British warplanes ‘in Irish skies’

The socialist republican party eirigi has voiced their concerns following a recent “training mission” conducted by the British Forces of occupation.

On Tuesday an RAF Hercules warplane was spotted taking part in low-flying manoeuvres over several areas of county Down including Newry and Warrenpoint. This type of aircraft is used primarily for transporting British troops, equipment and vehicles.

eirigi’s Newry representative Stephen Murney said: “Here we have yet another example of the British military using this part of Ireland as a training ground to hone their skills for use in their imperialist exploits in other parts of the world.

“We also currently have the Special Reconnaissance Regiment [SRR] operating in the Six Counties, a regiment who would be regularly trained in deployment from low-level aircraft - exactly the type of manoeuvres which took place over county Down.The fact that this sinister regiment has close links to the SAS should not be lost upon the Irish people. Neither should the fact that the SRR was partially-formed from the 14th Intelligence Company which was responsible for controlling unionist death squads.

“It should also be recalled that the SRR was involved in the shooting dead of an innocent civilian, Jean Charles de Menezes, in London in 2005 and it has also been linked to a number of ‘black operations’ in Iraq which resulted in multiple deaths of civilians.”

He said that in recent years there have been clear attempts to “normalise” the ongoing British military presence in the North.

“In 2007 when the British Army’s so-called “Operation Banner” ended some people wrongly claimed that this was the beginning of the end of British soldiers operating in Ireland. They were clearly wrong,” he said.

“There’s nothing “normal” about British troops, MI5 agents or British warplanes operating on Irish soil or in our skies, regardless of whether they are doing it to target Irish citizens or training to target populations in other countries.”

Urgent Appeal