Dublin councillors are set to vote on a motion against an organized march by unionist group Love Ulster, which is currently set for March in Dublin’s city center.
Founded by County Armagh Protestant group “Families Acting for Innocent Relatives” (FAIR) and headed by headed by Willie Frazer, Love Ulster campaigns for justice for unionist victims of IRA violence during the Troubles.
The march is to feature drums, flags and pageantry similar to that of Orange Order marches in Northern Ireland.
The previous Love Ulster march in 2006 in Dublin is infamous for turning into a violent riot that left the city with a nearly $60,000 bill in repairs, fourteen people in the hospital and 41 arrested.
Dissident Republicans had gathered to protest the march while Love Ulster was preparing to start; it turned violent when protesters began to clash with Gardai (police officers).
Dublin shops were looted, concrete slabs were used as weapons, fires were set and more, leaving 14 in the hospital and others less severely wounded.
Willie Frazer has released a public statement saying that Love Ulster will march through Dublin this coming March regardless of opposition.
“Be under no illusion – we’re coming to Dublin,” he said. “We’re coming down to demand justice, and justice we will get, sooner or later, one way or another.”
“We don’t care what the dissidents are going to do. They’re a bunch of eejits, a bunch of dangerous, dangerous psychopaths that need to be dealt with, and I believe the guards will deal with them this time if they appear.”
Several calls have been made for the march to be canceled, however.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Jim O’Callaghan has tabled a motion expressing opposition to the event – he said it is too much of a threat, and that the previous riots damaged the city’s reputation.
He says the city has limited power to stop the risky march from going forth, and that ideally Frazer would cancel it.
“It’s quite simple – the Irish Government must address the issue of justice and the genocide carried out in the border area, and we don’t need to go near Dublin,” Frazer said.
“But they think that we’re fools and we’re going to sit back and take this. But we’re not politicians, and we’re certainly not fools, and we’re certainly not going to take it from the Irish Government.”
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