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News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
April 28, 2005
Charge People, Says IAUC
News About Ireland & The Irish
IE 04/29/05 Charge People, Says IAUC
IO 04/25/05 Spicer Security Firm Criticised By US Auditors
BB 04/28/05 Bomb Attack 'Racist', Police Say
IO 04/28/05 Dublin And London Urged To Consider Power-Sharing
UT 04/28/05 McLaughlin Challenges SDLP
BT 04/28/05 Second Inquest Into 1976 Dundalk Killing
BT 04/28/05 2002 Riots: Three Arrested
UI 04/28/05 Family Offer Reward To Help Find Daughter's Body
SM 04/28/05 Gerry Adams Under Fire Over Debate No-Show
UT 04/28/05 Orde:'Policing Moving Quickly'
IO 04/28/05 Corkman Denies IRA Membership Charge
UT 04/28/05 DUP Claims Its 'Uniting Unionists'
TE 04/28/05 IRA Still Recruiting & Targeting- Police Chief
SM 04/28/05 Ministers Urged To Take Tougher Stance
BN 04/28/05 British Army Sniper's Death Investigated
SW 04/28/05 Bloody Sunday Play Holds State To Account
********************
http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=16291
Charge People, Says IAUC
The Irish American Unity Conference wants to see justice done in the case of the
murder of Belfast man Robert McCartney.
But the lobby group doesn't want the investigation to stand in the way of a return to
devolved government.
"We want to see arrests and we want to see people going to court. But you don't deny
people a government because of the committing of a crime," said IAUC national
president Andy Somers.
The McCartney case had become "a British smokescreen," Somers, a retired judge, said.
"This is another issue that the British have the Irish fighting over."
********************
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=2995530&p=z995545
Spicer Security Firm Criticised By US Auditors
25/04/2005 - 19:09:10
A controversial British security firm awarded a lucrative contract in Iraq defended
itself tonight in the wake of damning criticism by US inspectors.
Aegis Defence Services won a US government contract to help secure war-torn Iraq,
protect aid workers and officials and coordinate numerous private security companies.
But a Pentagon audit report found it had failed to provide adequate weapons training
for employees and did not properly vet Iraqi guards who could have posed a threat.
The report, published by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq
Reconstruction, said Aegis had not complied with several parts of its contract.
“There is no assurance that Aegis is providing the best safety and security for the
government and reconstruction contractor personnel and facilities,” auditors said,
although they added that concerns were being addressed.
The London-based firm was founded by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer.
The decision to award the three-year contract to Aegis last May angered Irish
nationalists and Irish-Americans because Mr Spicer spoke out in defence of two
soldiers who were convicted of murdering 18-year-old Peter McBride in 1992.
Mr Spicer, who was also embroiled in the Arms-to-Africa affair in the late 1990s, said
he was “delighted” when Scots Guards James Fisher and Mark Wright were not dismissed
from the British military.
The Washington-based Irish National Caucus led a campaign to block the Aegis contract
and wrote to President George Bush insisting it was covered in blood and should be
ripped up.
Caucus president, Fr Sean McManus, said of the audit report: “The real issue here is
not that Spicer’s employees are unqualified. The real issue is that Spicer is
unqualified.
“He practised and condoned state terrorism in Northern Ireland and he will leave a
trail of mischief and tears in Iraq.”
Mr Spicer came to prominence in a 1999 report into the flouting of a UN arms embargo
on Sierra Leone.
A parliamentary committee attacked senior foreign office officials for treating the
embargo in a “disgracefully casual manner”.
A company of which Mr Spicer was then a director, Sandline International, had been
supplying arms to the deposed President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Kabbah.
Mr Spicer said he had been acting with the knowledge and support of the British
government.
He also intervened in Papua New Guinea in 1997 and the army there subsequently
launched a coup.
********************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/4494927.stm
Bomb Attack 'Racist', Police Say
A pipe bomb attack at a house in County Tyrone is being treated as racist, the police
have said.
