The 12th July has come and gone and once again the people of Ardoyne are placed under siege in their own community by the British police.
Local residents group GARC held a civil rights march and ironically were blocked from marching on Ardoynes Crumlin Rd.
Hundreds upon hundreds of people took part in GARC's civil rights march, this seems to have people in some quarters worried as it was previously claimed that GARC had no support. Indeed following the GARC march these same people claimed that only 100 people took part in GARC's march. I have posted the video below that rubbishes that claim.
In the run up to the 12th the usual suspects engaged in the usual felon setting. Claiming that GARC were hell bent on causing trouble. Yet GARC had called for trouble makers to stay away.
On another related issue, Gerry Kelly MLA asserts that he nor S/F had NO prior knowledge or influence of the RUC/PSNI operation to hem in and seal off Ardoyne from the Crumlin Road and Mountainview areas.
A number of Mountainview residents have informed GARC that they witnessed Mr. Kelly being informed by fellow S/F members that the GARC march had just commenced on the Berwick Road @ 7pm. He was also informed about the sequence of GARC's substantial march by two so-called 'Independant Observers' who shadowed GARC's parade for Civil Rights. These two Observers; were New Lodge SF member, John Loughran and Stormont Candidate, J.J. Magee. Gerry then immediately walked across the top of Estorial Park and spoke at length to a senior PSNI woman. The same woman was then heard to issue an order over the radio to her riot-clad members to immediately seal off Estorial and Brompton Parks quickly followed by two water cannons and a number of RUC Land Rovers! As well as, the Ardoyne Road shop roofs....
Within three minutes of arriving in Estorial Pk, the rebranded RUC attacked local people who had been waiting for the arrival of the GARC march. They beat them into Balhome Drive and proceeded to fire around a dozen Plastic Bullets and also deployed the Water Cannon on unsuspecting residents. These facts have been confirmed by the Parish Priest, Fr. Gary, Alban McGuinnes MLA and by the countless Journalists at the scene.
Finally the civil rights march got underway with anything between 800-1,000 people winding their way through the narrow Ardoyne streets. Unable to march any further due to the massive "security operation" they were then addressed by GARC spokesperson Dee Fennell (i'll post his speech shortly).
After the GARC march had dispersed there then ensued some serious rioting. This rioting came about as the result of Ardoyne residents being denied the right to walk on their own streets and also because of the PSNI forcing an Orange march through the area by hemming in residents and shooting them with plastic bullets and water cannons.
The Ardoyne residents and everyone who came to support them are to be commended for demanding civil rights.
Here's a video of the large crowds marching for civil rights ( some claimed only 100 were in attendence, i'll let you make your own minds up)
From what i can see it looks like former comrades have lost their grip on the republican stronghold of Ardoyne, much the same as they lost their grip on certain republican strongholds in Newry.
No doubt they will slabber about election results and mandates the same way as the stoops before them did. But they know fine well that grassroots on the ground is worth more than any amount of votes
We are on the rise
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