Northern Ireland Far Left Warns Biden as Police Say Attack 'Highly Likely'

Dissident republicans in Northern Ireland have issued a warning to U.S. President Joe Biden as his visit to the U.K.-controlled territory comes amid heightened security concerns stemming from decades-long sectarian unrest.

Biden's first visit to Northern Ireland and the neighboring Republic of Ireland since taking office in 2021 coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. That truce put an end to much of the violence associated with a period known as "the Troubles," waged largely between majority-Protestant loyalists aligned with the United Kingdom and majority-Catholic republicans seeking unification with Ireland.

Tensions linger a quarter of a century later, however, and dissident republicans have set fire to police vehicles in recent days to mark both the signing of the Good Friday Agreement as well as the 1916 Easter Rising during which Irish rebels launched an insurrection against ruling British forces. Much of the activity today has been tied to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the traditional vanguard of Irish republicanism that has splintered into several groups, among the most active of which is an organization widely referred to as the New IRA.

Also in the spotlight is Saoradh, a far-left party that PSNI considers to be the political wing of the New IRA, though the group denies this. Speaking to Newsweek, Soaradh National Secretary Paddy Gallagher stated that "Saoradh is a standalone legitimate political party."

"We do not come under the control or influence of any other group, armed or otherwise, and we do not speak on behalf of the IRA," Gallagher said, "only they can do that."

At the same time, he said that Irish republicans stood ready and able to take action.

"Saoradh understands that in the wider context of the political sphere, and judging by history," Gallagher said, "while Ireland remains under British occupation there will always be women and men willing, and capable, of carrying out revolutionary acts of resistance against British forces."

The comments from Saoradh came after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) raised the terror threat level for Northern Ireland in response to a recent spike in dissident republican activity.

In a series of recent remarks shared with Newsweek, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton stated that "communities across Northern Ireland will see an increase in policing activity over the next few weeks as a high visibility policing operation gets underway to counter the continuing dissident threat."

"Unfortunately, the Northern Ireland related terrorism threat level was recently raised to 'Severe,' meaning an attack is highly likely," Singleton said in the comments from a police board meeting on Thursday. "Coupled with this, we have seen an escalation in the tempo of dissident organisations and some have clearly stated their intention to kill our officers and target their families."

Singleton then appealed to the people of Northern Ireland for support in maintaining calm throughout this tense period.

"Our job is to keep communities, and the officers who serve them safe and we are taking every reasonable step to do so," Singleton said. "We need the support of our communities to do this."

He also said that PSNI would be ramping up anti-terrorism activities in a bid to rout out any plots.

"This operation, which will see a number of officers move to 12 hour shifts, and may, through vehicle checkpoints, cause some inconvenience to the general public," Singleton said, "but I am asking for patience and support of communities as we work hard to keep us all safe."

The PSNI has linked the New IRA to a number of high-profile attacks in recent years, including the slaying of a senior police officer in February. The Belfast Telegraph reported Sunday, citing unnamed police sources, that the PSNI disrupted a New IRA bomb plot that would coincide with Biden's visit.

As for Saoradh, the group has supported a number of dissident republican gatherings in recent days, some of which have resulted in firebomb attacks against police vehicles.

The stated goal of both the New IRA and Saoradh is the establishment of a 32-county socialist Irish republic that includes the six counties that remain under U.K. rule since the rest of the island gained autonomy in 1922. Irish unity has been a mainstay of various republican ideologies for the past century, including that of the Sinn Féin party, which managed to secure a majority in Northern Ireland for the first time in history during elections last year.

And yet, political paralysis brought on by the loyalist Democratic Unionist Party's boycott of talks to establish a power-sharing government over post-Brexit trade rule concerns has left Northern Ireland deadlocked. A new deal has been announced in an attempt to overcome these grievances, but the Democratic Unionist Party has opposed it.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin continues to see a path to leaving the U.K. through a planned referendum, but dissidents such as Saoradh are skeptical of the mainstream party's commitment to this goal and do not rule out armed struggle to achieve it. Sinn Féin has also condemned the recent unrest spurred on by dissident republicans.

And when it comes to Biden's visit, the dissidents won't be rolling out a red carpet.

"The reality is that Joe Biden, and his administration, has been responsible for the deaths of countless people, including in Syria where he gave the order for his regime to launch fatal air strikes," Gallagher said. "Furthermore, he is a staunch ally of the Israeli government, and their war machine, and has acted as an apologist for their Zionist crimes stating 'they had a right to defend themselves.'"

"Any notion that U.S. imperialist President Joe Biden will visit Republican areas as part of his excursion to occupied Ireland will be vigorously opposed by the Revolutionary Republican Party Saoradh," Gallagher added.

Both Israel and the U.S. have justified their recent strikes in the region as retaliatory actions in response to rocket fire by non-state actors.

Reached for comment, the U.S. Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting the president, declined to comment on means and methods of ensuring Biden's safety, but reaffirmed the agency's mission and partnerships abroad.

"The men and women of the United States Secret Service are dedicated to safeguarding our nation's leaders, both at home and abroad," Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi told Newsweek.

"We are thankful to have strong partnerships with our law enforcement counterparts overseas," he added, "and look forward to continuing those relationships as we work together to ensure a safe and secure environment for our protectees."

Biden is first set to arrive in Belfast on Tuesday, where he is expected to be greeted by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The following day, he is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at Ulster University before visiting sites in County Louth linked to the president's Irish ancestry.

Biden's comments on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and its legacy "will underscore the readiness of the United States to preserve those gains and support Northern Ireland's vast economic potential to the benefit of all communities," according to White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby.

Speaking to reporters during a press briefing Monday, Kirby said that "President Biden cares deeply about Northern Ireland and has a long history of supporting peace and prosperity there," pointing to Biden's record in support of the U.S. role in working toward peace during his time in the Senate.

Biden's agenda next includes a visit to the Irish capital of Dublin for a series of high-profile visits and meetings, including talks with Irish President Michael D. Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as well as a joint session of the two chambers of the Irish parliament on Thursday. Finally, on Friday, Biden is set to visit other areas tied to his Irish heritage in County Mayo, and deliver a speech at St. Muredach's Cathedral.

Kirby said Biden would discuss with Irish leaders "our close cooperation on the full range of shared global challenges" and in his speech address "U.S.-Irish cooperation to advance democracy, peace, security and prosperity, as well as this shared deep history between the United States and Ireland."

Asked about the current level of unrest in Northern Ireland and the timing of Biden's trip, Kirby acknowledged that the U.S. was tracking security incidents "over the last couple of days."

"The president's grateful for the work that Northern Ireland security forces have done and continue to do to protect all communities and certainly the people in Northern Ireland," Kirby said, "and, again, he's very much looking forward to going to Belfast."

"The timing of this is really timed around the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement," Kirby added, "an agreement that the president has a personal connection to and obviously is very, very proud to see this as has really changed lives and livelihoods in Northern Ireland."

"The president is more than comfortable making this trip," Kirby said, "and he's very excited to do it."