The device was discovered outside a house in Greenfield Park in Fivemiletown, which is
occupied by migrant workers from eastern Europe.
Police said the device, which was dealt with by the army, could have caused serious
injuries if it had exploded.
They have removed several items for examintaion. A number of houses were evacuated
during the alert.
The Clabby Road which was closed, has been reopened.
Inspector Alwyn Barton said local people were horrified by the incident, which he said
was not representative of the community.
"This is purely and simply racism at its worst," Mr Barton said.
It is understood two of the men who live in the house are Estonian and one Lithuanian.
Police have appealed for anyone who was in the area from 0900 BST and witnessed any
suspicious activity to contact detectives in Dungannon.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/04/28 19:26:14 GMT
© BBC MMV
********************
http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3231214
Dublin And London Urged To Consider Power-Sharing
online.ie
2005-04-28 18:30:05+01
The Irish and British governments must be prepared to share power in Northern Ireland
if unionists refuse to go into government with nationalists, a senior Sinn Féin
negotiator insisted tonight.
As unionist leaders continued to insist Sinn Féin cannot be granted a place in
government because of IRA activity, the party's general secretary Mitchel McLaughlin
urged London and Dublin to present the UUP and DUP with a stark choice.
"If, following the elections, the unionist parties continue to find excuses for
refusing to share power, then it is incumbent on the two governments to share power in
keeping with their obligations to deliver change in keeping with the Good Friday
Agreement," he said.
"The people mandated a locally devolved administration here and we are not prepared to
abandon that. But the governments carry a primary responsibility to jointly deliver
the promise of the Agreement in the interim.
"The unionist parties are happy to share power where they have no alternative as is
demonstrated in those councils throughout the North where nationalists are in the
majority.
"The two governments should put a stark choice to those who would continue to reject
democracy.
"The DUP and UUP will be glad to share power if faced with the choice of having no
power at all and therein lies the clue for the governments in dealing with a sterile
unionist position after the elections."
Devolution has been suspended in Northern Ireland since October 2002 when Stormont's
power-sharing executive threatened to totally collapse over allegations of IRA spying.
There have been three failed attempts to revive power sharing - two of them involving
Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionists and one last December involving republicans and the
Reverend Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists.
Unionists have insisted they will never share power with Sinn Féin while the IRA
continue to recruit, train and target.
They have also responded sceptically to the IRA's internal debate about its future,
following Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams's appeal to the Provisionals to consider
abandoning armed struggle.
The DUP, UUP and cross community Alliance Party's election manifestos have all
suggested politics in Northern Ireland should not be put on pause while republicans
make up their minds.
They have called for the replacement of the current system of power-sharing at
Stormont which forces the DUP, UUP, nationalist SDLP and Sinn Féin into government
together and have advocated instead a voluntary coalition between some of the parties.
Nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan has, however, ruled the proposal out.
The Ulster Unionists' David Burnside said recent reports about the involvement of
senior Sinn Féin leaders in the IRA Army Council made them unfit for government.
The South Antrim candidate argued: "The godfathers of Sinn Féin's paramilitary and
criminal empire must be shunned by all democrats.
"It is time the two unionist parties, Alliance and the SDLP moved on to govern Ulster
without them."
Mr Adams was also under fire today from SDLP, Ulster Unionist and independent
candidates in his constituency after he did not take part in a debate on paramilitary
shootings and beatings.
The SDLP's West Belfast candidate Alex Attwood said: "His non-attendance at the event
would seem to be in line with his comment in Derry that criminality is not an issue in
this election.
"The reality is that it is very much an issue for voters and people in this election."
Independent candidate Liam Kennedy also described the Sinn Féin leader's no show as
disgraceful and detected considerable scepticism about Mr Adams's appeal to the IRA.
"It is not being taken at face value here in Belfast or in Dublin," he said.
"People want action on ending paramilitary activity, not words."
Mr Durkan tonight expressed concern that Sinn Féin and the DUP would try again to
"Balkanise" Northern Ireland if they triumphed at the British general election.
