James McClean's brother under investigation for attending IRA march
James McClean's brother is under investigation by his football club for appearing to attend a New IRA parade in Ireland which clashed with police.
Patrick McClean, who plays for Glentoran in the NIFL Premiership, was spotted in social media footage that appears to show him walking wearing a black hoody at the parade in Derry on Easter Monday.
Around 200 people attended the march, with many in paramilitary uniform. Police claimed to have petrol bombs and fireworks thrown at them.
The annual march is held in Derry, also known as Londonderry, to commemorate the 1916 Easter rising against British rule, which took place in Dublin.
Glentoran released a statement on Tuesday night confirming they were investigating the 28-year-old's involvement.
'Glentoran Football Club is aware of footage involving one of our players currently circulating online,' they wrote.
'The club is fully committed to maintaining a respectful, inclusive and welcoming environment for all players, staff, supporters and the wider community.'
'The matter is being reviewed internally in line with club policies and no further comment will be made at this time.'
Gillian Kearney, the Chief Superintendent and area commander of Derry City and Strabane, labelled the parade as 'utterly shameful'.
'Despite the claim by organisers of [the] Easter Monday parade who said they wanted to hold a dignified commemoration, what we saw was the complete opposite,' she said.
'From the commencement of the parade to when it dispersed, we saw masked individuals, which we believe at this time to be a breach of the Parades Commission determination.
'As these masked individuals made their way towards the dispersal point on Lecky Road, disorder developed in the area of Nailors Row from around 2.50pm.
'Petrol bombs, fireworks and masonry were thrown which resulted in nearby Bishop Street (Without) being closed for a time for public safety reasons.
'Members of the public were diverted away from that area in the City Walls.
'This disorder involving young people was orchestrated. We have no doubt about this.
'Young people were shamelessly and deliberately used in an attempt to distract from and shield the masked individuals as they took cover in a gazebo following the parade in the area of St Joseph's Place to change out of their parade clothing.
'This is child criminal exploitation. It is utterly shameful.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
26 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
British ‘service person' arrested in Kenya over rape allegation
The alleged rape happened last month close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), near the town Nanyuki, and the man was arrested after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the area, the BBC reports. It comes after the body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was allegedly murdered by a British soldier, was found in a septic tank at a Kenyan hotel, close to a British Army base, two months after she disappeared in March 2012. On Sunday, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'We can confirm the arrest of a service person in Kenya. 'As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further.' The rape allegations come after Defence Secretary John Healey met Ms Wanjiru's family in April. They said they had been subject to 'too many empty promises' regarding investigations into her death and that they were 'grateful' for the visit. According to the Sunday Times, a soldier had allegedly confessed to Ms Wanjiru's killing and another soldier reported it to senior officers at the time – but no action was taken. Defence Secretary John Healey recently met with the family of Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in Kenya in 2012 (PA) In a report in 2021, the newspaper said a soldier accused of the murder had been named by his comrades. In April, Mr Healey said the Government would continue to help Ms Wanjiru's family 'secure the justice they deserve', and stressed his 'determination to see a resolution to the still unresolved case'. The Army has launched a service inquiry (SI) into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK service personnel in Kenya violating sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) policy which was introduced in July 2022. It is believed the aim is to understand the nature of allegations made regarding sexual exploitation and abuse, which includes Army culture and possible contact with sex workers. The SI can make recommendations to ensure that SEA policy is being complied with by UK personnel in Kenya. A MoD spokesman said: 'The Defence Secretary recently visited Kenya to highlight our bilateral partnership and the important role of the British military presence – and personnel – in Kenya. He also clearly set out the high standards of behaviour we expect of our all our personnel. 'All soldiers who visit or train at Batuk have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty, must complete mandatory training and attend compulsory briefings on conduct. We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour. 'To ensure the highest possible standards, the Army has launched a comprehensive service inquiry into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK Service Personnel in Kenya which would violate MoD and Army policy.'
Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
British ‘service person' arrested in Kenya over rape allegation
The alleged rape happened last month close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), near the town Nanyuki, and the man was arrested after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the area, the BBC reports. It comes after the body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was allegedly murdered by a British soldier, was found in a septic tank at a Kenyan hotel, close to a British Army base, two months after she disappeared in March 2012. On Sunday, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'We can confirm the arrest of a service person in Kenya. 'As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further.' The rape allegations come after Defence Secretary John Healey met Ms Wanjiru's family in April. They said they had been subject to 'too many empty promises' regarding investigations into her death and that they were 'grateful' for the visit. According to the Sunday Times, a soldier had allegedly confessed to Ms Wanjiru's killing and another soldier reported it to senior officers at the time – but no action was taken. Defence Secretary John Healey recently met with the family of Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in Kenya in 2012 (PA) In a report in 2021, the newspaper said a soldier accused of the murder had been named by his comrades. In April, Mr Healey said the Government would continue to help Ms Wanjiru's family 'secure the justice they deserve', and stressed his 'determination to see a resolution to the still unresolved case'. The Army has launched a service inquiry (SI) into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK service personnel in Kenya violating sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) policy which was introduced in July 2022. It is believed the aim is to understand the nature of allegations made regarding sexual exploitation and abuse, which includes Army culture and possible contact with sex workers. The SI can make recommendations to ensure that SEA policy is being complied with by UK personnel in Kenya. A MoD spokesman said: 'The Defence Secretary recently visited Kenya to highlight our bilateral partnership and the important role of the British military presence – and personnel – in Kenya. He also clearly set out the high standards of behaviour we expect of our all our personnel. 'All soldiers who visit or train at Batuk have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty, must complete mandatory training and attend compulsory briefings on conduct. We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour. 'To ensure the highest possible standards, the Army has launched a comprehensive service inquiry into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK Service Personnel in Kenya which would violate MoD and Army policy.'
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
British ‘service person' arrested in Kenya over rape allegation
The alleged rape happened last month close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), near the town Nanyuki, and the man was arrested after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the area, the BBC reports. It comes after the body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was allegedly murdered by a British soldier, was found in a septic tank at a Kenyan hotel, close to a British Army base, two months after she disappeared in March 2012. On Sunday, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'We can confirm the arrest of a service person in Kenya. 'As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further.' The rape allegations come after Defence Secretary John Healey met Ms Wanjiru's family in April. They said they had been subject to 'too many empty promises' regarding investigations into her death and that they were 'grateful' for the visit. According to the Sunday Times, a soldier had allegedly confessed to Ms Wanjiru's killing and another soldier reported it to senior officers at the time – but no action was taken. In a report in 2021, the newspaper said a soldier accused of the murder had been named by his comrades. In April, Mr Healey said the Government would continue to help Ms Wanjiru's family 'secure the justice they deserve', and stressed his 'determination to see a resolution to the still unresolved case'. The Army has launched a service inquiry (SI) into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK service personnel in Kenya violating sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) policy which was introduced in July 2022. It is believed the aim is to understand the nature of allegations made regarding sexual exploitation and abuse, which includes Army culture and possible contact with sex workers. The SI can make recommendations to ensure that SEA policy is being complied with by UK personnel in Kenya. A MoD spokesman said: 'The Defence Secretary recently visited Kenya to highlight our bilateral partnership and the important role of the British military presence – and personnel – in Kenya. He also clearly set out the high standards of behaviour we expect of our all our personnel. 'All soldiers who visit or train at Batuk have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty, must complete mandatory training and attend compulsory briefings on conduct. We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour. 'To ensure the highest possible standards, the Army has launched a comprehensive service inquiry into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by UK Service Personnel in Kenya which would violate MoD and Army policy.'
