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Six men appear in court over Irish dissident republican parade Police attacked during dissident republican parade in Derry
(about 1 hour later)
Six members of a masked colour party at an Irish dissident republican parade have appeared in court in Northern Ireland in connection with the illegal demonstration. Police in Northern Ireland have been attacked with petrol bombs and other missiles after they tried to stop an illegal dissident Irish republican parade.
The men were arrested on Saturday at a Republican Sinn Féin rally to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising. It is the oldest hardline faction opposed to the peace strategy of Sinn Féin and is aligned to the Continuity IRA. Gangs of youths threw Molotov cocktails, stones, bricks and bottles at police vehicles as the march by the Derry 1916 Committee got under way.
At Lisburn courthouse on Monday, the six faced charges including taking part in the un-notified procession in Lurgan, County Armagh. They are also charged with wearing clothing and having articles as supporters of a proscribed, banned organisation. The trouble centred on the Creggan district of Derry, where a march to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising was led by masked men in paramilitary uniforms.
There was a large police presence in the court as a detective told the judge he could connect all of the men to the charges. The Police Service of Northern Ireland attempted to intervene in the demonstration, as it did on Holy Saturday when six men were arrested at another illegal republican parade, in Lurgan.
The accused are Eamon Green of Belfast, Martin Conlon of Lurgan, Emmet Donnan of Belfast, Matthew O’Donnell of Derry, Gary Doherty of Lurgan and Christopher Hamill, who faces three additional charges of assaulting police. Trouble also broke out at a cemetery in Derry, where PSNI Land Rovers were pelted with missiles and petrol bombs. There are no reports of anyone being hurt in the violence.
Their supporters packed into the court and clapped and cheered after the men were granted bail. The Derry 1916 Committee had refused to notify the Parades Commission about the planned parade.
The case will be heard again later this month at Craigavon courthouse. Earlier on Monday the six arrested at Saturday’s parade appeared in court in Lisburn.
Meanwhile, there was tension in Derry on Monday afternoon with a second illegal dissident republican parade about to take place. That demonstration was organised by Republican Sinn Féin, a hardline Sinn Féin faction that is aligned with the Continuity IRA.
The Derry 1916 Committee is marching through the Creggan area of the city. Like Republican Sinn Féin on Saturday, the committee refused to apply for permission to march from the Northern Ireland Parades Commission. The six faced charges including taking part in an illegal procession and wearing clothing and having articles as supporters of a banned organisation.
Republican Sinn Féin claimed its marches were attacked by the Police Service of Northern Ireland on Saturday as the force went in to break up the rally. The six were granted bail and the case will be heard again later this month at Craigavon court.
The 1916 Committee said ahead of the parade that it “will not be broken” by any similar PSNI security operation. Derry
“We have been told that Creggan will be swamped with the crown forces and the march will not be allowed to take place,” a spokesman said.
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Sinn Féin
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