Police Say Demonstrators Tried to Ambush Olympic Torch Bearer
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PETER MUHLY/AFP/GettyImages(LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland) — Authorities in Northern Ireland say a 58-year-old grandmother and community activist was ambushed by a group of demonstrators Monday as she carried the Olympic torch towards the Peace Bridge in Londonderry.
The demonstrators, described by police as Catholic activists and supporters of the Real IRA, shouted Nazi references towards Isobel Coote as she was flanked by officials on her way towards the bridge across the River Foyle.
“We did not want to do anything to the torch,” one of the original organizers of the protest, Josephine Canning, told The Times of London. “The plan was just to get a hearing for our complaints against the police.”
Officials believe the demonstration was in response to a series of drug and weapons raids carried out by the Londonderry Police on Friday.
Police say one person was arrested but that no injuries were reported.
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