President Joe Biden, in attempting to pay tribute to his Irish rugby player cousin, managed to mix up the world-famous New Zealand team with an infamous group of constables known for their brutality during the Irish War of Independence.
“You see this tie I have with the shamrock on it?” Biden began. “This was given to me by one of these guys right here, who was a hell of a rugby player, and they beat the hell out of the Black and Tans … but it was when you were at Soldier Field, wasn’t it? Chicago.”
The Black and Tans were part-time officers who were overwhelmingly British and were recruited to bolster the numbers of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Ireland during the War of Independence and counter the terrorism threat posed by the Irish Republican Army. The group themselves were named for their distinctive uniform and became notorious for their own brutality. It was disbanded in 1921.
