Police ignore pleas to axe 'IRA' website

[milmor_1]

Police ignore pleas to axe 'IRA' website
A controversial internet service is allegedly being allowed to continue for intelligence purposes, says Jim Cusack

BRITISH police have ignored pleas from families of the Omagh bomb victims asking that they request that a Canada-based internet company, Netfirms Inc, to stop hosting a website that supports the Real IRA.

Supporters of the Omagh victims believe that a decision has been made by either police or British security agencies to allow the site to continue so that they can monitor the Real IRA's internet activities.

The site continues to advocate the killing of police, and kneecappings and other forms of terrorism.

Two years ago, a posting on the website called for the murder of former Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble. In May 2006, Mr Trimble wrote to the British Home Secretary, the Northern Ireland Secretary and Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police in relation to the website. However, the site is still in operation.

Netfirms Inc wrote to Victor Barker, whose son James was one of the Omagh victims, saying that it would shut down the website if it received a request to do so from the British -- or any other -- police force. The fact that the website is still live has prompted the belief that a high-level decision was taken to allow the site to continue for surveillance purposes.

The site hosts a blog on which recent postings have urged the murder of police officers and punishment shootings.

Mr Barker wrote to the Metropolitan Police on several occasions, complaining about the material advocating violence on the site. However, as the site was administered by a man in Glasgow, via the Canadian server, the Met referred him to Strathclyde Police in Scotland.

Following a complaint to Strathclyde Police last year, the force wrote to Mr Baker saying that it had submitted a file to the Procurator Fiscal -- Scotland's equivalent of the Director of Public Prosecutions -- who had advised there was no evidence of a crime having been committed.

Strathclyde Police wrote to Mr Barker, saying: "It is the view of the Procurator Fiscal and the Police that the described content of the website is distasteful. However, in law what is offensive to one person is not necessarily offensive to another. I am clear that the circumstances related in your letter are distasteful to any 'reasonable person', but the discussions on the site cannot be said to be either tantamount to incitement to commit offences or an obvious breach of the peace (whether sectarian or otherwise)."

Mr Barker wrote again to Netfirms Inc of Toronto, pleading with them to stop hosting the 32 County Sovereignty site, which carries pictures of masked men in combat uniform firing rifles. The same site was used to agitate support for the riot at the Love Ulster rally in Dublin two years ago.

Mr Barker wrote: "It has long been accepted by the Government of the United Kingdom that the 32 County Movement and the Real IRA are inextricably linked.

"I find it disturbing to say the least that a website such as the above can be permitted to peddle its message of hatred without any criminal sanction from the police in Canada or the USA.

"The photographs of themselves glorify the use of arms and contain such extracts as: 'tell you what if the RIRA started posting their bullets again (which are presumedly in short supply) post them though the back of the Bastards' heads for F**K's sake'.

"A recent message on the site states (concerning a method of stopping joyriders in the area -- who steal cars and drive them recklessly for fun): 'break their two legs and they will not joyride for a long time' -- this is a thought process which cannot be tolerated in any liberal democracy."

In May 2006 in his letter to the London Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, Mr Trimble wrote: "If you look through it you will see that there are many clear incitements to violence . . . as well as the absolutely disgusting libellous statements referred to above. There is no doubt about the site's relationship with the Real IRA.

"I do not take the threat to myself particularly seriously, but I do think it is a grave mistake for the authorities to permit the continued operation of what is in effect a terrorist support group in this way.

"Whatever complacency there might be within mainland police forces about this sort of activity must surely have ended after last year's bombs in London and I do hope vigorous action will now be taken on this matter."

The Independent - Print Article

[Woodmonkey]

The site hosts a blog on which recent postings have urged the murder of police officers and punishment shootings.

Incitements to violence have nothing to do with free speech and democracy.

[Chrisj]

This is another of the sickening compromises the cowardly Blair government has pursued in its desperate big to maintain power sharing and the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. The IRA real or otherwise and its political arm Sinn Fein have been allowed to get away with murder by a supine British Government. The punishment beatings, knee capping's and extortion have been allowed to continue with the IRA showing its true colours, those of a criminal gang.

The Para's involved in Bloody Sunday have been humiliated in what is a show trial to keep Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein happy, even a Priest involved in the Bloody Sunday protest admitted seeing armed demonstrators but this hardly warranted any serious discussion. The IRA always liked to claim it was an army engaged in a war but when they were in the situation where bullets began to fly their way they soon called foul. The current British Government will allow any obscenity on Sinn Fein/IRA's part as long as they don't return to open violence.

