Loyalist bigots drag singers name into protest and throw bottles.

[st333ve]

After an ape like loyalist gathering in Belfast police had to try and chase loyalists who climbed scaffolding to attack the SF protest.
Sectarian chants were shouted but SF remained silent.

THE father of X Factor star Eoghan Quigg last night blasted the “bigots” threatening his son’s dreams of stardom.
Diehard republicans claim the 16-year-old singer from Northern Ireland was “forced” to perform on the Help for Heroes single Hero in aid of wounded troops.

And they are urging a BOYCOTT of the track — set to hit No1 tomorrow.

But baby-faced Eoghan — one of the last nine acts on the ITV talent smash — has no interest in the centuries-old Irish conflict.


So proud ... lad's parents show supportive poster
And dad Chris, 36, insisted: “He’s not a Republican. We are all nationalists — Irish not British. We’ve lived through all the Troubles. But Eoghan was born in 1992 — he’s far too young to know anything about this.

“He’s in a singing competition, that’s what’s important. I’m p***** off there are still small-minded bigots here.”

Chris added: “Part of this is because he’s a wee Catholic lad from Co Derry and some republicans are stirring it up. Some people just don’t want peace.”

Download the X Factor single for 79p from iTunes and raise cash for wounded troops here.

Haven't got iTunes? Download the X Factor single from Play.com and raise cash for wounded troops here

Or order the single from Amazon and have it delivered to your home

Eoghan, of Dungiven, sings the opening lines on the H4H record and performed it live on X Factor last week.

But after he missed a Sun photocall with wounded soldiers, bitter sectarian rivals claimed his family kept him away as they don’t support Our Boys.

Dad Chris said: “Eoghan was sick on Monday. He drank out-of-date milk and it made him ill. That’s why he wasn’t in the pictures.

“I don’t agree with Iraq, but that’s nothing to do with it. This is for people who have lost limbs and lost their lives, whatever they were fighting for.

“They’ll probably need a lot of help for the rest of their lives and that’s fair enough. I’d a feeling there’d be trouble over this. We don’t want that. If the song is for the Army, so be it.”

Shame

Security experts fear schoolboy Eoghan is being dragged into the increasingly powderkeg relations between republicans and loyalists.

Republican Sinn Fein spokesman Richard Walsh said: “He’s been forced to perform a song tribute to those who have invaded Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, and countless other countries — and displaced and murdered the native populace.

“I would absolutely not encourage people to buy this record. This record encourages imperialism and colonialism and invasion. People should not spend money doing that.”

But Help for Heroes founder Bryn Parry said last night: “Help for Heroes is not about politics, it’s about the boys and girls who get wounded while serving their country and working with their mates.

“It would be a great shame if people tried to make something as good as the desire to help into something political for their own ends.”

Hero, a cover of Mariah Carey’s 1993 hit, can be downloaded online or bought for £3.99 as a CD single. Funds will be shared by the Sun-backed Help for Heroes charity and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Dungiven Sinn Fein councillor Anne Brolly insisted her party had no political issue to make about Eoghan’s X Factor role. She said: “He has the 100 per cent support of everyone here.

“He is a very talented young man and a great ambassador for Ireland. The people here are fully behind him.”

Chris admitted X Factor bosses contacted the family after a complaint that T-shirts worn by family members on last Saturday’s show bore the name of a republican hunger striker.

Kevin Lynch was a member of the Irish National Liberation Army and fasted for 71 days at the Maze Prison before he died aged 25 in 1981.

Now ITV has urged the Quiggs NOT to wear the shirt on live TV again.

Chris, married to Denise and with two other sons, said: “We didn’t mean to offend anybody. Eoghan plays for a hurling club named after Lynch. But he doesn’t have political views.

“Eoghan’s career is more important to me than what happened years ago. The shirt won’t be worn this week.”

Last night an X Factor spokeswoman said: “All finalists were aware of the Help for Heroes campaign and supported production of the single.”

A show insider said: “It’s madness that Eoghan is caught up in this. He’s only 16 and everyone loves him as he’s so bright and sweet. We’re stunned cynics are trying to politicise him.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle1881844.ece

[Keith-M]

THE father of X Factor star Eoghan Quigg last night blasted the “bigots” threatening his son’s dreams of stardom. Diehard republicans claim the 16-year-old singer from Northern Ireland was “forced” to perform on the Help for Heroes single Hero in aid of wounded troops.

