Gerry Adams home attacked with 'explosive device'

[Recursion]

Source: The Guardian

Explosive devices were thrown at the homes of prominent republican figures in Northern Ireland, including the former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, on Friday night, the party has said.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed on Friday it was dealing with two incidents at two addresses in west Belfast, though officers declined to give any further details.

The attack on Adams’s home – and another on that of Bobby Storey, who has served as the party’s northern chairman – were condemned as by Gerry Kelly, Sinn Féin’s policing and justice spokesman.

“I would appeal for calm. These attacks are the desperate acts of increasingly desperate and irrelevant groups,” he said in a statement released late on Friday night.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/14/gerry-adams-home-attacked-explosive-device-sinn-fein-northern-ireland

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THIS IS FUCKING TERRIFYING to those of us who remember the Troubles.

[hlthe2b]

1. Indeed it is... I hardly know what to say...

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Sounds like someone's still "celebrating" the "Glorious Twellfth".

I hate to see this starting up again.

[SkyDaddy7]

3. Please excuse my ignorance...

Would it be correct in saying the BREXIT vote & ongoing negotiations are either directly or indirectly stirring up problems?

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. That I don't know.

But July 12th is the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, which is always celebrated in a big way by Northern Ireland's Protestants. Northern Ireland voted against Brexit. I also don't understand anyone would target Gerry Adams over Brexit.

[SkyDaddy7]

11. Thanks...

The reason I asked is a while back I remember reading a couple different articles that specifically mentioned the worry some had after the Brexit vote & how the negotiations went might stir things back up. Regardless, I sure hope cooler heads prevail.

Thanks getting back to me.

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. That's just my gut feeling and, of course, I could be wrong.

But the timing of the attacks seems important in this case. I really hope that the troubles aren't starting up again. No one needs that.

[SkyDaddy7]

16. I know...

There is enough chaos going on right now to have that blow back up would be catastrophic! We all know MONSTERS THRIVE IN CHAOS!

[greatauntoftriplets]

17. At least drumpf hasn't put his oar in this news story.

I hope that drumpf stays out of Ireland -- North and South. They don't like him either.

[LeftishBrit]

18. They are a problem; but probably not related to the current incident

The (in)'Glorious Twelfth' often results in violence; and the stalemate over politics and power-sharing in NI at the moment (the NI government collapsed over a year ago, and negotiations to rebuild it are not showing much progress) is probably not helping.

But certainly Brexit could lead to a return of the Troubles.

[SkyDaddy7]

21. Thank-you!

I just remember mostly as a child growing up always hearing about the conflict on the news & of course not understanding it. Then as an adult I try to understand more about it & then thankfully it “ended”. I sure hope cooler heads prevail.

[SkyDaddy7]

22. Also...

Like I said before “Please excuse my ignorance” I honestly don’t want to say something or ask a question that may come off the wrong way...I admit when it comes to this I’m a dumb American!😳
Wasn’t there Americans even elected officials like Republican Congressman Peter King (I think) who made things worse or perhaps doing stuff that led to more violence? Or is that not correct?

[LeftishBrit]

26. Yes. There were certainly American politicans, who helped to fund the IRA

It always infuriates me when Peter King sounds off about Muslims supposedly supporting terrorism, when he supported it himself.

There were of course terrorists on the other side - the Protestant 'paramilitaries'. The DUP, who are now propping up our minority government, had some links with them.

[Lib4lif3]

5. I am headed to Ireland soon.

I don’t remember much about all that but I found it odd that my credit card would cover a rental car in any country on earth, other than three, one of which is Northern Ireland.

[jpak]

6. Russians

yup

[Lib4lif3]

7. How so?

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

8. Well, you know you do have to ask whose interests are served and who has a pattern of fomenting

discord in recent years w/ ultimate goal of breaking up EU and US-EU alliance.

They would not be the sole instigator of course- just exploiting longstanding existing hostilities.

Who knows - I haven't read anything yet to support this, but one's mind cant help but go there.

[Lib4lif3]

10. True. Anything to divide and conquer.

[Recursion]

15. Sure, but there's all kinds of people who want GFA to fail

A little closer to home, a return of the troubles gives the Hard Brexit people an argument for establishing a full border between NI and RoI

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

20. Yep very true, but one does not preclude the other nt

[jpak]

9. Trump

yup

[Devil Child]

13. Russians?

I know Russians are the current one-size-fits all bogeymen but this was more like some pissed of IRA "friends" of Mr. Adams. Shame the bomb didn't send Gerry Adams off to meet his maker.

[Recursion]

14. Or DUP thugs

Plenty of blame to go around here

[LanternWaste]

23. I think it's cute how you minimize Moscow's actions to a mere "one-size-fits all bogeymen."

While yet placing the same generic blame on your own "one-size-fits all bogeymen."

[Devil Child]

24. Always happy to be cute

I'm just of the opinion that my "one-size-fits all bogey men" aka possible IRA members/Irish factions with a grudge against Adams is probably more responsible than the generic Russian "one-size-fits all bogeymen." If you want to blame Russians by all means go for it but I'll hold off until there is some supportive evidence suggesting their involvement.

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. It's Sinn Fein who think it was dissident republicans

and they suggested that on the day, too. Here's a more recent report:

SINN FÉIN PRESIDENT Mary Lou McDonald has hit out at those who carried out attacks on the homes of prominent Sinn Fein figures, Gerry Adams and Bobby Storey, saying they have no right to call themselves republicans.

Speaking at a rally in west Belfast this evening, McDonald laid the blame for the attacks at the feet of dissident republicans.

“Unlike the cowards who attacked their family homes, Gerry and Bobby are genuine Republicans and have stood firm against those who would attempt to drag us back to the failures of the past,” McDonald said.

And let me be absolutely clear here today, the people who launched these attacks are enemies of our community. They are enemies of peace. They are against their own people and against their own community.

...
The Dublin Central TD also called for an end to the violence that has flared in Northern Ireland in recent weeks.

The sectarian attacks that we have seen in recent days were disgraceful. Those involved have no right to claim to be Irish republicans because, in their sectarianism and their anti-social activities they are the very opposite of republicanism.

http://www.thejournal.ie/gerry-adams-rally-belfast-4131434-Jul2018/

[LeftishBrit]

19. I honestly doubt it

Godfather Putin and his gang have a lot of 'interests', but I don't think they have ever been obsessed with Northern Ireland.