2001 South Armagh attacks

The 2001 South Armagh attacks were attacks on two watchtowers and a police station in South Armagh, Northern Ireland.

2001 South Armagh attacks
Date9 December 2001
Location
County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Parties to the civil conflict
Ógra Shinn Féin members and sympathisers
Casualties and losses
24 injuries
Unknown number of injuries

History

On 9 December 2001, a group of 100 Irish republicans attacked two watchtowers and a police station in South Armagh, Northern Ireland.[1] The mob first attacked the Creevekeeran watchtower with petrol bombs, iron bars and bottles. The crowd then attacked nearby Drummackavall watchtower in a similar assault before moving to the Crossmaglen police station, where they breached the entrance and fired missiles and petrol bombs at security forces. Twenty-one Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers, three British Army soldiers and three police dogs were injured.[2][3]

The riots followed a protest by members of Sinn Féin's youth wing dissatisfied with the slow process of demilitarisation promised by the British government, a key demand of Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland peace process.[4]

Aftermath

The injured forces were airlifted to hospitals, one of whom suffered severe face burns. Four people from Belfast were arrested that night. The attack was condemned by assembly members including John Fee, but Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy claimed the mob had no weapons and were met with a "violent reaction" at Crossmaglen police station, where officers fired plastic bullets that injured some of them.[4] Murphy also condemned the police's "bully boy" tactics.[5]

A PSNI spokesman said the attack was a "well-orchestrated protest that was never intended to be peaceful". In a separate incident that day rioters attacked a car in north Belfast that injured an eight-year-old girl.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Police injured in attack on towers | UK news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  2. Mon, Dec 10, 2001, 00:00 (2001-12-10). "Police, army attacked at Armagh watchtowers". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 2020-05-07.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Sharrock, David (2001-12-10). "Sinn Fein mob attack towers". Telegraph. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  4. "NORTHERN IRELAND | Four charged over watchtower protests". BBC News. 2001-12-10. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  5. "Four arrested following South Armagh clashes". Rte.ie. 2001-12-09. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  6. "CNN.com - NI riots leave 25 injured - December 10, 2001". Edition.cnn.com. 2001-12-10. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
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