Police Vehicle Firebombed as Northern Ireland Dissidents Vow ‘Vigorous Opposition’ to Biden’s Visit
© AP Photo / Peter Morrison
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The group behind a march that ended with a police vehicle fleeing from demonstrators wielding molotov cocktails pledged that "any notion that US imperialist President Joe Biden will visit Republican areas as part of his excursion to occupied Ireland will be vigorously opposed by the Revolutionary Republican Party Saoradh."
A police vehicle was firebombed in Northern Ireland amid clashes between police and protesters one day ahead of a planned visit to the region by US President Joe Biden to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
The incident occurred as residents took to the streets of Derry to celebrate the anniversary of the Easter Rising, a 1916 uprising by Irish republicans who sought to overthrow their British rulers.
Breaking: Police have been attacked in #Derry today during the Easter Rising Commemoration as they attempt to intervene with the Irish Republican march which was deemed illegal after permission was not granted permission from the Parades Commission.
— Aodhán Roberts (@AodhanRob) April 10, 2023
The PSNI had said in recent… pic.twitter.com/FpRqXQZX1c
A social media post by the group Anti Imperialist Action Ireland described the use of firebombs as a response to an "incursion" by the Police Service of Northern Ireland into the festivities, which it called a "deliberate act of provocation… to disrupt the 1916 Commemoration in Derry today."
No injuries were reported, but the images of masked demonstrators hurling molotov cocktails threatened to eclipse official celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday accord, which brought an end to much of the violence that had plagued Northern Ireland for decades.
Both the British and Irish governments have voiced their displeasure with those responsible for the incident, with Ireland’s minister for enterprise, trade and employment, Simon Coveney, pinning the blame on a "tiny minority of thugs seeking headlines," who he insisted only want "to take Northern Ireland backwards."
Paddy Gallagher, the National Secretary for Saoradh, a group involved in organizing the march in question, said in comments to US media that "while Ireland remains under British occupation, there will always be women and men willing, and capable, of carrying out revolutionary acts of resistance against British forces."
Biden’s planned trip to Ireland has already drawn criticism for its brevity, with one commentator saying "a postage stamp would be too big for Mr. Biden’s Belfast itinerary." The incendiary language used by National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who suggested that the Northern Irish city of Belfast isn’t Irish when describing the visit, has not helped matters.
“Following his speech at Ulster University the President will travel to Ireland” ??
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) April 10, 2023
Ulster is one of Irelands 4 ancient provinces, the heartland of Gaelic Ireland and the site of Englands most aggressive genocide and displacement of the native Irish.
Ulster is Ireland pic.twitter.com/LgLVjnsvgQ
The leader of the group of dissident republicans said they will continue seeking to prevent Biden from making the trip, telling the US outlet that "any notion that US imperialist President Joe Biden will visit Republican areas as part of his excursion to occupied Ireland will be vigorously opposed by the Revolutionary Republican Party Saoradh."
"The reality is that Joe Biden, and his administration, has been responsible for the deaths of countless people, including in Syria where he gave the order for his regime to launch fatal air strikes," Gallagher said.
"Furthermore, he is a staunch ally of the Israeli government, and their war machine, and has acted as an apologist for their Zionist crimes stating 'they had a right to defend themselves.'"
