Santander has nothing to say about ‘invasion’ of its branch by dissident republicans

The incident occurred earlier on today in The Diamond, Londonderry, and saw a group of Saoradh activists (some with faces covered, some not) enter the bank with a flag and a series of signs.

The group was made up of both men and women, with some of the protestors appearing to be fairly young.

It was sparked by what Saoradh claim is complicity by the bank in withdrawing services from republicans at the behest of the security services.

Saoradh is the group which last year issued a missive in the wake of the Lyra McKee murder, saying a republican activist had killed her by mistake.

It has denied involvement in terrorism.

The News Letter tried to contact Santander’s media HQ in London, but seven phonecalls (all to different numbers) went unanswered.

When contact was eventually established, one of the bank’s PR people said they would respond “ASAP” – but nothing had been heard for almost four hours.

The images of the protest show that emergency screens within the bank seem to have been activated, bearing a message saying police had been contacted.

But when the News Letter called the PSNI, it said simply: “Police are aware of the protest. There have been no complaints.”

Foyle DUP MLA Gary Middleton called the actions an “invasion”.

“It is clear this group are determined to reassert themselves again within Londonderry following a quiet period after the murder of Lyra McKee,” he said.

“It is vital there is a united community response against this group and anyone who supports their warped agenda.”

He called on the PSNI to investigate the event for any possible breaches of the law.

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