Belfast city centre 'renamed' Bobby Sands Street - move by group causes anger across NI

A left-wing socialist republican group based in Northern Ireland has caused anger and upset across the Province after it "renamed" streets in Belfast after republican figures such as Bobby Sands and Wolfe Tone.
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Lasair Dhearg, which formed in Belfast in July 2017, erected many signs across Belfast on Monday, including changing the name of Queen's University Belfast to Mairéad Farrell University Belfast - Mairéad Farrell was from Belfast, a member of the Provisional IRA and she was shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in March 1988.

Lasair Dhearg spokesperson, Pól Torbóid, said had the group "compiled a list of place names from across the city" that they say featured "prominent individuals responsible for historic abuses in Ireland".

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"Belfast's streets, littered with the poverty of its people, its homeless and jobless; are also littered with the names of those whose attitude to Ireland was one of subjugation, and who, by force of arms, forced a political and economic system upon our people, which became the foundation for partition, and for the current economic struggles faced by the Irish people.

"It is our inheritance as Republicans to end the oppression immortalised in these street names and statues. It is our duty to end colonialism, to end the normalisation of imperialism and, consequently, the political and economic system that maintains it," said Torbóid.

Many used social media to express anger and outrage at what the group had done.

One man accused the group of "poking the bear" whilst another asked: "would you be so enthusiastic about a "Lenny Murphy Street" or a "Michael Stone Street"?."

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Another man from Castlereagh accused the group of "glorifying terrorism".

Lasair Dhearg members with their signs in Belfast city centre on Monday.Lasair Dhearg members with their signs in Belfast city centre on Monday.
Lasair Dhearg members with their signs in Belfast city centre on Monday.

"Fighting colonialism by glorifying terrorists, good luck with that," said the man.

There are some reports on social media that some of the signs erected by the group have been removed.

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