The Foyle Assembly member noted comments from Mr Adams that he believed that despite
all the rhetoric from the Reverend Ian Paisley, a deal could be reached by his party
with the DUP.
"The SDLP is more sceptical and nationalists will be too. Sinn Féin suspended
disbelief about the DUP at last year's Leeds Castle talks and yet look at the results.
"No one should suspend disbelief now. That's why if people let Sinn Féin and the DUP
take over we are likely to have only more stalemates, suspension and polarisation.
"Even if they can do a deal, does anyone think that the parties who gave us the worst
of our past can give us the best of our future ?"
********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59635&pt=n
McLaughlin Challenges SDLP
The nationalist SDLP was challenged today to say whether it would back a post-election
referendum on Irish unity.
By:Press Association
Sinn Fein general secretary Mitchel McLaughlin, who is engaged in a fierce battle with
the SDLP`s leader Mark Durkan for the Foyle House of Commons seat, called on his
rivals to demonstrate their support for a united Ireland by demanding a border poll.
The Foyle Assembly member said: "Given our two parties espoused position in favour of
Irish unity, I would expect that the SDLP would back an immediate call for a
referendum on partition.
"After the elections are over, we intend to engage the SDLP on how we can best
prosecute the united Ireland agenda with the parties and the two governments.
"Both parties - Sinn Fein and the SDLP - are saying the same thing: we wish for a
united Ireland. Both parties should therefore push for a referendum on the border
immediately following the elections."
Sinn Fein and the SDLP have both released strategy documents for achieving a united
Ireland.
The SDLP argued it would preserve the Stormont Assembly and Executive set up under the
Good Friday Agreement in a united Ireland as well as the accord`s equality and human
rights protections including a Bill of Rights.
In a united Ireland, people living in the six counties which make up Northern Ireland
would still be able to describe themselves as British or Irish and there would be
seats in the House of Lords for those who wish to have representation there.
There would be more representation for Northern Ireland parties in the Dail in a
united Ireland than there is at Westminster and the Irish constitution would be
amended to guarantee the future of the Stormont Assembly as a regional parliament of a
united Ireland and key protections in the Good Friday Agreement.
Their document also insisted a referendum should be held once the Good Friday
Agreement institutions were bedded down and stable.
Sinn Fein`s discussion paper calls on the Irish Government to draw up a strategy
towards Irish unity, with a Green paper completed within one year identifying steps
and measures which can assist and promote the successful transition to a united
Ireland.
The Irish Government, the party believes, should negotiate the issue with the British
Government and support should also be sought internationally.
The Green Paper would be referred to a joint committee of both houses of Parliament in
Dublin to monitor, assess and report on how it is being implemented and a Government
minister appointed to oversee its implementation.
Northern Ireland MPs would also be given automatic representation in the Dail and also
a determined number of seats allocated to nationalist, unionist and other parties
north of the border based on party strength, with citizens there able to vote members
of the Seanad (Senate) and for the Irish President.
********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=633459
Second Inquest Into 1976 Dundalk Killing
By Michael McHugh
27 April 2005
Campaigners for the family of alleged UDR murder victim Seamus Ludlow last night
welcomed news that a second inquest is to be held into his death.
The Dundalk forestry worker was shot dead in May 1976 and dumped in a lane near his
home, allegedly by north Down loyalists from the Red Hand Commandos who were also
allegedly connected to the UDR, although no one was ever convicted.
Mr Ludlow's family have been campaigning for a full public inquiry into his death amid
concerns about the failed joint Garda/RUC murder investigation.
Louth County Coroner Ronan Maguire announced his intention to hold a preliminary
inquest into the death in May after being asked to re-open the case by the Irish
Attorney General.
Ludlow family solicitor James MacGuill said there were a number of issues to be
addressed.
"There are circumstances which led to him being abducted and there were also issues
surrounding the political use of his death by the Garda in their failure to inform the
family.
"There was also the issue surrounding the manner in which suspects were not fully
investigated. It was better for people to think that the IRA had shot someone," he
said.