[Woodmonkey]

Sounds like the government is not of the people, for the people and by the people.

[KBay84]

I don't in any way, shape or form support the IRA, but this is enlightening.

Bloody Sunday (1972 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Someone farq'd up in a large way, and the British government swept it under the carpet. At the very least, the officers in charge should have been relieved for cause.

Many observers allege that the Ministry of Defence acted in a way to impede the inquiry.[28] Over 1,000 army photographs and original army helicopter video footage were never made available. Additionally, guns used on the day by the soldiers that could have been evidence in the inquiry were lost by the MoD.[29][30] The MoD claimed that all the guns had been destroyed, but some were subsequently recovered in various locations (such as Sierra Leone, Beirut, and Little Rock, Arkansas) despite the obstruction.[31]

WTF???

Originally Posted by Chrisj

This is another of the sickening compromises the cowardly Blair government has pursued in its desperate big to maintain power sharing and the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. The IRA real or otherwise and its political arm Sinn Fein have been allowed to get away with murder by a supine British Government. The punishment beatings, knee capping's and extortion have been allowed to continue with the IRA showing its true colours, those of a criminal gang.

The Para's involved in Bloody Sunday have been humiliated in what is a show trial to keep Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein happy, even a Priest involved in the Bloody Sunday protest admitted seeing armed demonstrators but this hardly warranted any serious discussion. The IRA always liked to claim it was an army engaged in a war but when they were in the situation where bullets began to fly their way they soon called foul. The current British Government will allow any obscenity on Sinn Fein/IRA's part as long as they don't return to open violence.

[Chrisj]

There were mistakes made on the British side, like putting the Para's on the street to police a civil protest. The Para's aren't average soldiers they are picked and trained for their aggression and motivation, shoot at them they will sure as hell shoot back. A radio interview with one of the priests who was on the street that day had him admit to seeing a person he recognised as an IRA member carrying a gun, this was despite the fact Sinn Fein claimed there were no IRA guns on the streets that day. On many occasions when terrorists from both sides of the divide were shot by the security services, their guns were spirited away by a passing crowd. The Army was expected to endure nail and petrol bombs, stones and gun fire from a hostile population and were then castigated when they defended themselves. Petrol and nail bombs are designed to kill or injure and their users should expect retaliation.

Wikipedia is as much use as chocolate fire guard I could go back to the site and rewrite it to suit my own personal view. There is little in the way of peer review and literally any nut can have his say.

[milmor_1]

I have to agree with Chris here. Yes the decision to put the paras on the ground on bloody sunday was unwise, but then again the IRA took advantage of the occasion of the March.

A British Regiment on observation duties during the march were fired on (I believe it was the Royal Anglicans) and these shots were heard by the paras.

The IRA were and are a terrorist organisation, I never really believed the stories that the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA were breakaway groups. History has shown, that what the IRA considered to be illegal use of their weapons, was punishable by death.

Whenever there is an election here in Ireland and the politicians arrive on the doorstep,
the first question I ask the Sinn Fein people is what is your position on the realease of the POW's. They immediately start spouting statements about how the POW's (their words for terrorists in prison) should be released immediately. I stop them and say they have misunderstood me, and that I am asking when they will release their POW's, and then I hit them with the punch line.....
Oh thats right you didnt take people prisoner and treat them as POW's you executed them!!!. this normally shuts them up.

The IRA never once (despite them screaming about shoot to kill policies) took a british soldier or a policeman prisoner and released them. They are murderers and terrorists, I have seen the tragic results of their prisoner policy up close.

They cry out about Bloody Sunday,

What about the Rememberance Day Bombing in Enniskillen or the Le Man Hotel Bombing
and all their other attrocities.

This web site should be shut down immediatly, and governments will have to stop pandering to the IRA or whatever they wish to call themselves these day.

The British Government and armed forces should NOT be the only ones under the miscroscope, the leaders of the IRA and all the other terrorists should also be under scrutiny.

British Soldiers and the RUC and UDR worked under extremely difficult conditions, and for the main upheld the best standards and traditions of their organisations. I say for the main because, yes there was mistakes, but they were NOT the norm. Whereas the IRA were a terrorist organisation out to fight a war of terror and NO in between.