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A SUSPICIOUS OBJECT that was placed in a hijacked van in Derry has been declared a hoax.
At about 8.45pm last night, a van was stopped by two men in the Iniscarn Road area in Fanad Drive – one of the men was carrying a suspected firearm.
A suspicious object was placed in the van and the driver was told to make his way to The Diamond. The driver abandoned the van at Fanad Drive where he alerted police.
A security alert was then put in place – which has now ended.
Commenting on the alert, Chief Inspector Tony Callaghan, the Foyle Area Commander, said: “For the second time in 48 hours a security alert has caused a great deal of inconvenience to the people of Derry.
“Yet again a man was going about his normal day-to-day work when he was confronted by masked men and ordered to drive with what he was told was a bomb into the City centre.
A large number of people had to leave their homes last night because of the misguided actions of the people responsible for this incident.
“It is important that we get this information so that the people of Derry can continue to move forward and enjoy the enormous progress that this city has seen in recent years.”
Detectives in Strand Road are now investigating this incident and are appealing for anyone who has any information to contact them on the non-emergency number 101 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111; or by liaising through a community or civic representative.
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What is the point in this other than to be a nuisance.
It disrupts the united kingdoms economic prosperity by shutting down the city centre for an hour or two
Publicity . It keeps them in the public eye .
“United kingdom.” Surely it didn’t interrupt trade in England,Scotland and Wales!!
Oooh Thierry, they must be quaking in their boots!!!
Glen I take it your talking about your daily tripe of comments on the journal?
They’re no more freedom fighters than the man on the moon! Let them face the Irish people with a clear, concise strategy for Irish reunification! They won’t/can’t because they have none! They have nothing to offer this country! The overall majority of the Irish people want a united Ireland through peaceful and democratic means, the voice of the people, at this moment in time, speaks much louder than the whimper of so-called dissidents!
Very well said!
These clowns see themselves as freedom fighters. Having taken up arms against an occupation.
I see them as dribbling idiots.
Pathetic
I’d love to know what these people hope to achieve by doing things like this.
Your the bomb !
No your the bomb !
Complement in America !
Argument in the Middle East ….
It seems the dissidents are testing the IS playbook to see if it fits.
This flies in the face of decades of political advancement. True republicans seek unification through political participation, abstentionism and military action is no longer viewed as legitimate means of achieving that goal. Moreover recent political gains are proof that the modern day Republican political strategy is working. A 32 county all Ireland state is achievable, but it will never be realised while violence is present.
abstentionism is a political act, it is a refusal to recognize any authority an enemy claims to have, dismiss their authority by recognizing a rival claim, basic social contract theory stuff really, militarism in an irish republican context comes out of the same paradigm. It may not be agreeable but it is most defiantly political.
also do not be naive. A united Ireland may happen though peaceful means, it requires the british state in the event of a majority in referendum in both states in Ireland to honour that and not interfere in any way for its own ends. They have said they have no selfish, strategic or economic interest in Ireland, it may be true, it may be a lie. There is nothing certain about it, considering the shadow of the british gunman that has existed in irish politics and effected irish politics for centuries there is a probability that violence when next altering the status quo is inevitable.
I would contest that these actions jeopardise the ultimate republican goal of reunification.
http://brennaneire.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/bomb-scares-jeopardising-unification/
your contention is that these sort of action jeopardise SF’s electoral rise, i see no evidence of that over the last 17 years nor in the article you linked to. I believe you are making another presumption when you link the SF’s electoral rise and reunification as one and the same. If i understand you correctly you believe in a hypothetical scenario whereby SF have a majority that that in turn will manifest into a United Ireland. It may, it may not, there is nothing certain about it. The British state may do the honourable thing and respect for the first time on this issue the will of the majority or they may not, they have the strength of arms to say no, move the goal posts, fudge, decide that their consideration out weigh an electoral mandate in Ireland. It is not that far fetched and actually standard practice in the relationship between both countries so surely a possibility would you agree? The British state have a monopoly of force in this part of the world, they have a greater capacity to inflict violence than the southern state or any armed republican group. This has been a trump card for them and a major consideration in Irish politics from a nationalist and/or republican perspective on ‘The National Question’ in the 20th century and previously. I see no reason why it will not be a trump card in the 21st century. My contention is that it is naive to presume that future violence will play no part in the conclusion of the National question, either to suppress a democratic mandate or to assert it.
On these tokinistic actions in Derry, young men or women will most likely spend years locked up in oppressive conditions over it. Most likely aware of that before they done it. There is no self gain to be made out of these actions, it has to be viewed in a political context. It may be tactically foolish or unwise, unpopular, a waste of young dedicated people and legitimate to critique but to dismiss it as non political is disingenuous.
The British government has let it be known now for years that it has no interest in the North of Ireland other than howing to get rid of it without bloodshed.
i acknowledge they did state with the downing st declaration that they have no selfish economic or strategic interest in remaining in ireland, i am not sure what binds them to that in the event of a majority calling on them to withdraw if they should so decide otherwise.
Such lawlessness, it could only be the north.
As long as part of Ireland is invaded by a foreign country there will never be true peace.
have your say