ffs,this takes the biscuit

[muppet]

This epitomises the tragic cost of blindly following ideology.

He wanted to fight his cause, but a family now has to deal with a pointless tragedy.

[Farrandeelin]

Its with great sadness that I must inform you all of the tragic death of FAIR member Ossy Bradley who just a few hours ago was drowned whilst performing a selfless act of citizenship in Bessbrook. Ossy who worked tirelessly for victims in the area attempted to remove two Irish Tricolours from an Island in the towns pond and replace them with Union Jacks. The two Irish Tricolours had been reported and indeed they should have been removed but were not. Regrettably Ossy was then forced into taking matters into his own hands and tragically died as a consequence. A great friend of Mrs Lemon (Kingsmills massacre) Ossy was all to aware of how much hurt these foreign flags were causing and the IRAs message that they were delivering to the local unionist community. I at this time call for funding to be given to the IRA victims of that area who have no support group, no one who could have taken up such matters and seen them resolved. Tragically we now see the death of a man due to republican intimidation and the governments attempted "silencing" of IRA victims. As we have always said the victims will not be going away and we will not tolerate republican intimidation. FOOTNOTE, this evening the council sent men over in canoes and removed the tricolors. Safe in the arms of Jesus.

Willy F

The sentence in bold...WHY?

[Clinker]

RIOTING and terror returned to the City of Belfast on Monday 28 September 1964. That evening a detachment of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, acting on the explicit instruction of Brian McConnell, Minister of Home Affairs, attacked the Divis Street headquarters of the Republican Party in West Belfast. Their mission was to remove an Irish tricolour.

This took place during a general election for the British House of Commons, an assembly in which the six Counties have twelve seats, besides having its own parliament of 52 members. The Republicans had nominated Liam McMillan to contest West Belfast; the other candidates in the constituency were Unionist, Republican Labour and Local Labour.

When McConnell, himself a Unionist, ordered the police to move against the Republican headquarters he was responding to pressure from Ian K. Paisley, leader of the Free Presbyterians. Paisley had threatened that if the RUC did not remove the tricolour he would lead a march of his followers to Divis Street and take it down himself.

For several days before this threat was uttered, the RUC and the Ministry of Home Affairs had been pestered by anonymous telephone callers, all complaining about the tricolour and demanding its removal. Anonymous callers had also warned the Republicans that their headquarters would be burned if they continued to display the Irish flag.

James Kilfedder, the. Unionist candidate in West Belfast, complained about the tricolour too, and sent this telegram to McConnell: "Remove tricolour in Divis Street which is aimed to provoke and insult loyalists of Belfast."

McConnell acted, even though Divis Street is in a part of Belfast where few of those people whom Kilfedder described as "loyalists" are to be seen. He held a conference of his senior police officers on Monday morning and ordered that the flag be removed. His authority to do this was the Flags and Emblems (Display) Act. At the same time, exercising the power given to him by the Public Order Act of 1961, he restricted a Paisleyite protest march to an area within the vicinity of the City Hall. This was a part of Belfast which the minister considered to be a safe distance from Divis Street.

Traffic was brought to a standstill on Monday night of 28 September when it became known that the RUC were coming to seize the flag. More than 2,000 Republican supporters blocked the roadway and scores of constables were rushed to the scene in armoured cars. The constables, though armed with sten-guns, rifles, revolvers, riot-batons and shields, were made to look ridiculous by groups of little boys who ran about with miniature tricolour emblems which they stuck on walls, trolley-buses, police-cars and the windows of the Republican headquarters.

The RUC, using pickaxes, smashed down the doors of the Republican headquarters and taken possession of the flag. They carried it away through a barrage of stones and empty bottles, and to the prolonged jeers of crowds of youngsters.

[stephenite]

Darwin award

[THE MIGHTY QUINN]

Folks I would urge caution in relation to any comments posted here about this incident. Knowing Willie and his mates, they would gladly use stuff like that to tarnish the GAA and indeed, perhaps, try to compare us with those Israelis, on the hills above Gaza, who are cheering the actions of the IDF.  Setting aside the absurdity of what happened, a man has lost his life and his loved ones are in mourning, let's not forget that

[Aaron Boone]

Very sad incident in Bessbrook.

