Hardline. Militant. Anti-peace deal. And now holding a rally near you
Irish political party hold summit in Glasgow
A hardline militant Republican group who want the Good Friday Agreement to be scrapped have planned a rally in Scotland in search of new supporters.
Saoradh – Irish for “liberation” – were formed last year and have already had their Belfast offices targeted in a police raid.
Now senior f igures of the organisation – who have the support of former IRA prisoners – have organised a seminar today at a Glasgow hotel.
The party’s chairman David Jordan was accused of attempting to murder a police officer in a bomb attack in 2008 but had charges against him dropped last year.
Other key members include Mandy Duffy, whose brother-in-law Colin Duffy – allegedly a senior member of the New IRA – was cleared of shooting two soldiers as they left their barracks to collect a pizza in Northern Ireland in 2011.
He is due to stand trial with two other men on charges of belonging to an IRA grouping and attempting to murder members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He has denied the charges and is on bail.
Mandy is married to Paul Duffy, who faced IRA charges in 2015 before the case against him collapsed.
The political group also have the backing of former inmates including Real IRA member Kevin Murphy, who helped launch them. Murphy was cleared of conspiring to murder police and soldiers and having a rocket launcher in 2002. Saoradh have booked space at Glasgow’s Premier Inn in Argyle Street today. Their a im is to unite Northern IrelandIrelandwithwith the south to create a 32-county socialist republic.
They are opposed to the Good Friday Agreement peace deal, which was struck in Northern Ireland between political parties in 1998.
A Saoradh spokesman said the meeting was in response to high levels of support from Scotland for theth Republican cause and to give informationin on the new party. He added: “Scotland has been a traditionaltr area of solidarity in the struggle for Irish freedom. “There has been a lot of interestint and a strong support for Republican prisoners and otheroth Irish issues. A lot of people traveltrav over for Easter Rising commemorations.com “WeW are simply consolidating existingexis support in Scotland.” PolicePo Scotland said: “We are awareawar of this meeting.” TheTh Scottish Conservatives said: “Many people will be nervous aboutabou a controversial g roup travelling to Scotland to stoke up activity in this way.” Premier Inn said: “We never comment on individual bookings.” Earlier this month, Saoradh’s HQ in Falls Road, Belfast, was raided by armed officers in relation to dissident Republican activity.