BBC report that a currently un-named man has been arrested following another attempted arson attack on an Orange Hall in Portadown. Adds More details in this Newsletter report Update from the BBC report “The 24-year-old man is charged with burglary, attempted arson and criminal damage.” Update Named today as Gareth Breen, from Ballyoran Park, and remanded in custody.
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Nice to get a bit of good news (if the chap is guilty and gets convicted) around these sad attacks.
Good to get some real indication about what or who is behind this. Teenage drunks, adolescent vandals ready to be recruited by dissidents or is the republican movement fraying at the roots already?
SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly condemned the attempted arson attack which she said could have had tragic consequences.
That should put a stop to it then. Nothing works so well as a good telling-off from the SDLP.
hope he is not an ogra sinn fein member
hope he is.
Goodnews hope he gets a long sentence, it will be interesting to know if he belongs to any republican grouping
These attacks do deserve custodial sentences.
Great news. If this guy was involved, then let’s hope he gets sent down for a long time as a message to anyone else who fancies going in a hall-burning crusade.
Good to get some real indication about what or who is behind this. Teenage drunks, adolescent vandals ready to be recruited by dissidents or is the republican movement fraying at the roots already?
Posted by lib2016 on Feb 16, 2008 @ 12:59 PM
it seems to be Ogra that recruits these teenage drunks in the Newcastle area
“it seems to be Ogra that recruits these teenage drunks in the Newcastle area” Harry
the british army recruits these teenage drunks in places like liverpool and east london-and that costs the tax payer a lot more money.
Does anyone have a reference to arrests concerning attacks on GAA and Catholic facilities?
There was a story earlier this week (can’t find it online), but I think the Order had been complaining that a couple of people convicted of an Orange hall arson attack the previous week had been given a suspended sentence.
So don’t expect many people to serve time over these attacks, unless they’re a repeat offender – and the chances of them being caught in the first place are miniscule.
As you say, Gonzo, suspended sentences are typical for first offenders for most offences. But there was one attack recently where there were people in the hall at the time. In a case like that I wouldn’t expect the sentence to be suspended.
Presumably sentencing policy would come under the control of devolved justice department – if so would allow SF to show it’s colours on these matters and allow DUP to beef up weak sentencing.
“it seems to be Ogra that recruits these teenage drunks in the Newcastle area”
All political groups have trouble with their young activists and as long as no-one gets seriously hurt I wouldn’t worry too much about it, nor about those who will deliberately forget the beam in their own eye.
On the other hand Sinn Fein is the party with most appeal to our youth and by the same token has most responsibility for showing leadership to them. It would be good to see that leadership shown as publicly as possible.
I hear the arrested man is from the loyalist Brownstown estate.
Hate to disappoint some of you, but knowing this halls location in a very staunch, built-up loyalist area of Portadown, and the fact that it happened at 7.00pm, I doubt if the culprit came from the Tunnel or Garvaghy Road.
I just see that ‘Inside job’ seems to confirm my thoughts on that.
Let’s see if the court in Lisburn can shed any light on attacks on other halls around Portadown over the last while.
On the other hand Sinn Fein is the party with most appeal to our youth and by the same token has most responsibility for showing leadership to them. It would be good to see that leadership shown as publicly as possible.
Posted by lib2016 on Feb 16, 2008 @ 05:13 PM
dear dear. where was all the newry sf leaders when the cops were provoking the young people of derrybeg and carnagat in newry last week?
nowhere to be seen.
not even Mickey “frank gallagher” brady could make it to the area till saturday night, and then on a completely unrelated issue.
the young people in estates of newry know exactly what leadership sf offer to them… miss councillor pointing out to the cops who threw what stone and what number little johnny lives at.
‘hope he gets a long sentence,’
No chance.
If we deter such crimes there could be mass unemployment among the professional excuse-making classes of politicians, lawyers, career subversives, and social workers. Expect no local policing and justice powers soon.
To the “Laura Norder” brigade calling for stiff custodial sentences for the perpetrators without benefit of any knowledge I would say why not go the whole hog? Why not insist that they be burnt at the stake? That should be atavistically biblical enough to satisfy the most vengeful appetite.
Indications that those attacking these halls may include young people from predominantly loyalist estates might even be seen as heartening insofar as we may simply be dealing with the boredom of youth in a society from which they are increasingly alienated.
If we are not going to do anything to offer a place of hope and inclusion in society to large sections of our young people perhaps the least we
can do is be thankful that they have not begun to emulate their US trendsetters and, so far at least, seem to leave their guns at home when they go to school.
‘I hear the arrested man is from the loyalist Brownstown estate.’
