Erik de la Reguera: the Extremists in northern Ireland are worried about reduced support

She was a 29-year-old investigative journalist, born and raised in northern Ireland, which described itself as one of the ”vapenvilans children”, when she was only eight years old when the so-called good Friday agreement was signed in 1998.

Late Thursday night, shot her to death in the catholic district of Cleggan in Londonderry – or Derry, as most catholics long ago call this city of about 100,000 inhabitants.

the Shooting took place during the riots, and there is much to suggest that the perpetrators ' intention was to harm or kill the northern irish police. It is also New to the IRA's declaration in the ”sincere apology” which is now directed to Lyra McKee, her partner, other relatives and friends.

It is an armed, underground organisation, which was formed in 2012, after a merger of other armed extremist groups. It seeks a united Ireland, and not to respect the peace agreement was signed in 1998.

the New IRA has a few hundred active members, according to police estimates, and suspected of, among other things, to be behind three killings and a number of smaller blasts. As late as in January exploded a car bomb outside the Londonderrys courthouse. No person was injured when.

It unregistered, radical party, Saoradh has been pointed out that the New IRA's political wing. Saoradh deny this officially, but when the DN met its spokesperson at the end of February, he is more than happy to be filmed and photographed in front of replicas of automatic rifles and murals with våldsbejakande message. The spokesperson claimed that the party had more than 5,000 members in the island of Ireland.

In the first place to pr-the injury is starting to become unmanageable for the group – even in the part of the population that these extremists see as its natural recruitment base.

Lyra McKee was respected in all camps as a fearless, investigative journalist, and her murder has been condemned by all the leading political actors in northern Ireland. In the traditionally very catholic, republican district called ”Free Derry,” also has a beautiful mural gifted to the text: ”Not in our name - rest in peace, Lyra”.

a Few hours before the ”apology” came, conducted the friends to the Lyra McKee, a protest at the Saoradhs office a few blocks away. The red painted hand prints on the partilokalens walls, as a symbol of the party's leadership, according to them have ”blood on their hands” – all the while the journalists filmed and photographed.

If Soaradh continues to lose support in the traditionally catholic, republican areas in this way, it teaches the police soon to get more tips and testimonials on their way to vietnam in the New IRA. It can lead to more arrests and perhaps also to the convictions against high-ranking members of the organization.