BF2S Forums I predict a riot

Just saw a text-in public vote on on TV3 news (commercial Irish TV channel) on whether or not God save the Queen should be played on Saturday before the big game:

Yes: 21%
No: 69%

And there's a 21% margin of error (only joking).

Cam, who exactly do you think will be responsible for these riots? English supporters? Irish supporters? Loyalists from the North? Republican Sinn Fein? Ballymun shit bags? Who?

You can't compare the match to the Dublin Riots of 06. A loyalist "victims" group led by that racist Willy Fraser is a good reason to riot IMO. But a United Ireland rugby team beating the hell outa the English is surely a reason for all republicans no matter how extreme to be happy. Traditionally its been the English that have attacked us at sporting events. The most dignified thing to do would be to listen to their national anthem and stand and show respect for it, no booing, no fighting. Show that we are better than the thugs at Landsdown road.
Do you live close to croker Cam? Do you have the beers and popcorn in to watch the fighting from your apartment window? Seams to me, you can't wait for the riots to begin!!!

A few of us thinking of heading down for the craic around the stadium as well, no tickets for the match, but sure what odds..

Pierre wrote:

Well, there is a lot of history surrounding Croake park but apart from the usual Irish emotions I don't expect any incidents as the Irish are great hosts and sportsmen.

Rugby unlike football transcends these narrow nationalistic attitudes that were displayed earlier this week by the defeated Lille team having been caught sleeping the other night against Man. U. in the Champions League.  There maybe a few boos as the National anthem is played and a good deal of rough stuff on the pitch. You won't find any shirt pulling and squirming about on the floor feigning injury because someone has given them a gentle shove. Should make good watching with the Irish favourites to win.

Can we have a bet on the result of the game?

If Ireland don't win the world is gonna IMPLODE!! They can't lose to the Brits at Croker - the shame would be unbearable - mass suicide would be the only option.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,, … 77,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6389059.stm
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0223/crokepark.html

Republican Sinn Féin are on the warpath. One day to go....

Last edited by CameronPoe (2007-02-23 14:17:43)

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/23022007/325/s … match.html

Yep, just about to leave the office, get some beers, make a chili (gets the heat up) and head home to watch it. Might hit the pub for the second half..........

GO IRELAND!!!!!!!!!!!

C'MON IRELAND!!!!!!!!! gave the English a thrashing in the First half (and second half)!! what a game! what a win for the Irish Nation and for the sport of Rugby. outstanding

Edit: final score  Ireland 43 England 13

Last edited by IG-Calibre (2007-02-24 11:38:44)

Of course we lost so there wouldn't be any trouble..

I have to be honest, I wanted England to win just to see what would happen to the die hard Republicans here. We'd have to be on a suicide watch here for the next week.

They sang the national anthems and the world didn't end, not a single boo, the English team were given a massive welcome onto the pitch, were clapped after they sang their national anthem, and were clapped sfter they left the pitch - the difference between sport and politics, and fuck the media hype that was ramping all the tension up the last few days..


The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has paid tribute to Irish rugby fans and the GAA after the Six Nations game in which Ireland beat England passed off without incident this evening.

Meanwhile, gardaí say three people were arrested in the city centre following a demonstration organised by Republican Sinn Féin.

The party were opposed to the singing of the English National Anthem at Croke Park.

AdvertisementAfter handing in a letter of protest to the GAA, RSF had planned to end its Drumcondra Road protest at 5.30pm.

But half an hour early the group of around 60 moved and ended up at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square.

There party president Ruari Ó Brádaigh addressed the crowd and told protestors the demonstration had been a job well done.

But within minutes a minor scuffle broke out and two people were arrested.


A group of around 30 youths, many wearing hoodies and covering their face with scarves, walked down O'Connell St and through Temple Bar before returning to O'Connell Street.

Further arrests took place there after one of the youths kicked over a motorcycle.

A spokesperson for RSF said many non-party members had joined the protest and none of the arrested were members.

Inside the stadium the mood was positive and anticipated booing of the English National Anthem did not materialise.


RSF's letter objected to the hosting of the English rugby team and the playing of 'God Save The Queen' at Croke Park.

