PARAMILITARY PRISONERS from the Real IRA and INLA joined forces to challenge staff at Portlaoise Prison in recent days in a dispute over the searching of cells at the jail.
Prison sources said the protest resulted in full chamber pots being thrown at staff, forcing the closure of a food preparation area. The same sources said the disturbance ended yesterday afternoon only after two INLA inmates were released from segregation.
The disturbance began on Sunday morning when the cells of a number of INLA inmates were searched on the E4 landing of the maximum security jail. A makeshift knife was found in one of the searched cells.
The INLA inmates were unhappy that the searches had taken place claiming they had been singled out for special treatment.
On Monday morning, they staged a protest, throwing the contents of their chamber pots on to the landing of their wing of the prison.
The contents of the pots ran down on to the E3 landing below, which houses Real IRA prisoners. The contents of the pots then ran down on to an area below the E3 landing forcing the closure of an area where food is prepared.
When other prisoners were asked to clean the area, they were threatened by the INLA group not to clean up.
The INLA inmates then broke through meshing which divides their cells from the Real IRA landing below.
In an unprecedented move, the two groups of inmates joined forces and demanded that two INLA prisoners who had been placed in segregation be returned to their cells. The prisoners in segregation were released and the protest ended.
The Prison Officers Association declined to comment. However, prison officer sources said they were disappointed the prisoners' demands were acceded to.
A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said the protest was "minor" and "non violent". It had been dealt with quickly and in a non-confrontational manner.
He said the two inmates had been placed in segregation to ease tensions and not as punishment. There was no question prison management had "bowed" to the demands of inmates in releasing the pair from segregation.
There are eight INLA and 30 Real IRA prisoners held at the jail. The protest since the weekend is believed the first time that members of the two groups, usually rivals, had held a joint protest.