[Zip Code]

Folks I would urge caution in relation to any comments posted here about this incident. Knowing Willie and his mates, they would gladly use stuff like that to tarnish the GAA and indeed, perhaps, try to compare us with those Israelis, on the hills above Gaza, who are cheering the actions of the IDF.  Setting aside the absurdity of what happened, a man has lost his life and his loved ones are in mourning, let's not forget that

So lets be intimidated by a bigoted wee bastard like Willie?

[theskull1]

No ... Just don't lower your comments to the levels he operates in. Is there a need to give the man substainance just at this sensitive time? Muppets last post is on the money without being offensive.

[haranguerer]

Its with great sadness that I must inform you all of the tragic death of FAIR member Ossy Bradley who just a few hours ago was drowned whilst performing a selfless act of citizenship in Bessbrook. Ossy who worked tirelessly for victims in the area attempted to remove two Irish Tricolours from an Island in the towns pond and replace them with Union Jacks. The two Irish Tricolours had been reported and indeed they should have been removed but were not. Regrettably Ossy was then forced into taking matters into his own hands and tragically died as a consequence. A great friend of Mrs Lemon (Kingsmills massacre) Ossy was all to aware of how much hurt these foreign flags were causing and the IRAs message that they were delivering to the local unionist community. I at this time call for funding to be given to the IRA victims of that area who have no support group, no one who could have taken up such matters and seen them resolved. Tragically we now see the death of a man due to republican intimidation and the governments attempted "silencing" of IRA victims. As we have always said the victims will not be going away and we will not tolerate republican intimidation. FOOTNOTE, this evening the council sent men over in canoes and removed the tricolors. Safe in the arms of Jesus.

Willy F

What a sc**bag Willie Frazer is - using this sad event for his own purposes in attempting to both stir up tensions, and get money. He is beneath contempt.

[NAG1]

Its with great sadness that I must inform you all of the tragic death of FAIR member Ossy Bradley who just a few hours ago was drowned whilst performing a selfless act of citizenship in Bessbrook. Ossy who worked tirelessly for victims in the area attempted to remove two Irish Tricolours from an Island in the towns pond and replace them with Union Jacks. The two Irish Tricolours had been reported and indeed they should have been removed but were not. Regrettably Ossy was then forced into taking matters into his own hands and tragically died as a consequence. A great friend of Mrs Lemon (Kingsmills massacre) Ossy was all to aware of how much hurt these foreign flags were causing and the IRAs message that they were delivering to the local unionist community. I at this time call for funding to be given to the IRA victims of that area who have no support group, no one who could have taken up such matters and seen them resolved. Tragically we now see the death of a man due to republican intimidation and the governments attempted "silencing" of IRA victims. As we have always said the victims will not be going away and we will not tolerate republican intimidation. FOOTNOTE, this evening the council sent men over in canoes and removed the tricolors. Safe in the arms of Jesus.

Willy F

What a sc**bag Willie Frazer is - using this sad event for his own purposes in attempting to both stir up tensions, and get money. He is beneath contempt.

Which is why it is best to leave him to his own devices. This incident speaks for itself on so many levels there is no need to comment further on it and give them anything else on a plate.

At the end of the day it is a human tragedy as well.

[Orior]

Ossy was all to aware of how much hurt these foreign flags were causing

Who's who?

[DennistheMenace]

Very sad, feel for his family.

[lynchbhoy]

so a member of a sectarian terrorist organisation 'fair' died from his own stupidity caused by his own hatred and desire to provoke nationalist Irish in the area as well as 'terrorise' by taking down the Tricolour and replacing it with union flag!
ludicrous.
I hope the grieving family are comforted in some way.
but thugs like this guy and frazier are no loss to society. Same goes for any on the nationalist side I might add - but most if not all of these have copped on by now.

[nrico2006]

Can the police take flags down?  Noticed in one of the main streets in Lurgan yesterday a few LVF flags are hanging about, if a tricolour can be removed then surely the LVF ones should be too.

[imtommygunn]

Did they not take some down on the ormeau road a while back(union jacks I think they were)?

There was a politician on about these tricolours and how they should be removed last week. It was either SDLP or Sinn Fein but I think it was the latter??