Northern Ireland

Translink reports bus stop posters erected by republican group to police

A bus shelter on the Falls Road in west Belfast targeted by republican group Lasair Dhearg. Picture by Mal McCann
A bus shelter on the Falls Road in west Belfast targeted by republican group Lasair Dhearg. Picture by Mal McCann A bus shelter on the Falls Road in west Belfast targeted by republican group Lasair Dhearg. Picture by Mal McCann

TRANSLINK has reported to police the erection of posters at bus shelters which a republican group described as being part of "guerilla marketing strategy".

Lasair Dhearg put up more than 12 posters at bus stops in parts of west and north Belfast, covering adverts with messages highlighting the British security presence in the north.

The socialist republican group previously erected "street signs" featuring the names of republican icons across parts of the city this summer.

The posters claim that "20,000+ security personnel maintain Britain's occupation of Ireland" alongside an image of an armed soldier.

They were placed at shelters in areas including Poleglass, the Falls Road and Antrim Road on Tuesday evening, with footage of Lasair Dhearg members erecting them shared on social media.

A spokesman for the group, whose previous street sign campaign also included erecting a notice at Queen's University stating "Mairead Farrell University Belfast" in honour of the IRA member shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in 1988, said the "20,000+" figure referred to "all occupation forces from Britain’s Army, Navy, Air Force, MI5, the PSNI, administrative staff and more".

Describing the group's "guerilla marketing strategy", Pádraic MacCoitir said: "Early morning commuters awoke to find bus stop advertisements across the city had been replaced with our campaign posters."

"We hope that the continued roll-out of our campaigns will smash the myth that Ireland’s six counties exist within a new post-Good Friday normality. There is nothing normal about Britain’s continued occupation, and there is nothing normal about its 'police service' either."

The erection of the posters was labelled an "act of squalid political vandalism" by DUP North Belfast MLA William Humphrey, who said the images were "unwelcome in local communities".

"I think that for the vast majority of people the response will be one of shaking their head, particularly at a time when society is focused on the Covid-19 crisis," he said.

"Whilst those responsible might be desperate for relevance and to grab attention, their methods and their extreme messages are deeply offensive and are pathetic."

Translink told The Irish News: "We are working with our contractors to remove these posters and the matter has been reported to the PSNI."

Police said last night: "Earlier today, police received a report of the theft of posters from a number of bus shelters across Belfast."