Irish Republican News · January 25, 2010

Gun attack in south Armagh

Crossmaglen PSNI base in south Armagh was last night targeted in a gun attack for the second time in less than a month. At about 9.30pm a car pulled up at the gates, two people fired shots at the station and fled. There were no injuries.

The earlier attack happened on December 30, when there were also no injuries.

The SDLP representative for the area, Dominic Bradley, said the people who carried out the attack were taking advantage of current political instability.

“The longer there is a vacuum the more the opportunity they believe they have to exert their influence,” said Mr Bradley.

“I believe the only answer to that is to show that the political institutions are working, that isn’t the case at the moment and that vacuum is priding these people with an opportunity.”

“We need results from the present talks; we need the powers of policing and justice to be transferred to Northern Ireland.”

CIRA PROTEST

Republican Sinn Fein is to hold a picket outside Portlaoise prison in the Irish midlands on Saturday in protest against the conditions in the jail and in support of the demand of the Continuity IRA prisoners in the jail to be housed on a landing on their own.

The party has described the denial of a separate landing for the CIRA POWs in Portlaoise prison as part of a policy to “criminalise the continued Irish Republican resistance” to British rule in Ireland.

“Since 1917, 22 Irish Republicans have died in defence of their right to political status,” a party spokesperson said.

“In the 1940s the Republican Prisoners in Portlaoise were among the first Blanketmen in opposition to criminalisation. In the 1970s Republican prisoners endured a 47-day hunger strike.

“The Republican prisoners in Portlaoise today are defending the same right to political status because they are part of the same struggle.

“The CIRA prisoners demand their right to a separate landing. The CIRA PoWs’ demand is simple they want to continue to be treated as political prisoners - as other groups in the jail are.”

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