2005 Volume 2
Barricades In Belfast
by Peter Hammond
After all the violent reports I had read about Northern Ireland, I was somewhat surprised not to see any soldiers during the visit. I was told that all British troops were confined to barracks as part of the peace process being discussed. I saw very few police either. I was informed that in response to the demands of the IRA and the Irish Republic, the Royal Ulster Constabulary had been disbanded. Northern Ireland had a woefully inadequate police force as a result.
What I did see was heavily fortified police stations encased in concrete, grenade shields, wrought iron fences and high close - meshed fences stretching ten metres or higher to protect the police stations from petrol bombs, rocket launchers and grenade attacks. The barriers between the Protestant and Roman Catholic suburbs seemed to be even higher and even more formidable than I remember the Berlin Wall in the 1980’s.
As I travelled past the barriers and the heavily fortified police stations into IRA strongholds, I was astounded to see vast quantities of Irish Republic tricolours. The orange, white and green flags were accompanied by elaborate pro-IRA wall murals, graffiti and propaganda.
I was shown the Magennis bar where the McCartney brother was murdered, the Northern bank, the site of the recent bank robbery by the IRA, the Europa Hotel, reported, the most bombed hotel in the world, and the vast amount of anti-British, anti-American, anti-Protestant, anti-Israeli and pro-PLO and IRA terrorist wall murals in Falls Road. These huge wall murals honoured Bobbie Sands and other hunger strikers who had committed suicide. I was also informed that the Irish Republic has not extradited any of the IRA terrorists to stand trial in Northern Ireland either.
Not that the IRA have only been murdering Protestant, policemen and British soldiers. Some of the most heinous atrocities committed by the IRA have been against fellow Catholics. For example the brutal kneecapping, a trademark torture by the IRA whereby their victim is crippled by having their kneecap either shot or drilled, is traditionally reserved for those Roman Catholics who are considered traitors, compromisers or ”sellouts” by the IRA.
It was very obvious when one moved out of the Catholic areas because suddenly, instead of IRA flags and graffiti, one was welcomed by the British Union Jack flag, Scripture verses prominently painted on the sides of churches, and numerous loyalist wall art, memorials to victims of IRA terrorism, and slogans such as: ”Ulster will always remain British - no surrender.”