Police blame IRA for $50 million Belfast bank robbery

[financeguy]

thanks, ZeroDude and bammo2, for your input into this discussion - I always think that it's important to get feedback from people who live in the area discussed to give their viewpoints even if I don't always agree with that viewpoint.

My two cents: just like the allegations against SinnFein two years ago which brought the current peace process to a halt, this latest bit o' news is nothing more than an ALLEGATION - NO INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO BELIEVE THAT THIS HAS EVEN THE REMOTEST BASIS IN FACT.

Please research the history of robberies against the Northern Bank and even the logistics of this current robbery - the IRA is no where involved in these robberies. WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE BUNGLING OF SECURITY BY THE BANK AND THE NORTHERN IRISH POLICE who now want to find a scapegoat by blaming the IRA!

Unless someone from the the IRA worked inside the Northern Bank, I don't know how they could have pulled off the logistics of how this robbery occurred.

To keep up to date with the Northern Ireland peace process, please go to http://www.bbc.co.uk and click on World News and click on Northern Ireland. I check it out several times a week to keep up on "the Troubles" and the regrettable lack of progress being made in that struggle.

Thanks, though, stars, for bringing up a real news issue for discussion.

I understand your point of view, but rhe police chief was practically handpicked by the nationalist community - I doubt if he'd be spreading slanders about the IRA if there was not some basis to it!

I used to work in a bank so I kind of take it to heart if people say it was the bank's own fault they got burgled! I was surprised by he amount they got away with though, but apparently it is all unusable as the numbers on the notes have been cancelled.

Whoever did it, these criminals should be decommissioned - permanently.

 

[ZeroDude]

Hey ZeroDude....I never meant to imply that whole area was a terrible warzone or anything like that, sorry if I came across that way. I don't live there but the fact remains that there are some issues in modern Ireland that I find interesting. It's a beautiful country.

Nah it's ok, although people trying to say that pisses me off, it's ok but

 

[Laura M]

On Christmas Eve, a few days after this happened, the police had already swooped in and started searching republican homes. It didn't really come as much of a shock that the IRA were accused this week.

It is a pity that that we still haven't got a devolved government back yet and this has just pushed any chances of this happening even further back and jeopordised the peace process. This incidnet has shown yet again the complete lack of trust between unionist and nationalist political parties and when the unionists are saying the government should leave republicans out of talks that is creating even more tension and leaving the political future here in complete darkness.

This has been big news ever since it happened, I can understand where ZeroDude is coming from, it is very easy for people to sit in another part of the world and talk about "the situtation" here when what you see in the news is only the negative aspect. This country has seen many changes in the past few years and it is now a very different place. I am really proud of where I come from. People here, regardless of what they have went through in the past, are all very positive. I hope someday there will be a deal between the big political parties here and we may see a solid devolved government.

 

[Teta040]

How do we know it was the IRA though? IMHO< the finger has been pointed a bit too quickly. There should be alot more research. If you do a bombing, most groups call up and give some dort of official announcement afterwards. Nobody wo'd going to stick up a bank walks in an announces, "I am a member of so and so, put your hands up, this is a stick up!" etc. Do you annouce who you are when committing a crime? The local police would be on you in seconds. Or if it was a bank employee, how do they know, and how did they prove, that the bank had an employee who led a double life? How do you prove something like that?

This whole thing sounds fishy to me. Speaking as just another observer of the peace proces from outside the country, bank heists historically just haven't been part of the IRA's style. Maybe I'm wrong. Why wait 35 years to commit your first bank robbery? What would be the motive? They've been able to buy arms with..shall we say, a MODEST BUDGET *COUGH*. The IRA aren't broke. The Noraid types in Northeastern US haven't stopped their fundraising drives, not by a longshot.

Maybe it is true that certain Protestant parties are scared at the political gains Sien Fenn has been making electorally, relaize that there is nothing they can peacefully do to halt this short of amass bnombking of their own, and are trying a new creative way to bring this whole thing to a screeching halt without damging their own "moral superiority...."

But then again, that's speculation.

 

[starsgoblue]

Teta, from what I understand there were some family members of several bank employees that were held hostage during the robbery....perhaps that may be why the police had concluded IRA involvement based on interviewing those people. Again though, I am not sure and am not presenting that as fact.

 

[Jamila]

Teta, we don't know if it was the IRA or some other group - there hasn't been a shred of evidence presented - just meaningless allegations.

I really wish people would keep a more open mind instead of attacking others with a different point of view. ISN"T THAT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN NORTHERN IRELAND - everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong?

Sooner or later, both sides are going to have stop the labeling and blaming and put down their defenses.

I attacked no one in this thread but was unfairly and personally attacked because others here did not like what I had to say.

