‘Welcome to Occupied Ireland’ sign appears overnight at border between Northern Ireland and Republic

Activists from the socialist republican group, Lasair Dhearg (Red Flame), are behind the altered sign on the border between Londonderry and Donegal.

In 2020 the group sparked controversy after it erected fake streets signs in Irish in Belfast honouring republicans such as hunger striker Bobby Sands.

In a post on social media the group claimed responsibility for the new sign saying that it aimed “to highlight the reality of British occupation and partition in Ireland”.

“Despite what we are told by former Republicans and the ruling class in the occupied six counties we are still no closer to unity after 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement,” said the post.

Last year Cambridge University’s Labour Club (CULC) apologised for sharing a social media post by the group commemorating the anniversary of the 1981 hunger strikes, which also provided details on how to join the republican organisation.

A row over the incident erupted on the university’s campus, with a senior member of the Labour society’s executive team resigning over the furore.

The PSNI and Department for Infrastructure have been contacted.

News Catch Up – Thursday 14th November