Initially, the family was told republicans may have shot 47-year-old Mr Ludlow, who
was picked up on his way home from a bar near Dundalk, as an informer.
The RUC interviewed four men in relation to the killing but none were prosecuted.
One of the interviewees allegedly claimed to have witnessed the event and identified
the killers and their UDR and paramilitary background.
********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=633258
2002 Riots: Three Arrested
By Debra Douglas
26 April 2005
Three men were arrested in the Short Strand area of the city this morning in
connection with attempted murders during riots three years ago.
The men were arrested for questioning about five alleged counts of attempted murder in
the loyalist Cluan Place area in June 2002 during days of street violence there.
Shots were fired, vehicles were hijacked, houses set on fire and pipe bombs were
thrown when rival gangs clashed at the interface between Cluan Place and Clandeboye
Gardens.
On one night alone, five people were wounded by gunfire during hand-to-hand combat
involving up to 1,000 people in the Short Strand/Newtownards Road area.
Terrified residents were forced to flee their homes as intense rioting continued
throughout the summer months that year.
A police spokeswoman confirmed the arrests were made in the Short Strand area this
morning in connection with five alleged counts of attempted murder in the Cluan Place
area in June 2002.
********************
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=141341906&p=y4y34z6yz
Family Offer Reward To Help Find Daughter's Body
28/04/2005 - 18:16:27
A murdered shop assistant's anguished family today offered a £10,000 ( €14,794) reward
to help find her body.
Lisa Dorrian vanished from a caravan site party along the Ards Peninsula in Northern
Ireland two months ago.
Loyalist paramilitaries have been blamed for her killing.
But despite a massive air, land and sea hunt for the blonde 25-year-old's remains,
police have so far drawn a blank.
In a bid to end their torment, the Dorrians made an emotional appeal for help.
Lisa's sisters Michelle and Joanne held hands as their father John told how their
lives have been ruined.
He said: "We as a family are offering a reward of £10,000 to any one individual person
or persons collectively who provides information that directly leads to the recovery
of Lisa's body.
"We are not asking for information on who committed that horrific crime, we are purely
asking for someone to tell us where our daughter is.
"We are destroyed over her death and will grieve for the rest of our lives. But we
cannot grieve properly or try to move on until we have been able to give her a proper
Christian burial.
"Lisa has been taken from us and it has ripped our lives apart, but someone, somewhere
can answer our prayer and help us in locating her and lay her properly to rest."
His wife Patricia sobbed during the press conference as the intense strain on the
family showed.
Three men have been questioned over her disappearance but later released.
Lisa went missing from the caravan park in Ballyhalbert, 10 miles from her home in
Bangor, Co Down, on February 28.
She left behind her handbag and personal belongings.
Graffiti appeared soon after accusing the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a splinter terror
group heavily involved in drugs and racketeering.
Messages painted on the entrance of the village's Moatlands Estate read: `PSNI (Police
Service of Northern Ireland): ask the LVF where Lisa is' and `LVF drug-dealing scum'.
But today's appeal was not about bringing the killers to justice.
Joanne Dorrian urged whoever knew what happened to her sister to simply do the right
thing for the family.
Her voice trembling with grief, she said: "Lisa was a beautiful, kind girl who was
liked by everyone she met.
"We are begging you to help us. Please tell us where she is."
********************
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4471918
Gerry Adams Under Fire Over Debate No-Show
By Dan McGinn, PA Ireland Political Editor
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Democratic Unionist Assembly member Diane Dodds were
today under fire for failing to attend a debate with other West Belfast election
candidates on paramilitaries.
Nationalist SDLP Assembly member Alex Attwood and Ulster Unionist councillor Chris
McGimpsey rounded on their rivals over the no-show at the event in Belfast’s Europa
Hotel.
Workers Party candidate John Lowry and Independent Liam Kennedy also took part during
the breakfast debate.
However, the loyalist Progressive Unionist turned down an invitation.
