There will be no second attempt to hold a loyalist march on O'Connell Street
in Dublin, the Sunday Tribune has learned.
Contrary to reports yesterday that Families Acting for Innocent Relatives
(FAIR) is keen to march down O'Connell Street as soon as possible, sources
close to the organisers of last week's parade say rescheduling the event
would serve no purpose.
"The organisers didn't want to publicly say that because it would look like
republicans had won," the source said.
"But going back to Dublin would be irresponsible. It would put tremendous
pressure on the garda and there would be no guarantee the march would get
down O'Connell Street on the second attempt.
"Good, law-abiding people travelled to Dublin last weekend but there are
troublemakers who want to go down now – goodness knows what would happen."
FAIR spokesman, Willie Frazer, said he had received dozens of phone calls
and emails from the Republic, three-quarters of which were supportive.
"A lot of Southerners are apologetic. They've no reason to apologise. It was
only a minority caused the trouble," he said.
Meanwhile, a senior Ulster Unionist is opposing a Garda recruitment drive in
the North, despite the injuries officers suffered while protecting loyalists
last weekend.
Assembly member, Michael McGimpsey, said the force shouldn't have been at a
recruitment fair in Belfast's Waterfront Hall on Thursday and certainly
shouldn't be invited back. It was the first time gardai took part in the
event.
McGimpsey said: "It's totally unprecedented for a foreign police force to
enter another country and poach its citizens. The British Army don't
recruit in the Republic. It's tramping all over respect for our separate
jurisdictions as laid out in the Belfast Agreement."
McGimpsey acknowledged gardai had protected loyalists in Dublin: "They
protected me when I attended anti-IRA rallies down there too. I've no
problem with the garda corporately or individually. This is the Irish
government pushing them in a political direction."
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who praised gardai last weekend, declined to
comment. However, Willie Frazer, welcomed the garda: "I hope young
Protestants join in droves.
"We must embrace new thinking. Northern Ireland has an Englishman as chief
constable, and MI5 – more Englishmen – run our intelligence war. So if
local people join the gards, that's great.
"They'll be serving in the South, not the North. It'll drive republicans
mad. They'll be always looking over their shoulder."
