Dublin march organiser hope for return

The organisers of last weekend's loyalist rally that sparked a riot in Dublin have said they hope to return to the capital city "as soon as possible".

Speaking in Belfast this afternoon, William Frazer of the Protestant victims' group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (Fair) said his group would need a number of assurances from the Government to ensure there would not be a repeat of last Saturday's violence.

Fourteen people were injured, and major damage was caused to business premises and property when rioting broke out during a protest which caused the abandonment of the planned "Love Ulster" march down O'Connell Street.

Eight busloads of the Love Ulster group and supporters including six loyalist bands had travelled to Dublin bearing Union Jack and Red Hand of Ulster flags in the hope of parading down O'Connell Street. The violence failed to stop the brief loyalist parade from going past Leinster House.

Referring to Saturday's violence, Mr Frazer said there were "a lot of questions that are going to have to be answered by members of the Dáil and the gardaí."

"The sectarianism and the bitterness that is there is going to have to be dealt with, and it is down to the people of southern Ireland and the people in Dublin. If they are going to support the Republican movement, they are sending a quite clear message out to people like ourselves: We support the people who were out on the streets of Dublin last Saturday.

"They have to realise the consequences of that. They can't say they want to be our neighbour and live happily ever after and support the people who were out on the streets of Dublin," he said.

Mr Frazer claimed republicans had tried to commit mass murder and had intended to attack the rally. While he said he accepted the people in the Irish Republic had been appalled by the violence, he insisted they had to face down republicans.

He also criticised Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain for questioning why a march was being staged in Dublin in the first place.

Mr Frazer defended the presence of loyalist bands, insisting that it was the ultimate test of Dublin's claim to be a multicultural city if it were to allow victims to express their Protestant culture in the Irish capital.