And they are urging a BOYCOTT of the track — set to hit No1 tomorrow.

But baby-faced Eoghan — one of the last nine acts on the ITV talent smash — has no interest in the centuries-old Irish conflict.

Please retitle this thread. It's DISGRACEFUL that this poor lad is having his chance of stardom ruining by neandathal REPUBLICANS.

[slx]

It's depressing how an element of society in Northern Ireland seems to be incapable of moving on. No matter what happens it all goes back to ingrained bigotry again and again. It's like trying to deal with a % of the population who suffer from an extreme form of obsessive compulsive disorder crossed with mass hysteria.

Most of the world just sees it as a sad reflection on the entire population of Northern Ireland. It comes across as bitter, sad, twisted and rather pathetic and has an element of the Holy Cross school protests about it.

I do however think it's a little silly of ITV to have gone this route with X Factor at all. I'm all for helping out war victims, but there are a substantial number of people in Britain and Northern Ireland who are opposed to the war in Iraq in particular. It's not quite as clear cut as the US blind support for 'our boys' no matter what they're up to.

Also, given that one of the contestants was from NI, they should have steered clear of anything that could have been seen as overtly political up there. I'm sure UTV could have provided advice if ITV HQ wasn't aware of the issues.

An even worse situation could arise had one of the finalists been from certain parts of the Islamic community or had a strong anti-war stance.

Fair enough if you want to help the people who've been injured in a war, regardless of what your view on the moralities of the war might be, but there's definitely an element of raw British patriotism in the ITV approach that is just a transparent attempt by their marketing department to attach themselves to conservative middle England in particular. It's very much timed to coincide with remembrance day etc.

For something like this they'd have been better off picking something like UNICEF or a major charity that helps refugees in war torn regions or some group that doesn't get any assistance by default.

War veterans ought to be taken care of and taken care of well for their suffering by their own governments. If they're not getting the best of care, then there's something seriously wrong with the UK Government's attitude towards their own troops.

[Parnella]

After an ape like loyalist gathering in Belfast police had to try and chase loyalists who climbed scaffolding to attack the SF protest.
Sectarian chants were shouted but SF remained silent.

THE father of X Factor star Eoghan Quigg last night blasted the “bigots” threatening his son’s dreams of stardom.
Diehard republicans claim the 16-year-old singer from Northern Ireland was “forced” to perform on the Help for Heroes single Hero in aid of wounded troops.

And they are urging a BOYCOTT of the track — set to hit No1 tomorrow.

But baby-faced Eoghan — one of the last nine acts on the ITV talent smash — has no interest in the centuries-old Irish conflict.

So proud ... lad's parents show supportive poster
And dad Chris, 36, insisted: “He’s not a Republican. We are all nationalists — Irish not British. We’ve lived through all the Troubles. But Eoghan was born in 1992 — he’s far too young to know anything about this.

“He’s in a singing competition, that’s what’s important. I’m p***** off there are still small-minded bigots here.”

Chris added: “Part of this is because he’s a wee Catholic lad from Co Derry and some republicans are stirring it up. Some people just don’t want peace.”

Download the X Factor single for 79p from iTunes and raise cash for wounded troops here.

Haven't got iTunes? Download the X Factor single from Play.com and raise cash for wounded troops here

Or order the single from Amazon and have it delivered to your home

Eoghan, of Dungiven, sings the opening lines on the H4H record and performed it live on X Factor last week.

But after he missed a Sun photocall with wounded soldiers, bitter sectarian rivals claimed his family kept him away as they don’t support Our Boys.

Dad Chris said: “Eoghan was sick on Monday. He drank out-of-date milk and it made him ill. That’s why he wasn’t in the pictures.

“I don’t agree with Iraq, but that’s nothing to do with it. This is for people who have lost limbs and lost their lives, whatever they were fighting for.

“They’ll probably need a lot of help for the rest of their lives and that’s fair enough. I’d a feeling there’d be trouble over this. We don’t want that. If the song is for the Army, so be it.”

Shame

Security experts fear schoolboy Eoghan is being dragged into the increasingly powderkeg relations between republicans and loyalists.