Mrs Dodds had told the organisers that she could not attend because she was on a
school run.
However Mr McGimpsey said: “You would think that on this serious issue that the DUP
candidate would be present, especially if she is claiming that she will be strong to
unionism in West Belfast.”
Mr Attwood lambasted Gerry Adams for failing to respond to an invitation to debate
IRA, other republican and loyalist punishment attacks and beatings and criminality.
“His non-attendance at the event would seem to be in line with his comment in Derry
that criminality is not an issue in this election,” the West Belfast Assembly member
said.
“The reality is that it is very much an issue for voters and people in this election.”
********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59631&pt=n
Orde:'Policing Moving Quickly'
Policing in Northern Ireland is moving on a lot more quickly than some of Northern
Ireland's politicians, Chief Constable Hugh Orde claimed today.
By:Press Association
As he presented 50 officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland with the Chief
Constable`s Highly Commended Awards, Mr Orde claimed the force was leading the way in
community policing in Europe.
Among the recipients of the award in Belfast City Hall was Constable Alan Swann who
helped resuscitate a three-year-old boy at the Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle, Co
Antrim two years ago.
He used life saving techniques until an ambulance arrived at the scene and the boy
made a full recovery.
Mr Orde said the awards proved policing was working in Northern Ireland despite what
some people claimed.
"These are facts. None of this is made up," he said.
"These are officers who did go into burning buildings, they gave mouth to mouth
resuscitation to people who were not in a very pleasant condition.
"They just got on with it. Some got attacked. Some had guns pointed at them and didn`t
shoot but made the arrests.
"If someone points a gun at a police officer in most countries, most police officers
open fire.
"We have a number of officers here today who faced that situation and made a split
second decision that they could arrest this person without actually shooting them and
did so.
"I`m not sure I`d want to do that but there are some really brave events, brave things
across the spectrum."
Constable Norman Gibson, who devised Operation Clean Up which seized and destroyed
over 1,500 illegal, untaxed cars used by criminals was also honoured.
Another recipient was Constable Gordon Crossley, who used a Land Rover to rescue a man
from a blazing flat above a shop, shielding him from the flames.
The Chief Constable said: "I think in some areas we lead Europe in community policing.
"I have been out on foot patrol in Crossmaglen a couple of months ago, hearing the
police officers talking about the same sort of things they would be talking about in
south London - how to make their community safer.
"When I went to Coalisland we were met by the local priest on a foot patrol without
soldiers."
With mainstream republicans still refusing to take seats on the Policing Board, the
Chief Constable added: "The world is moving on very quickly.
"What I think is quite interesting is I think we are moving on more quickly than many
of the elected representatives and if they don`t come on board policing, they are
going to be left behind."
********************
http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3231134
Corkman Denies IRA Membership Charge
online.ie
2005-04-28 15:00:05+01
A Corkman arrested on suspicion of membership of an illegal organisation had tattoos
including the Irish flag and Oglaigh na hEireann on his arms, the Special Criminal
Criminal Court heard today.
Garda Fergal Lucey said when he examined Aidan O' Driscoll at Mayfield Garda Station
in December 2003 he found a tattoo of the Irish flag on his right arm and on his left
arm two Irish flags with the words Oglaigh na hEireann and Saoirse.
Garda Lucey, who was member in charge at Mayfield at the time, was giving evidence on
the 12th day of the trial of three Corkmen and two Limerick men who have denied
membership of an illegal organisation.
The five men are Ciaran O' Dwyer, aged 50, of Castletroy View, Limerick, John Murphy,
aged 25, of Ashburton House, Kilbarry, Old Mallow Road, Cork, Ultan Larkin, aged 34,
of The Bungalow, Farranshone, Limerick, Gerard Varian, aged 45, of Bride Valley View,
Fairhill, Cork and Aidan O' Driscoll, aged 25, of Glenheights Park, Ballyvolane, Cork.
They have all pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styling
itself Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA on
December 15, 2003.
