Current Issues - 1999

September 1999

Planned Thuggery Exposed

The bold and unusual decision by the police to share its prior intelligence with the media on the stockpiling of caches of petrol bombs for the Londonderry march completely wrongfooted the protesters and exposed their hypocritic and selective attitude to the Parades Commission.

The protestors on the Ormeau Road or in Londonderry had never intended to organise a peaceful objection to the marches which had been dutifully considered by the Commission and ruled as lawful. Yet it was the subsequent statutory responsibility of the police to execute the determinations of the Commission, after all, that is its purpose, to decide objectively and professionally on the merits of each march and whether it should be banned or permitted to proceed, possibly with conditions attached.

The exposure of the protesters' plans to pretend to be reacting spontaneously, if eventually violently, to the marches should demonstrate once again the determination of certain well organised groups to seek aggressive and very public confrontation with the police.

The revelation of this information in advance by the police could not prevent the orchestrated violence which caused £4m of damage in an orgy of destruction, looting and burning but it at least prevented a possible propaganda coup by the protesters. Their behaviour should also have opened the eyes of the media and of attendant political observers to a foiled scheme to manipulate public opinion against the RUC on a world stage and in advance of the Patten report.