Tomás Ó Flatharta

The two reports below tell us that policies operated by police forces operation in the two partitioned bits of Ireland – the Gardaí Síochána (Guardians of the Peace) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) [a child of the hated Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)] are racist-friendly.

The news reports are related :

Claire Mullaly, a spokesperson for End Deportations Now Belfast told The Irish News that gardaí boarded the bus and began asking passengers for identification.
She said they specifically removed non-white passengers who could not produce documents while allowing white passengers in the same predicament to remain on board. She branded the incident as “disgraceful” in light of the anti-immigrant violence that took place in Northern Ireland in recent days.

Both reports come from the Belfast Irish News.

PSNI officers told not to intervene during race riots unless life at risk

Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, June 17th, 2025

DETAILS OF INSTRUCTION SENT IN EMAIL

PSNI officers were told not to interfere with violent mobs during last week’s race riots unless life was at risk.

Details of the tactics deployed by the PSNI during consecutive nights of violence emerged after a chief inspector sent an email to colleagues at Causeway Coast and Glens district on Friday.

It is considered unusual for internal PSNI correspondence relating to ongoing operational matters to enter the public domain.

The email message appeared to be in response to criticism of police after footage showed an officer standing with his hand in his pocket as masked and hooded men dragged wheelie bins on to a burning barricade across the main Derry to Belfast railway line in Coleraine.

In one clip masked men can be seen casually pushing the large blue bin past two PSNI officers as they make their way to the barricade at a level crossing close to the local train station.

Seconds later another masked man is filmed dragging a green wheelie bin in the direction of the burning barricade as cheers go up from onlookers.

Sources say a riot squad unit was located in an Asda car park a short distance from the railway line, but the specially trained officers were not tasked to help their colleagues.

TSG riot squad kept a mile away

It is understood members of the Tactical Support Group were parked just over a mile away from the burning barricade.

The footage emerged days after concerns were raised about the PSNI response to the race riots in Ballymena, Co Antrim, last week.

Officers in high-viz jackets could be seen failing to intervene as several homes were attacked by a frenzied mob in the Clonavon Terrace area of the town.

PSNI officers told not to intervene in disorder that saw homes torched

The attacks, which involved homes being set alight, took place just metres from Ballymena PSNI station. SDLP Policing Board member Mark H Durkan later said “it’s a bad image when property is being attacked and people potentially being in danger”.

The PSNI are continuing to investigate last week’s race riots during 64 officers were injured.

Several homes were torched during the disorder, which took place over several nights.

In her email, the senior officer, one of the highest-ranking in the causeway district, said the SLT (Senior Leadership Team) was “extremely proud of all the work you are doing and because of that we are able to confidently reassure the community we are doing everything we can to keep them safe”.

Public criticism

Part of the message sent to police officers after public criticism of police standing back while wheelie bins are added to a fire on the train line

She added that police were “aware of various social media posts regarding our response over the last few days.

“These posts do not capture the bigger picture,” she said.

Significantly, the senior officer provides a unique insight into the PSNI’s tactical approach to the outbreak of violence, referring to Article Two of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life.

“It is important for you to understand our expectations – unless there is an obvious Art 2 issue – we do not expect you to expose yourself to significant risk unnecessarily,” she said.

The senior officer then provided a long list of potential risks including “environment, numbers of people, hazards, inadequate resources, equipment”.

‘Apply the NDM to your decision making’

She urged officers to “apply the NDM to your decision making/risk assessing”.

NDM is a reference to the National Decision Making Model, a framework used by officers to help with decision making.

The chief inspector added that the PSNI response to incidents in the area was “professional, proportionate measured and also very brave”.

“We are aware of incidents where sufficient resources / and equipment was not readily available and officers were still putting themselves in harm’s way to protect members of the community,” she added.

The PSNI was contacted. MLA Gerry Carroll said: “Nobody should not be exposed to unacceptable levels of danger during the course of their day. However, these communications from the Chief Inspector call into question the very purpose of the PSNI. For the past week, vulnerable families have sat inside their homes, terrified by the racist thuggery and violence on the streets. They have felt utterly unprotected by those responsible for ensuring community safety. PSNI leadership has serious and urgent questions to answer about their strategy for tackling racist violence on our streets.”

---

Gardaí stopped buses on border checking for illegal immigrants after riots

Conor Shiels, Irish News, June 17th, 2025

GARDAÍ boarded buses crossing the border looking for undocumented migrants as anti-immigrant violence gripped the north last week.

The checkpoints happened near the border crossing point near Ravensdale in Co Louth on June 13.

Campaigners have documented at least two incidents on the day where buses were stopped along the stretch of road between Dublin and Belfast.

The first was an Ulsterbus Goldliner service which left belfast at around 11am, meanwhile an Aircoach service was also stopped later in the afternoon. Eyewitnesses reportedly saw a prison van parked alongside the second checkpoint at which the Aircoach was stopped.

“Those removed are detained until they can prove their immigration status or their status as a UK or Irish citizen

The incidents happened on June 13, following days of violence forced families to flee from their homes in Northern Ireland. Some of those taken off the buses and prevented from travelling further included three non-white concert-goers including at least one who reportedly had a Dublin accent.

Meanwhile, it is alleged that a white woman who also could not produce identification was allowed to continue on her journey.

Claire Mullaly, a spokesperson for End Deportations Now Belfast told The Irish News that gardaí boarded the bus and began asking passengers for identification.

She said they specifically removed non-white passengers who could not produce documents while allowing white passengers in the same predicament to remain on board. She branded the incident as “disgraceful” in light of the anti-immigrant violence that took place in Northern Ireland in recent days.

Gardai questioned non-white travellers

“It’s not compulsory to carry or produce ID in the Common Travel Area if you’re an Irish or British national,” she said.

“During these checks, the guards approach people who aren’t white and demand ID. If they can’t produce it, they’re taken off the bus, while white passengers aren’t. That’s what happened on Friday. This is discriminatory ID checking, this is racial profiling.”

Speaking about the immigration checks, Ms Mullaly said her group had been collecting such testimonies since 2019 and they followed a pattern.

“Those removed are detained until they can prove their immigration status or their status as a UK or Irish citizen. We’ve never heard of a white person being removed from the bus,” she said.

“These are people living day-to-day lives. The border is so big that if someone really wanted to sneak across, they’d find another way.”

The gardaí were contacted repeatedly by The Irish News but had not responded at the time of publication.