Prosecuting counsel Mr John Edwards SC has said the five men were allegedly members of
the Real IRA.
Detective Inspector John Quilter told the court he carried out six interviews with
O'Driscoll at Mayfield Garda Station on December 15 and 16, 2003.
He said that when asked about membership of an illegal organisation, O' Driscoll
replied: "I am not a member of an illegal organisation, never was and never will be."
O' Driscoll denied knowing anything about a rucksack found near Glanmire in Co Cork in
2001 which contained 169 rounds of ammunition and assorted documents, including one
entitled "General Head Quarters, General Army Orders, revised spring 1999."
Detective Inspector Quilter said that O' Driscoll remained silent when he was asked
about 19 of his fingerprints which were found on one of the documents in the rucksack.
The trial continues tomorrow.
********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59643&pt=n
DUP Claims Its 'Uniting Unionists'
Unionists are uniting around the Democratic Unionist Party, its deputy leader claimed
today.
By:Press Association
East Belfast MP Peter Robinson claimed unionist voters were plumping for his party`s
candidates in constituencies where nationalists could win.
And he also claimed the biggest challenge facing the DUP after the election was
advancing the cause of uniting unionism.
Following UK Unionist leader Robert McCartney`s call yesterday for his supporters to
back DUP candidates in all 18 Westminster constituencies, Mr Robinson declared: "With
the DUP now the mainstream voice of unionism, the UUP has been relegated to the
margins of political debate.
"This is a process which has been ongoing for a number of years and has seen hundreds
of former Ulster Unionists joining the party at every level.
"With people who have never been involved in politics joining along with converts from
the UUP, the DUP is the unionist party that is moving forward.
"This shift is proving that unionists are uniting around the DUP as the party to take
forward the cause of the Union."
Both the DUP and David Trimble`s Ulster Unionists are contesting all 18 Westminster
constituencies in Northern Ireland.
In the November 2003 Assembly Elections, the Rev Ian Paisley`s party overtook the UUP
as the largest unionist party and biggest party in Northern Ireland - a result which
was reinforced in last year`s European Parliament Elections.
The DUP is aggressively targeting the five UUP House of Commons seats in East Antrim,
South Antrim, South Belfast, North Down and Mr Trimble`s constituency in Upper Bann.
However yesterday South Antrim MP David Burnside claimed his party`s vote could prove
more robust than some pundits were predicting.
The Ulster Unionist, who faces a dogfight with the DUP`s Rev William McCrea for the
South Antrim seat, also claimed he did not believe there would be an electoral wipe-
out of his party.
Mr Robinson said today voters believed the DUP had provided strong leadership for the
Union and over the past 18 months since the Assembly Election had proven it was safe
in its hands.
"There is a stark contrast between the single positive voice of the DUP and the
divided and discredited Ulster Unionist Party," the former Stormont Regional
Development Minister said.
"This message is coming across every night on the doorsteps."
The DUP deputy leader said it was essential unionists rallied round his party to
prevent Sinn Fein from becoming the largest Northern Ireland party.
He accused the UUP of not be willing to enter an electoral pact which would allow
unionists to win seats under threat from nationalists.
But Mr Robinson said unionist voters in those constituencies were, however, choosing
to back the DUP as the only party that could win them.
"After the election, the challenge facing the DUP as the dominant unionist party will
be to further the cause of unionist unity," he said.
"May 5 is not the end of the process of uniting unionism but merely another stage in
this long-term goal. We must continue to build the widest possible coalition of
support for the message the DUP has been setting out during this campaign.
"After years of division, unionist unity is finally coming about not between the UUP
and DUP but within the Democratic Unionist Party. This is good for unionism and after
years of unionist decline offers hope for the future."
********************
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/29/nira29.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/04/29/ixnewstop.html
The IRA Is Still Recruiting And Targeting, Warns Police Chief
By Tom Peterkin
(Filed: 29/04/2005)
Northern Ireland's most senior policeman said yesterday that the IRA was continuing to
recruit volunteers despite Gerry Adams's plea for an end to the armed struggle.
