THE Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, yesterday urged young nationalists to remain calm and disciplined and do nothing which would distract from the "disgraceful behaviour" of the RUC, unionist politicians and the British government.
At a rally in west Belfast, Mr Adams, who is attempting to quell republican street violence across the North and to strengthen pan nationalist pressure on the British government, said that recent events had validated the IRA's refusal to surrender its weapons.
Standing in front of a poster with the names and pictures of those killed by plastic bullets, Mr Adams said: "All of the excuses put up by the unionist leadership and then grabbed on to by the British government was that the IRA would have to surrender its weapons before there could be talks."
There was a chorus of "never" from the assembled crowd outside Andersonstown RUC barracks. Mr Adams continued: "If anyone ever wanted a reason why the IRA said it will not surrender its weapons, then look back on what happened this week."
Some 5,000 people took part in the black flag march to the RUC station. The demonstration was organised to express sympathy with the families of Mr Michael McGoldrick, the Catholic taxi driver shot dead by loyalists in Co Armagh last week, and Mr Dermot McShane, who was killed by a British army APC in Derry at the weekend.
Mr Adams appealed for political support from the Irish Government. "Mr Bruton has to stop preaching to the British about what is happening here. He has to start putting forward proper coherent strategies to face up to the fact that John Major's government is not interested in making peace and that he has reduced the peace process to a ruin."
The Government had to treat Northern nationalists like any other citizens on the island. Mr Bruton had to engage in a "root and branch review" of his strategy. Republicans had argued for a long time that unionists could not be allowed a veto, he said.
Events last week showed that "if you give unionist leaders an inch, they will take a mile". The Taoiseach and the British prime minister now presided over a peace process which lay "on the Garvaghy Road, on the streets of Derry, north Belfast and the lower Ormeau Road".
The two leaders had a "heavy responsibility to move the situation forward in an inclusive way". Sinn Fein, which represented 15.6 per cent of people in the North, could no longer be locked outside the talks process, Mr Adams said.
Mr Adams appealed to young nationalists to show restraint: "Let us be conscious that it is John Major and David Trimble and Ian Paisley who are in the dock. Let nothing be done to distract attention from their disgraceful behaviour this week. I have appealed for young people to be calm and restrained. We will work on the streets in an effort to bring that about."
Mr Adams condemned the RUC for firing thousands of plastic bullets in republican areas, but said republicans must "be led by our heads and not by our hearts".
Over 25 years, republicans had built an unstoppable dynamic. Mr Adams had every confidence that their "struggle" would eventually lead to the end of the Border and the British presence in Ireland.
Mr Adams addressed another rally attended by 2,000 people in north Belfast last night.