The association's president, Nickey Brennan, did not accept the letter in person but Mr Ó Brádaigh described the exchange as dignified, and said the main priority was that it was accepted.

Security was tight for the historic encounter with 1,000 gardaí on duty as 82,000 fans packed the GAA stadium.


Cars allowed pass through security cordons around the stadium were being thoroughly searched, and the Garda Helicopter is monitoring the city centre and the surrounding area.

All around the venue building sites were cleared or secured as part of security measures.

Earlier this week President Mary McAleese had said she hoped the English team would receive a welcome to beat all welcomes when they ran out.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0224/crokepark.html

Last edited by IG-Calibre (2007-02-24 17:31:07)

From the British press -

Huddled against the torrential rain outside the 'Some Like It Hot' Indian takeaway on the Drumcondra Road, the small group of placard-waving Republican demonstrators corralled behind a line of Garda officers went largely unnoticed as thousands of green clad supporters poured past them on their way to Croke Park.

   
Croke Park: a demonstrator protests outside the stadium
Their forlorn bedraggled protest, organised by the splinter group Republicans Sinn Fein to highlight the 'unacceptable normalisation' of relations between Ireland and England, summed up an extraordinary evening in Dublin.

It was a night when Ireland put aside the past and celebrated the present and when sport provided a far more eloquent response to English oppression than the crude placards being waved outside.

After weeks of searching in Ireland that had concentrated on the historical significance of yesterday's fixture and had largely ignored the rugby, it was ironic that national pride was to be found in remarkable 43-13 scoreline and in a display by Brian O'Driscoll's men that was truly magnificent. England were quite simply overwhelmed.

Before the game, debate has centred on how the Croke Park crowd would react to the playing of 'God Save The Queen' for the first time in the stadium where the first Bloody Sunday massacre took place 87 years ago.

When the moment arrived, the England players appeared to brace themselves for the impending onslaught, linking arms and staring straight ahead at the Hogan Stand, named after the young Tipperary footballer who was one of 14 civilians killed in 1920 when the Black and Tans marched into Croke Park in the middle of a Gaelic football match to avenge the murder of British intelligence officers.

Would the anthem be drowned out by Irish boos? Would some Irish fans, as had been predicted, even turn their backs? The clue came in the calls of hush that rang round the ground as the first drum-roll began.

There was not a single dissenting voice in the 81,611 as the England supporters sang and the home fans maintained a respectful silence, followed by a hearty round of applause. The past had been laid to rest.

Like Croke Park, Ireland's own national anthem, the soldiers song, is a reminder of the country's bloody history with it's chorus about being 'children of a fighting race', and some of the Irish players seemed to struggle with the emotion of singing it as much as their supporters.

But outside the stadium there was precious little evidence of any fighting spirit among the supporters of Republican Sinn Fein, who last year had turned a loyalist march through Dublin into one of the worst riots seen in the Irish capital in decades.

The slogans on their rain soaked placards - 'Remember Bloody Sunday', 'No to foreign games' and 'Mick Hogan murdered by crown forces' -looked vaguely ridiculous against the competing placards being paraded by a group of young women baring the message: "L'Oreal - because you're worth it." They and the young men distributing free Kelloggs nutrigrain bars and O2 rugby balls proved far more of a crowd puller.

Half a mile away another demonstration by the same organisation was even more low key - just a middle aged man and woman walking backwards and forwards across the north circular road watched by scores of Garda, some of them on horseback, and filmed by a police camera set up on a large crane parked in the middle of the road.

Their placards called for the English to go home but also carried a more esoteric message: "Ireland 32, England 0". Perhaps they knew more about rugby then they were giving away. It was a reference to the 32 counties of Ireland but there have been many who would have predicted a winning margin of 30 points or more.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.j … fron25.xml

ProudLimey wrote:

IG-Calibre wrote:

From the British press -


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.j … fron25.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/graphi … 250207.jpg

Does anyone else spot the irony?

This article sums it up pretty well. There was never going to be any riot, rugby fans are too well behaved. Awful day though:P

aye I spied the football jersey instantly, but all I could think if of was Fr. Ted tbh