Shit!!!
realist,
I’d wait for confirmation from a credible source.
it must be really galling that a malcontent not from the Catholic community has committed this….
but maybe the big bad whore of Babylon played apart in brainwashing this poor innocent deprived chap into doing this heinous crime!
If this turns out to be some random alcho who happens to live in a loyalist estate (and I am fairly sure the above claims is merely opportunistic water muddying by sectarian republican apologists), it’s clear it will be used by the same usual suspects on this site to claim there is no arson campaign against Orange Halls.
When there bloody obviously is.
Protestants are capable of hating the Orange Order too, you know. An important part of its activity is in discouraging young Bob Williamsons from marrying papishes called Bridget McGinn. As such it provokes resentment.
On the other hand, there are probably a lot of Jim Allister minded folk out there who wish to create a pretext for destroying the Coalition and aren’t going to get an electoral one. It’s been a long hard fight against democracy.
Against The Altar And The Throne Democrat May Prate,
But While I Am An Orangeman, I’ll Stand For Church And State.
Has anyone else noticed that most of these events take place in the countryside and that’s also where the aliens make circles in the field crops.
Coincidence? I think not.
harry:
dear dear. where was all the newry sf leaders when the cops were provoking the young people of derrybeg and carnagat in newry last week?
What do you mean, “provoking” ? Almost any time the word “provoke” is used in Northern Ireland, it is used to shift blame and responsibility for wrongdoing onto someone else.
“‘I hear the arrested man is from the loyalist Brownstown estate.’
Shit!!! “
I’m glad I made your day Mac…
well i mean sitting taunting the young people.
for example.. a number of police were heard shouting at young people
1 fenian bastards
2 you all need a bullet.
i know, i was shocked myself, as i thought we had new beginning to policing.
but doubt the young officers were under pressure or something and a class or two in public relations will no doubt straighted the whole thing out.
yeah
for example.. a number of police were heard shouting at young people
Has a complaint been raised with the Police Ombudsman ?
If the police were making a habit of doing that to me, I’d get a tape recorder and record it, and then send it to one of the big newspapers.
The RUC were world famous for that carry on for the entire period of their existence, especially post 1969. It was the behaviour of young female constables hanging out of landrovers and shouting sectarian obsenities at funerals which sickened me the most but that’s where we are coming from and in comparison to lots of their other behaviour the ‘sticks and stones’ saying applies.
Others objected when cops turned the dogs on crowds of women and children to open the way for Orange marches coming back through disputed areas. Similar behaviour is practised wherever the police allow themselves to be seen as one-sided, i.e. during the mining strikes in Britain. There’ll be no miracles but we’ll get over it together.
Things are getting better and they’ll keep doing so. Unionist politics are the politics of the begging bowl and there aren’t many places left for them to cry the poor mouth.
If the police were making a habit of doing that to me, I’d get a tape recorder and record it, and then send it to one of the big newspapers.
Posted by Comrade Stalin on Feb 17, 2008 @ 11:25 AM
Groovy!
Comrade would be easy to spot lugging his doubledeck tape combo to wherever the action is !! What about videoing the action on your mobile and sticking it on Youtube rather than bothering those broadsheet inkies !!
Get with it Grand-dad !! lol
Gareth Breen from Ballyoran Park
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7250935.stm
‘Hate to disappoint some of you, but knowing this halls location in a very staunch, built-up loyalist area of Portadown, and the fact that it happened at 7.00pm, I doubt if the culprit came from the Tunnel or Garvaghy Road.’
And yet that’s exactly where they came from…
Always nice when a troll ends up with egg on their face so comprehensively – quelle surprise indeed.
“Hate to disappoint some of you, but knowing this halls location in a very staunch, built-up loyalist area of Portadown, and the fact that it happened at 7.00pm, I doubt if the culprit came from the Tunnel or Garvaghy Road.’
And yet that’s exactly where they came from… ”
Does this mean that Twinbrook and Rory are the new MI5 for disinformation!
Innocent until proven guilty? And why no bail? Or have Catholics still no rights? Breen should be freed along with the CIRA, OIRA, RIRA and INLA POWs/crims
fof: “Innocent until proven guilty? And why no bail? Or have Catholics still no rights? Breen should be freed along with the CIRA, OIRA, RIRA and INLA POWs/crims ”
Ah, yes, the retreating goal-posts, once the initial claims / hopes have guttered into ash.
An attempt to take out of context the thread on your part, fof.
The posts your are seemingly desperately taking offense at arose in response to the Republican theory that the suspect was from one of the Loyalist estates in the area — a hope that has apparently gone by the way-side as additional facts were made available.