To me, it is attitudes just like that that will keep the troubles going and keep the people in Northern Ireland separated.

LOVE AND PEACE....or else

 

[financeguy]

Teta, from what I understand there were some family members of several bank employees that were held hostage during the robbery....perhaps that may be why the police had concluded IRA involvement based on interviewing those people. Again though, I am not sure and am not presenting that as fact.

Yes, there were indeed family members held hostage. And as someone who used to work in a bank this is something that has me particularly annoyed - and not very willing to believe the usual weasel words of Gerry Adams, Martin McGuiness etc.

 

[financeguy]

Teta, we don't know if it was the IRA or some other group - there hasn't been a shred of evidence presented - just meaningless allegations.

I really wish people would keep a more open mind instead of attacking others with a different point of view. ISN"T THAT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN NORTHERN IRELAND - everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong?

Sooner or later, both sides are going to have stop the labeling and blaming and put down their defenses.

I attacked no one in this thread but was unfairly and personally attacked because others here did not like what I had to say.

Yes, ok, that is part of the problem in NI. But can you also accept that part of the problem is a bunch of criminals and terrorists masquerading under the banner of representing their respective communities? I'm sorry if you felt you were being personally attacked - I don't think that was the intention of anyone who posted above.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Teta, we don't know if it was the IRA or some other group - I attacked no one in this thread but was unfairly and personally attacked because others here did not like what I had to say.

To me, it is attitudes just like that that will keep the troubles going and keep the people in Northern Ireland separated.

LOVE AND PEACE....or else

No, chicken lips, it was how you said it.

Somehow worthy of being likened to what is causing the trouble? I didn't realise Northern Ireland's problems were caused by messages on a fan forum.

 

[starsgoblue]

Chicken lips? That's not very nice....

I think Jamila meant that she feels the attitudes she is seeing are similar, not that we have somehow brought on NI's problems.

It wasn't my intention to have people getting upset with each other about Northern Ireland's politics....I was hopeful for some discussion from all the different viewpoints, that's the only way to ever "free your mind" by letting it stretch...

 

[financeguy]

Chicken lips? That's not very nice....

I think Jamila meant that she feels the attitudes she is seeing are similar, not that we have somehow brought on NI's problems.

Yes I think Jamila was expressing an opinion - which I disagree with in certain respects - but she did not deserve to get flamed for it.

 

[Anthony]

No flaming here, guys - please. If there are certain attitudes we feel are irritating, just take five and chill.

No one wants to point fingers too soon, I'm sure, just as I'm sure that no one wants to say that the IRA have it tough, either.

Lets just all calm down, please.

Ant.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Since when is chicken lips an insult?

But back on topic..

 

[bammo2]

This has been big news ever since it happened, I can understand where ZeroDude is coming from, it is very easy for people to sit in another part of the world and talk about "the situtation" here when what you see in the news is only the negative aspect. This country has seen many changes in the past few years and it is now a very different place. I am really proud of where I come from. People here, regardless of what they have went through in the past, are all very positive. I hope someday there will be a deal between the big political parties here and we may see a solid devolved government.

I remember when I was in Ireland on a tour bus, and the bus driving was talking about the political history of NI. He said 'put your hands up if you've ever wondered why the British don't just give NI back to the Irish'

everyone but me put their hands up. It's incredible how much ignorance there is about the situation

 

[Laura M]

Teta, we don't know if it was the IRA or some other group - there hasn't been a shred of evidence presented - just meaningless allegations.

ISN"T THAT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN NORTHERN IRELAND - everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong?

Sooner or later, both sides are going to have stop the labeling and blaming and put down their defenses.

To me, it is attitudes just like that that will keep the troubles going and keep the people in Northern Ireland separated.

In this case, I don't really feel the PSNI have to devulge "shreds of evidence" yet to the public about why they think it's the IRAbut they must have, and have said, "substantial evidence" about who committed the crime. They are still trying to piece together what exactly happened on the morning of this robbery. I think what is most damaging about these allegations is that, whether or not the IRA have committed this crime, they have put an ending to the chances that there would be a deal to restore devolution here before the next general elections and has increased the acrimony between the political parties here.

When "the troubles" really flared up in the 60's Catholics did not have many rights. When the civil rights association was formed catholics did not have the opportunity to get housing from the government or jobs like protestants did. During the civil rights march in Derry in 1968 the RUC were beating politicians and catholics on the street. When you look at the situation today it is a lot different from then, when you talk to people who have seen some awful things during the past 30 years you realise how much things have changed here and hopefully we would never go back to days like that. I doubt with the past that Northern Ireland has there will someday be complete harmony between unionists (and rifts have appeared between them causing other unionist groups to be set up such as the DUP) and nationalists. I think it is also a lot more than just stopping the blaming and labelling.