Republican Sinn Fein spokesman Richard Walsh said: “He’s been forced to perform a song tribute to those who have invaded Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, and countless other countries — and displaced and murdered the native populace.

“I would absolutely not encourage people to buy this record. This record encourages imperialism and colonialism and invasion. People should not spend money doing that.”

But Help for Heroes founder Bryn Parry said last night: “Help for Heroes is not about politics, it’s about the boys and girls who get wounded while serving their country and working with their mates.

“It would be a great shame if people tried to make something as good as the desire to help into something political for their own ends.”

Hero, a cover of Mariah Carey’s 1993 hit, can be downloaded online or bought for £3.99 as a CD single. Funds will be shared by the Sun-backed Help for Heroes charity and the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Dungiven Sinn Fein councillor Anne Brolly insisted her party had no political issue to make about Eoghan’s X Factor role. She said: “He has the 100 per cent support of everyone here.

“He is a very talented young man and a great ambassador for Ireland. The people here are fully behind him.”

Chris admitted X Factor bosses contacted the family after a complaint that T-shirts worn by family members on last Saturday’s show bore the name of a republican hunger striker.

Kevin Lynch was a member of the Irish National Liberation Army and fasted for 71 days at the Maze Prison before he died aged 25 in 1981.

Now ITV has urged the Quiggs NOT to wear the shirt on live TV again.

Chris, married to Denise and with two other sons, said: “We didn’t mean to offend anybody. Eoghan plays for a hurling club named after Lynch. But he doesn’t have political views.

“Eoghan’s career is more important to me than what happened years ago. The shirt won’t be worn this week.”

Last night an X Factor spokeswoman said: “All finalists were aware of the Help for Heroes campaign and supported production of the single.”

A show insider said: “It’s madness that Eoghan is caught up in this. He’s only 16 and everyone loves him as he’s so bright and sweet. We’re stunned cynics are trying to politicise him.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle1881844.ece

THIS IS TANTAMOUNT TO MENTAL ABUSE OF A CHILD.

The notion that GB is a democracy is well and truly put to bed.

How dare these scum also make the child wear a poppy as a tribute to murderers of children in Iraq and in Derry while objecting to the name of a selfless hunger stiker.

The GAA team was named after Kevin and now the parents have been told NOT to weat the shirts again. CAN ANYONE CONDONE THIS BLATANT "POLITICAL" CENSORSHIP BY ITV??

Why are ITV bringing sectarian views into a young boys dream of winning a talent show.

The abuse his parents have had to endure for simply wearing GAA shirts is totally unacceptable. The GAA HAVE to comment on this and support the young boy's parents' rights.

[blinding]

The real disgrace is this show helping the publicity push for impressionable and immature teenagers to become the next cannon fodder of the british forces.
The forces like to get their recruits as young as possible so they can mould them as best they see fit.It is interesting that you are not allowed to vote,buy alcohol or cigarettes but the vile politicians consider it is okay to train you to kill or maim or be killed or maimed.
Parents that allow their offspring to fall into the hands of lying politicians must not have any understanding of how exploitative these vile politicians are.
There is no reason that in this day and age with people being in a much better physical condition that many of these politicians could serve in military forces(even as medics).
Dont hold your breath as they prefer to sacrifice the children of other people.

[factual]

When did SF have a "protest" about this?

[Lothian Unionist]

Why do people seem to have a problem about the song or a poppy, when quite clearly the young lad and his family do not?

He is appearing on a BRITISH tv network who are promoting a song to help the recovery of British soldiers, imagine that eh?

Those who have an issue with it are showing their true bigoted side here, the troubles are over move on and accept it.

Either that just turn it over to RTE.

[Aindriu]

The only bloody thing about it for me is that we can't vote here in the south! He would definitely get my vote if I could.

As for the eejits using him as a political pawn - fecking well grow up you muppets!!!!!!!

[TheRedMole]

Row over X Factor star's 'troops snub' - Belfast Today

[Lothian Unionist]

The only bloody thing about it for me is that we can't vote here in the south! He would definitely get my vote if I could.

As for the eejits using him as a political pawn - fecking well grow up you muppets!!!!!!!

The wee man is a very good singer and I think he stands a good chance of winning it.