Speaking of Ireland, I just read this story on the website of The Globe and Mail.  Shell is attempting to build a controversial pipeline off the Irish coast, to transport unrefined natural gas from 80km off the coast to a proposed refinery site 9km inland in County Mayo.  Environmentalists and others have protested that this will destroy the ecosystem of the sparsely-populated region.  They suggest that Shell refine the natural gas on the site of the gasfield in the Atlantic.  Shell dismisses this option as being difficult, dangerous, and expensive. 

Last night, a masked group of protesters ransacked the construction site, specifically where the pipeline comes ashore in Co. Mayo.  But what is interesting about this is this line from The Globe's report (taken from AP): "It was the first time a paramilitary-style gang has attacked a Shell site in Ireland."

I find myself wondering if this had occurred anywhere else in the world if AP would feel it necessary to reference paramilitaries?