Hugh Orde, the province's chief constable, supported claims made last week by Bertie
Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, when he said the Provisionals were still active.
Although Mr Orde said he was "clear" that the Provisional IRA was not going back to an
armed struggle, he added: "We know they are still recruiting, they still target, they
still carry out the activities that they have always done with the exception of going
out to kill soldiers, police, civilians, members of the public."
Mr Adams, the Sinn Fein president, has said that the IRA had begun internal
discussions as to whether it should follow his call to forsake violence for politics.
But his declaration has been met with a sceptical response among Sinn Fein's opponents
on both sides of the border, with rival politicians dismissing it as a ruse to
maximise the republican vote.
Mr Orde, who is head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said it was now for
republicans to prove this claim was more than just words. "I have always said I'd wait
and see. Actions speak louder than words and currently I haven't seen an awful lot of
action that suggests that there is going to be a fundamental shift.
"That doesn't mean there won't be but, as we said when the loyalists declared their
renewed ceasefire, we'll wait and see. We didn't have to wait long to see, there. We
arrested a lot of them."
Mr Orde said dissident hardline republican terror groups such as the Real and
Continuity IRA were still trying to cause disruption but had been thwarted by arrests.
David Liddington, the Conservative Party's Northern Ireland spokesman, said Mr Orde's
remarks demonstrated that Sinn Fein and the IRA still had far to go to achieve
credibility.
"The fact that the IRA is still recruiting and targeting, in addition to its
involvement in other criminal activities, will do nothing to convince the law-abiding
majority - Unionist and nationalist - in Northern Ireland that they are about to
abandon the option of violence.
''For that to happen, republican involvement in crime must end. Sinn Fein should
support the police. The IRA has to decommission its illegally-held arms. Until that
happens, there is no question of a Conservative Government accepting Sinn Fein into
the government of Northern Ireland."
Mitchel McLaughlin, the Sinn Fein general secretary, described Mr Orde's comments as
"yet another political intervention''.
He said: "Given the fact that these remarks come in the midst of an election campaign
and at a time when the initiative by Gerry Adams offers the prospect of forward
movement, many questions will be raised about the intentions of the PSNI.''
********************
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4474620
Ministers Urged To Take Tougher Stance
By Dan McGinn, PA Ireland Political Editor
The Government must take a tougher position on the display of sectarian flags and
display of paramilitary symbols in Northern Ireland, ministers were urged today.
The nationalist SDLP called for the introduction of a new Sectarian and Hate Crimes
Act which would outlaw flags and graffiti in Northern Ireland, regulate bonfires and
act against incitement to hatred on the Internet.
Outlining his party’s anti-sectarian strategy, East Antrim candidate Danny O‘Connor,
who in recent weeks has had to leave his home following a series of attacks, said
people wanted to live and mix with other communities without fear of violence or
intimidation.
“But what do we have?” he asked.
“Paramilitary bully boys tearing our communities and society apart, attack and fear of
attack driving people from their homes, a silent, steady segregation of our society.
“That might suit Sinn Fein and the DUP who want to carve the north (of Ireland) up
between them but it will wreck our society.”
The SDLP‘s document claimed a Sectarian and Hate Crimes Act would:
Outlaw sectarian and racist chanting on the terraces at football matches.
Prevent bands who promote hate or display paramilitary symbols from taking part in
marches.
Oblige every council to draw up plans for promoting sharing and tackling hatred in
line with existing community relations legislation.
Create a Good Relations Commission to spearhead efforts for improved community
relations and supervise councils.
The party also called for:
The creation of a Shared Future Forum involving employers, trade union and the
community and voluntary sector to agree common action to promote sharing and combat
hate.
Mixed housing estates and the removal of those responsible for sectarian and other
hate crime from areas as opposed to their victims.
Co-ordinated action in education for sharing and cross community contact involving
schools, teacher training and the Youth Service.
Common action between the Governments in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic
against racism, incitement to hatred law reform and community relations.
