who are left not in custody can only release a statement like this. That in itself should reassure you that the reality is this is a very small group of individuals and their capacity to carry out attacks is very limited. No comfort obvs for the injured police man.

Abhannmor · 27/02/2023 17:06

catherinecawoodrtd · 27/02/2023 05:09

I didn't lump every single person in NI into that statement, just mentioning one family I know who do have strong views. I'm aware that both passports are an option. My friends choose not to exercise that right. Interesting about Ian paisley jnr using an Irish passport though. I didn't know that.

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Ian Jr took a selfie with his new Irish passport. That's one up the nose for all those British people who have lost the right to work , study or retire in the EU isn't it?

Eyerollcentral · 27/02/2023 17:24

Abhannmor · 27/02/2023 17:06

Ian Jr took a selfie with his new Irish passport. That's one up the nose for all those British people who have lost the right to work , study or retire in the EU isn't it?

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It’s pure DUP - we’ll do whatever we like whenever we like. Also it’s more making a mockery of Irish citizenship but don’t get me started on that!

Eyerollcentral · 03/03/2023 13:12

V. Odd.

WeAreFromThePlanetDuplo · 03/03/2023 13:17

Yes, I'd read in the news that the New IRA and protestant criminals (presumably drug dealers) have known connections.

Eyerollcentral · 03/03/2023 13:24

Hmmmm why ‘Protestant criminals’ and not loyalist paramilitaries? It’s very odd how this all has been reported. All the dissident republican suspects who were arrested have been released without charge. These loyalists are the only ones in custody and yet it’s being reported now as criminality when there was uproar that this was the New IRA. I’m not defending dissident republicans at all but adding this to the extremely dodgy statement stuck to a wall in Derry claiming they did it, all seems very fishy.

MadeForThis · 03/03/2023 13:55

It sounds like the drugs gangs, from both sides, have joined together to shoot the policeman investigating their activity.

Blame it on republicanism to deflect from the real reason.

There is no green or orange for these gangs. Just money, violence and drugs.

Although they operate under the banner of a republican or loyalist gang.

Eyerollcentral · 03/03/2023 14:18

MadeForThis · 03/03/2023 13:55

It sounds like the drugs gangs, from both sides, have joined together to shoot the policeman investigating their activity.

Blame it on republicanism to deflect from the real reason.

There is no green or orange for these gangs. Just money, violence and drugs.

Although they operate under the banner of a republican or loyalist gang.

Yes I think that is very possible. The reality is though that it was reported that this was an attempt by the New IRA to kill a police officer in echoes of the past and an admission of the attack included threats of further violence against police officers. It has been painted by the police as being a crime motivated by republicanism as opposed to a crime related to the drugs trade. That’s incredibly irresponsible in a place where loyalists are the ones who have been threatening violence loudly since the NI Protocol came in to being. I don’t think any of that has been done by accident.

DandyMandy · 03/03/2023 14:28

It was obvious from the start that Protestant males did this, but as per usual Catholics got the blame. The police and media have reported on this in a way that has put catholic lives at even more risk in NI. Catholics will probably be killed over this shoddy reporting. Where's the outrage now??

LadyEloise1 · 03/03/2023 15:15

Nothing in the News so far.
Has anyone been charged ?
The first thing I thought when I heard a senior police officer who was investigating serious crime had been attacked was that the criminals he was investigating might be the perpetrators.
Then I thought of paramilitaries.

Hoping and 🙏that peace will hold in NI.

user1471464218 · 03/03/2023 15:42

DandyMandy · 03/03/2023 14:28

It was obvious from the start that Protestant males did this, but as per usual Catholics got the blame. The police and media have reported on this in a way that has put catholic lives at even more risk in NI. Catholics will probably be killed over this shoddy reporting. Where's the outrage now??

How was it obvious from the start that protestant males shot the police officer? I am in NI and have followed this story on mainstream media since the night it happened. I'm personally surprised by this suggestion although I accept now it does sound plausible.

DandyMandy · 03/03/2023 15:51

user1471464218 · 03/03/2023 15:42

How was it obvious from the start that protestant males shot the police officer? I am in NI and have followed this story on mainstream media since the night it happened. I'm personally surprised by this suggestion although I accept now it does sound plausible.

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This has happened many times throughout history. Throwing false accusations at catholics in a protestant supremacist part of the world isn't exactly a new thing. It was his own ilk who tried to kill him yet they're not being labelled as loyalist terrorists. I'm actually from the North of Ireland I'm not just "in" it.

WeAreFromThePlanetDuplo · 03/03/2023 16:23

Was the 'admission of guilt' note ever verified?

Eyerollcentral · 03/03/2023 16:47

Nope. And it was signed T O’Neill when usually republican crimes are claimed by P O’Neill. Sounds so tin hat I can’t believe I’m saying it but you have to wonder about police informer/M15 involvement given apparently dissident republicans totally infiltrated according to the police. New IRA are happy to have people thinking it’s them of course.

LadyEloise1 · 03/03/2023 18:12

Eyerollcentral · 03/03/2023 16:47

Nope. And it was signed T O’Neill when usually republican crimes are claimed by P O’Neill. Sounds so tin hat I can’t believe I’m saying it but you have to wonder about police informer/M15 involvement given apparently dissident republicans totally infiltrated according to the police. New IRA are happy to have people thinking it’s them of course.

Oh Lordy 🙁