Troops cordon off whole of Belfast

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32560, 20 March 1971, Page 17

Troops cordon off whole of Belfast

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) BELFAST, March 19. The British Army cordoned off the entire city of Belfast today in a search for terrorist weapons. Officials said that it was the biggest action of its kind so far mounted. All vehicles entering or leaving the capital were checked and many of them searched.

Results of the search were not immediately known. It was apparently part of the more determined posture promised by the British and Northern Ireland Governments in countering underground guerrillas of the Irish Republican Army.

The Prime Minister (Major James Chichester-Clark) told the provincial Parliament yesterday that 1300 British troops would be drafted to the province in the coming week to reinforce the garrison of 8250. He said that his Government stood “determined to restore permanent peace and stability in the country.” His speech did little, if anything, however, to quieten the hardliners of his Protes-tant-based Unionist Party demanding immediate moves against republican militants who in effect control Roman Catholic areas of the capital. They had expected something more dramatic than a relatively small-scale reinforcement after Major Chichester-Clark’s emergency meeting in London this week with the British Prime Minister (Mr Edward Heath). Twenty person have died this year in bombings and gun batties surrounding the I.R.A. campaign to end Northern Ireland’s role as part of the United Kingdom and put the province under control of the neighbouring Irish Republic. Discontent over this situation has spread from the provincial Parliament to the national Parliament in London. Conservative backbenchers called for a special private meeting with the Home Secretary (Mr Reginald Maudling) to express dissatisfaction with the limited British response to Majot Chichester-Clark’s call foi more help. Thousands of demonstrators massed outside the Northern Ireland Parliament yesterday howling for the resignation of Majot Chichester-Clark. British troops guarded the gates to Parliament and 200 police protected the doors while a crowd they estimated at 4000 ignored driving sleet

and chanted “Clark out, Clark out, Clark out.” As the news of the Prime Minister’s words reached the mostly Protestant crowd they shouted, “We don’t need more soldiers, we want the police rearmed.” The Royal Ulster Constabulary was disarmed in 1969 in an attempt to stem sectarian provocations.

“We want internment,” they yelled, a demand foi stronger action against the Roman Catholic minority and the I.R.A. The crowd stretched out a 12ft by 20ft Union Jack as an umbrella and shouted foi the Right-wing leader, Mt William Craig. “We wtpit Craig, we want Craig,” came the cry. Mr Craig appeared in a second-storey window ,and silently spread his hands. He came down to the crowd ahd said, “We will continue to press the Government to • bring back law and order ot Iget out.”