Garvaghy siege ends
On Wednesday 16 July, the twelfth day of the siege of the
Garvaghy estate in Portadown, the RUC and British troops moved
into the loyalist encampment at Drumcree to carry out a search
operation.
The fields surrounding the church were cleared of loyalists
during the operation and although ten Orangemen were allowed to
return that evening to continue their protest this action
signalled the end of Drumcree `98.
By Monday 19 July only a handful of Orangemen remained holed up
in Drumcree church hall led by Harold Gracey, who was refusing to
give interviews.
The crown forces uncovered Sten sub-machine guns, 9mm pistols,
ammunition, catapults, crossbows, crossbow bolts with explosive
tips, shotgun powder, fireworks, fuel for petrol bombs and a
number of blast bombs. All had been brought to the site despite
the heavy crown forces presence over the previous fortnight.
Over twenty people were arrested during the operation including
Pauline Gilmore of the extreme loyalist group, the Ulster Civil
Rights Association.
The hypocrisy of the Portadown Orange Order plummeted to a new
depth on Friday night 17 July, when they amassed two thousand
protesters in the centre of the town for an illegal rally to
intimidate nationalists, whilst also engaging in proximity talks
with the Garvaghy residents' group.
One of the gunmen who shot at the crown forces from Drumcree hill
during the standoff has been identified as a leading member of
the LVF and a placard found in a field adjacent to the Drumcree
church read: 18 on tour. This refers to the involvement of the
English neo-fascist gang, Combat 18.
They have previously attended Orange Order marchs in Portsmouth,
England and recently sent a postcard to an anti-fascist magazine
confirming that they would be coming to the Six Counties for the
loylaist marching season.
The presence of these groups, well acquainted with acts of
bigoted atrocity, and the formidable array of weaponry discovered
at Drumcree proves that many nationalists this week could well
have been conducting their own `traditional' march...... to the
cemetery.
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