LURGAN, SCONTRI NELLA NOTTE
Uomini mascherati e armati dietro agli scontri di Lurgan, avvenuti la scorsa notte
I disordini di ieri notte a Lurgan sono stati una probabile reazione alla condanna di Damien McKenna, 26 anni, Gary Toman, 24 anni e Sean McConville, 23 anni, sospettati di essere membri del Continuity IRA e coinvolti nella pianificazione di un attentato contro ufficiali di polizia per mezzo di un mortaio, trovato il 5 aprile 2007 a Cornakinnegar Road, Lurgan. Condanna a 15 anni di carcere.
Stando a quanto affermato da esponenti politici e dalla polizia, sulla scena dei disordini sono stati avvistati uomini mascherati e armati.
Sono state più di 5 le auto dirottate e date alla fiamme. Nessun lancio di molotov e fortunatamente nessun ferito.
Dolores Kelly, SDLP, ha confermato che si è trattata di un’azione altamente organizzata, ma la sua preoccupazione maggiore riguarda il coinvolgimento nei disordini di giovani ragazzi.
“Vorrei chiedere loro, e in particolari ai genitori, di riflettere su ciò che sta accadendo qui”.
“Non è possibile ottenere qualcosa di positivo per la comunità o per qualsiasi altra causa politica. Si può raggiungere solo distruzione, ferimenti se non peggio, e lo spreco di giovani vite.”
La polizia ha descritto le violenza come una ‘disgrazia assoluta’.
Jason Murphy, ispettore capo del PSNI, ha dichiarato: “Questo è stato chiaramente un tentativo di attirare i miei ufficiali in situazione che degenerasse in violenza e di provocare gravi disordini o lesioni.
“Le azioni di questi criminali non scoraggeranno i miei ufficiali al servizio della popolazione di Lurgan. Abbiamo avviato un’indagine in relazione alle violenze della scorsa notte, che si ripropone di raccogliere tutti gli elementi necessari a portare le persone coinvolte davanti alla giustizia”.
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Masked gunmen at Lurgan violence (U TV)
Masked gunmen were at the scene of disturbances in Lurgan on Thursday night, according to police and local politicians.
More than five vehicles were hijacked and set on fire in the Kilwilkie area.
Police say no petrol bombs were thrown and no-one was injured.
It happened just hours after three Lurgan men, who admitted their role in a dissident bomb plot, were jailed for a total of 45 years.
SDLP Upper Bann MLA Dolores Kelly said the violence was highly organised.
“The trouble was anticipated by both police and the community given the sentencing of three men for dissident crimes,” she said.
“It is very serious and highly organised, with stockpiling of petrol since yesterday, and we are getting reports of more hijackings and armed and masked men being seen in parts of the town.”
‘Absolute disgrace’
She added that her main concern was that young people were caught up in the rioting.
” I would ask them – and more particularly their parents – to reflect on what is happening here. Three young men are beginning long prison sentences to absolutely no purpose whatsoever,” she said.
“What they were up to was futile just as the rioting is futile. It can achieve nothing positive for the community or for any political cause. It can only achieve destruction and injury or worse, and the waste of young lives.”
Police have described the violence in Lurgan as an “absolute disgrace”.
Chief Inspector Jason Murphy said:
“This was clearly an attempt to draw my officers into the situation to escalate the violence and to cause serious disruption or injury.
“The actions of these criminals will not deter my officers from providing a service to the people of Lurgan. We have launched an investigation into last night’s disorder and will be seeking to gather all the evidence we can to bring those involved to justice.”
CI Murphy also said they received reports of masked gunmen in the area.
“Police received numerous reports of armed gunmen in the area last night and while there are no reports of any shots being fired this is not acceptable behaviour for our streets and robust action will be taken,” he said.
The PSNI thanked members of the community who reported incidents and encouraged them to continue helping them.
The Five Demands 