Belfast Students

[Lecale2]

Does he think the resident magistrate doesn't read the papers? They'll throw the book at him.

[Maguire01]

Irish News-What an idiot putting his finger up at the camera after coming out of court yesterday... foolish move

Student?

Not sure but reports say all but one charged are students but the gesture reflects badly on him

Photo here:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/five-charged-over-street-violence-in-university-area-14232706.html
What a stupid thing to do.
Also, do people not get 'dressed up' for a court appearance anymore? A GAA top and a St.Patrick's day T-Shirt? Hardly the way to impress a judge!

Very much doubt he was afforded the chance to go home and change 

Yep, you're probably right. Didn't think of that.

I see the St. Patricks Day T-Shirt says 'I spent St.Patrick's Day 2009 at the Hatfield'! Well half of it anway.

[stiffler]

Irish News-What an idiot putting his finger up at the camera after coming out of court yesterday... foolish move

Student?

Not sure but reports say all but one charged are students but the gesture reflects badly on him

Photo here:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/five-charged-over-street-violence-in-university-area-14232706.html
What a stupid thing to do.
Also, do people not get 'dressed up' for a court appearance anymore? A GAA top and a St.Patrick's day T-Shirt? Hardly the way to impress a judge!

Very much doubt he was afforded the chance to go home and change 

Yep, you're probably right. Didn't think of that.

I see the St. Patricks Day T-Shirt says 'I spent St.Patrick's Day 2009 at the Hatfield'! Well half of it anway.

It says on the back I spent st patricks night 2009 in the slammer!

[ardmhachaabu]

TYP, I know where you are coming from but I think you are way off on this one.  My wife and I have friends in the area with a young baby - the scumbags (whether students or locals, I don't care which) have been at this carry-on on St Paddy's Day for a number of years till all hours of the night.  If the PSNI had dealt with them properly, I would have applauded them.  Coppers in riot gear doing nothing but standing there letting people throw stuff at them is bullshit though.

Not defending anyone but what's has having a young baby got to do with this whole thing? Are these scumbags, as you call them, going around and sacrificing the first born of everyone.

I take it he is alluding to the fact that if you have a young baby the last thing you want is a pile of go*shites wrecking and smashing at all hours.

You got it in one Minder.

[qub la la la]

TYP, I know where you are coming from but I think you are way off on this one.  My wife and I have friends in the area with a young baby - the scumbags (whether students or locals, I don't care which) have been at this carry-on on St Paddy's Day for a number of years till all hours of the night.  If the PSNI had dealt with them properly, I would have applauded them.  Coppers in riot gear doing nothing but standing there letting people throw stuff at them is bullshit though.

Not defending anyone but what's has having a young baby got to do with this whole thing? Are these scumbags, as you call them, going around and sacrificing the first born of everyone.

I take it he is alluding to the fact that if you have a young baby the last thing you want is a pile of go*shites wrecking and smashing at all hours.

You got it in one Minder.

anyone moving into the holylands with a young family need their heads examined. no excuse for all that wrecking about all the same, i'd say the courts will produce heavy fines and i'd say any students caught involved in serious anti-social behaviour will be made an example of and kicked out.

[charlie stubbs]

Firstly to compare this incident with what happened in Lurgan is simply ridiculous. On the one hand you had a few children playing a being bigshots and in the Holyland you had young adults who should have know a lot better behaving like children. Both may have been fuelled by too much alcohol. In both incidents the PSNI acted in a proportionate way so as to ensure the situations were contained and didn't escalate.

Yeah, a few children with petrol bombs & a few young adults with bottles
I know which is worse


The second part of your statement seems like you are a spokesman for the cops?
Are you?

Well there were more people injured by the young adults with bottles in three hours than were injured by the children in Lurgan over three days.

What because I refuse to defend the behaviour of drunken students, I'm accused of being a spokesman for the PSNI? No I'm not a spokesman for the PSNI but will I not defend the actions of students who are a disgrace to themselves and their families nor will I defend the university authorities who are happy to take the money from these students and then abandon them to the Holylands ghetto.

when did the universities start deciding where students live??

[Maguire01]

when did the universities start deciding where students live??

I suppose by having inadequate provision of on-campus accommodation, they've helped create the current situation. They're not solely to blame by a long shot, but they're not blameless either.

