“These are the times that try men’s souls” Thomas Paine said in 1776, referring to the struggle of North America for independence from Britain. Indeed, Thomas. And today, in 2026, is a time which reveals men’s souls – and brains – as they respond to the knife attack in North Belfast last night.
By now you probably know that a man in his 40s was attacked by a man in his 30s wielding a knife. There appears to be a video of the incident but I haven’t seen it. I have seen a picture of the assailant sitting astride the victim, who is face down on the ground. The attack was interrupted, apparently, by a man with a hurley. I’m assuming the man with the hurley was not involved in the attempted murder, so I can only conclude he was a man of considerable courage, even given that a hurley stick is a formidable weapon.
Needless to say, some commentators have jumped on the story and sitting astride it, declared that the attacker was ‘a man of colour’. That tells you more about the commentator than about the assailant. Why didn’t the commentator mention if the attacker was left-handed? What height he was? The size of his nose? Because letting us know that he was – is – ‘a man of colour’ deftly plays to all the nasty little prejudices cavorting inside some of us.
Two unionist politicians were on W Crawley’s Talkback just now, and both linked the attack to ‘open borders’ and ‘alien cultures’. Get the message? The attack was what you might expect from a member of an alien culture, and we shouldn’t be letting dangerous aliens like this come into our stateen to practice their barbarous customs on innocent local people.
FFS. During the Troubles, there was a loyalist group called the Shankill Butchers. They’d drive around Belfast, looking for Catholics. Once found, they’d abduct the unfortunate victim, beat him and torture him. Then they’d finish him off by slashing his throat, sometimes so severely they nearly decapitated the victim. The Butchers used hatchets and cleavers, among other weapons.
That was a born-and-bred group from Belfast at work. And yet we have unionist politicians talking about the dangers of immigration and alien cultures. Thank God we’re represented by people who are free from inbuilt prejudice against anyone from outside. And thank God we have people who can argue from the particular to the general, at the speed of light. Well done, lads. You’re a credit to the stateen as well as logical argument.
Arguing from the particular to the general is a norm these days, Jude. You probably recall Fr Mc Elhinney telling us about syllogisms in building an argument. 70 years on , I look back on those days fondly. There were teachers in St Columb’s who moulded futures and “ wee Willie” was one of those.
Still doing the odd bit of public speaking; as recently as last week when a group invited me to talk about “ a Border Poll and Re-unification.
Maith thú, John! I too have a big soft spot in. my heart for Wee Willie, although he didn’t talk about syllogisms to us but on Saturday’s read aloud the John D Sheriden column from the Irish Independent. I did a five-minute video talk to former students in Canada – they’re assembling for their 50th high school graduation reunion. I suddenly feel very very old…Beannachtaí
– Jude
100% Correct Jude, lest we forget!
well said Jude using a little bit of intelligent thinking is no bad thing.
Quite simply Jude, If we wasn’t here this attack would never have occurred. Once again the working class communities are at the mercy of an out of control immigration system. Enough is enough.
if the stabby individual is comparable to planters then some people may be thinking its better to have a Hurl then not have a Hurl rather than praising their representatives anti rascist credentials but people are all as different I suppose.
police are saying it isn’t terrorist related. imagine that God forbid, religious violence in Ireland, that hasn’t happened since the Garda was stabbed on capel Street, and Geila Ibram down in Limerick before that, and the two gay men in Sligo before that. So hopefully not a return to those days.
was listening to RTÉ radio today. horrible legacy abuse case. Kenneally. the Gardaí were told in the 90’s . the complainants brought the lack of action up civil servants and relevant public bodies and with all the hand wringing an arrest wasn’t made for 25 years. but the review looking at facts that if information was acted on correctly when received on x date y incident would not have happened.
absolutley horrible but very good reporting. The charity of wrong seems to be clearer in hindsight but in real time seems to be lacking
There is a problem with unfettered immigration especially if the people coming here hate the west. Michelle O’Neill was being disingenuous at best by glibly referring to “fake news.” Things are at a pretty shocking state if a SF leader is using the rhetoric of the most corrupt President in America’s history. Of course the people on the right who criticise her use of such a nonsense phrase are the very same people who love it when Trump says it. Fear of “the other” has always been ingrained in the unionist psyche. It doesn’t take much for it to show itself on such occasions. It is ironic that people who demand Muslim integration have still not come to terms with the fact they are living in Ireland not Britain.