[charlie stubbs]

The universities will probably make an example of a few people, then go back to paying lip service. In anycase I think its unfair the amount of pressure on the universities, they didn't create the student ghetto.

As for the assault charge I know that technically it is assault, but I was a bit shocked that out of the 20 or so arrested and of the 5 that had charges pressed this was what it was for, compared to what else went on

I'll be very surprised if the universities 'make an example' of them by expelling anyone as at the end of the day they have a pastoral responsibility for these students and will realise that it's not fair to chuck them out for behaviour that goes on every night of the week by hundreds of other students. As I mentioned earlier, for too long the university authorities have ignored what students get up to after 5pm and as such are responsible for allowing students to think this kind of behaviour is acceptable.

you would be half shot by that time donagh causing an "assault" singing a stupid aul song!

[charlie stubbs]

1.   The PSNI were able to contain the rowdy element so that they weren't able to cause trouble and bother anywhere else. So what if they got frustrated, the locals have been frustrated with them for years.

Nonsense. Trouble escalated after they sealed the street off. Totally avoidable and unnecessary. Revellers were told to get into the nearest house or face being arrested. Dispersing the crowd would make much more sense, and many students drawn to Carmel by what went on wanted to the leave the area anyway. I can't help thinking the PSNI got what they wanted on Tuesday, they said beforehand they were going to be 'robust' and with their actions got they got the conditions in which they could act in such a way. It doesn't take a genius to figure how several hundred students are going to react when locked up on a street.

disagree i walked down carmel 4 a nosey sober and there was sum right wee wankers down it.  i like the drink and craic as much as anyone else but u would need catch yourself on if u think the cops where to blame.  of what i saw they where quiet lenient there was a fire in the middle of the road peope where coming in and adding to it stayed back and did nothing.  saw the two boys in the irish news that where trying wreck the landrover they not so chirpy now i would bet.  another ladthat was of the "carmel 4" was few years younger than me at school.  got my bus havent ever heard him speak.  proves when the drink in the wits out

[ardmhachaabu]

TYP, I know where you are coming from but I think you are way off on this one.  My wife and I have friends in the area with a young baby - the scumbags (whether students or locals, I don't care which) have been at this carry-on on St Paddy's Day for a number of years till all hours of the night.  If the PSNI had dealt with them properly, I would have applauded them.  Coppers in riot gear doing nothing but standing there letting people throw stuff at them is bullshit though.

Not defending anyone but what's has having a young baby got to do with this whole thing? Are these scumbags, as you call them, going around and sacrificing the first born of everyone.

I take it he is alluding to the fact that if you have a young baby the last thing you want is a pile of go*shites wrecking and smashing at all hours.

You got it in one Minder.

anyone moving into the holylands with a young family need their heads examined. no excuse for all that wrecking about all the same, i'd say the courts will produce heavy fines and i'd say any students caught involved in serious anti-social behaviour will be made an example of and kicked out.

Oh right, well they have only lived there for 20 years 

I hope those arrested get lengthy sentences.  I only wish the PSNI had knocked seven shades of shit out of them and their mates when it was going on though

[charlie stubbs]

The universities will probably make an example of a few people, then go back to paying lip service. In anycase I think its unfair the amount of pressure on the universities, they didn't create the student ghetto.

As for the assault charge I know that technically it is assault, but I was a bit shocked that out of the 20 or so arrested and of the 5 that had charges pressed this was what it was for, compared to what else went on

I'll be very surprised if the universities 'make an example' of them by expelling anyone as at the end of the day they have a pastoral responsibility for these students and will realise that it's not fair to chuck them out for behaviour that goes on every night of the week by hundreds of other students. As I mentioned earlier, for too long the university authorities have ignored what students get up to after 5pm and as such are responsible for allowing students to think this kind of behaviour is acceptable.

That seemed to be the impression they were giving last night on BBC/UTV. Queens & UUJ obviously have to shoulder some blame but what other universities can you think of that are in a similar situation? From my experience they are doing all they can to eradicate anti-social behaviour, in my first year we got one complaint after a party one night and straight away were summoned for a disciplinary meeting by both QUB & UUJ. I think the police and City Council have as much responsibility if not more. The threat of sanctions from the unis isn't enough to stop students; more hi-vis police patrols, CCTV and more of these wardens I've been hearing so much about (haven't seen any so far this year) would be a start.

would agree cctv would help stop some of the trouble.  im not just talking about the big days eg freshers week paddys day im talking about wankers kicking and wrecking cars/houses on your average wed night.  

[qub la la la]

TYP, I know where you are coming from but I think you are way off on this one.  My wife and I have friends in the area with a young baby - the scumbags (whether students or locals, I don't care which) have been at this carry-on on St Paddy's Day for a number of years till all hours of the night.  If the PSNI had dealt with them properly, I would have applauded them.  Coppers in riot gear doing nothing but standing there letting people throw stuff at them is bullshit though.

Not defending anyone but what's has having a young baby got to do with this whole thing? Are these scumbags, as you call them, going around and sacrificing the first born of everyone.

I take it he is alluding to the fact that if you have a young baby the last thing you want is a pile of go*shites wrecking and smashing at all hours.

You got it in one Minder.

anyone moving into the holylands with a young family need their heads examined. no excuse for all that wrecking about all the same, i'd say the courts will produce heavy fines and i'd say any students caught involved in serious anti-social behaviour will be made an example of and kicked out.

Oh right, well they have only lived there for 20 years 

I hope those arrested get lengthy sentences.  I only wish the PSNI had knocked seven shades of shit out of them and their mates when it was going on though

if they have lived there 20 years and only now hav a young baby, i imagine they've been students and got together and for the love of the holylands decided to stay on. if the PSNI has knocked 7 shades of shite outta them there would some crying and yapping about police brutality. wise up.

[ardmhachaabu]

TYP, I know where you are coming from but I think you are way off on this one.  My wife and I have friends in the area with a young baby - the scumbags (whether students or locals, I don't care which) have been at this carry-on on St Paddy's Day for a number of years till all hours of the night.  If the PSNI had dealt with them properly, I would have applauded them.  Coppers in riot gear doing nothing but standing there letting people throw stuff at them is bullshit though.

Not defending anyone but what's has having a young baby got to do with this whole thing? Are these scumbags, as you call them, going around and sacrificing the first born of everyone.

I take it he is alluding to the fact that if you have a young baby the last thing you want is a pile of go*shites wrecking and smashing at all hours.

You got it in one Minder.

anyone moving into the holylands with a young family need their heads examined. no excuse for all that wrecking about all the same, i'd say the courts will produce heavy fines and i'd say any students caught involved in serious anti-social behaviour will be made an example of and kicked out.

Oh right, well they have only lived there for 20 years 

I hope those arrested get lengthy sentences.  I only wish the PSNI had knocked seven shades of shit out of them and their mates when it was going on though

if they have lived there 20 years and only now hav a young baby, i imagine they've been students and got together and for the love of the holylands decided to stay on. if the PSNI has knocked 7 shades of shite outta them there would some crying and yapping about police brutality. wise up.

Quite frankly, it's none of your business why they are there or anything else.  The fact of the matter is that they are regularly disturbed by the sort of scumbags we saw on the TV on Paddy's night.

Oh and I wouldn't have been crying or yapping about police brutality, I would applaud it. 

[pintsofguinness]

We should restore the ancient Irish tradition of fostering. Youngsters should be given a manners test at the age of six and those who fail should be taken from their parents, large numbers of whom don't seem to have the haziest idea of how to bring up their kids with a sense of respect and duty and fostered out to families in continental Europe who seem to have it cracked for the most part. Judging by the normal behaviour I observe in continental youngsters (you know - basics like good manners, respect, interest in society, willingness to participate and contribute) that would greatly diminish the likelihood of raising a cohort of unsocialised bowsies (of both sexes) who seem comfortable with behaving like animals.

When did you last see or hear of third level students in France, Spain or Italy having to be corralled by police because they haven't yet learned the basics of civilised behaviour or the minimal skills of living in and contributing to a community?

Oh - and raise the legal drinking age to 25, at least until the incidence of anti-social and feral behaviour among 18-25 year-olds begins to approach the levels that are normal in the rest of the civilised world.

Great idea.


I dont see how universities can be blamed, I dont see why they are responsible.  Universities should not have to babysit young (supposedly educated) men and women at 18+ years of age. 

[stiffler]

Maybe queens should take the inititative and organise open air concert on st paddys day ?(with security provided)
better the devil you know.