Mr O‘Connor said Government needed to take a lead on tackling sectarianism,
particularly on the issue of flags.
“I don‘t need a flag to tell me that I am Irish,” he said.
“Nor should people need a flag to tell them that they are British.
“Nobody should want to see their flag used as a red card, warning members of the other
community to get out and stay out – or be put out.
“If the British Government is in any way serious about hate, they have got to act on
flags.
“They cannot just wash their hands of this situation when every summer, in places like
Larne, communities are left in fear for their homes and even their lives as the local
hardmen lord it over all of us.”
********************
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=576ae39e124b7a45
British Army Sniper's Death Investigated
Big News Network.com Tuesday 26th April, 2005 (UPI)
Scotland Yard is investigating the London shooting death of a former British army
sniper who was prominent in the Northern Ireland campaign.
Retired Warrant Officer Michael Norman, 62, formerly of the Coldstream Guards, was
found with a bullet wound to the stomach in a green BMW April 17 with a 9 mm handgun
nearby.
Norman, who left the army in 1989 after 22 years, built a reputation in Northern
Ireland and other operational theaters as a high-grade sniper. He is reputed to have
killed as many as six Irish Republican Army gunmen during anti-terrorist operations,
The Times of London reported Tuesday.
He was also an anonymous witness at the inquiry into the Bloody Sunday deaths in
Londonderry in 1972, according to his former wife, Fiona McNab.
********************
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php4?article_id=6346
Bloody Sunday Play Holds State To Account
Civil rights leader Bernadette McAliskey (formerly Devlin) is played by Sorcha Cusack.
In this scene she is questioned as part of the Saville Inquiry (Pic: Tristam Kenton)
A dramatisation of the Saville Inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings uncovers the
truth, says Eamonn McCann
The reality that Bloody Sunday the play depicts is not that of Bloody Sunday itself,
but of the tribunal.
Richard Norton-Taylor has done a marvellous job of distilling four years of evidence
into two hours on stage. He has drawn out all the main themes, such as the extent to
which British soldiers had suffered total amnesia in circumstances in which they had
opened fire and killed people. British generals were also absolutely unable to justify
the situation.
The play also brings out the tensions. The relatives of the dead had fought to get a
tribunal, but were also wary about it because of attacks on it by Conservatives and
Unionists.
People are still waiting to see if Saville will tell the truth. They are not
convinced, and that is a subtle thing to get across. There are particular moments
which get across the reality of people listening to evidence of how their relatives
died.
The tribunal dredged up memories. A lot of people gave evidence who had not spoken
about Bloody Sunday for nearly 30 years.
A number of relatives are wondering whether the play will come to Derry and be shown
in the Guildhall, where much of the inquiry took place. It would interesting for a
play to be performed in the location where the reality it is based on took place.
The play alerts people and is useful in drawing out the main facts. It refocuses
attention on the inquiry and the Bloody Sunday killings.
Bloody Sunday was the biggest loss of civilians at the hands of state forces in
Northern Ireland. Unlike all the other atrocities in Northern Ireland, it took place
in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses. The people of Derry know what happened
on Bloody Sunday. They saw it. I saw it.
The inquiry was not a search for the truth, but a search to discover whether the
British ruling class can admit what it has done to its own citizens.
The key question when the state murders its citizens is whether it can be brought to
account for its actions. This play is part of doing that.
Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry is at the Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn
High Road, London NW6 (Kilburn tube) until 7 May. Phone 020 7328 1000.
IE 04/29/05 Charge People, Says IAUC
IO 04/25/05 Spicer Security Firm Criticised By US Auditors
BB 04/28/05 Bomb Attack 'Racist', Police Say
IO 04/28/05 Dublin And London Urged To Consider Power-Sharing
UT 04/28/05 McLaughlin Challenges SDLP
BT 04/28/05 Second Inquest Into 1976 Dundalk Killing
BT 04/28/05 2002 Riots: Three Arrested
UI 04/28/05 Family Offer Reward To Help Find Daughter's Body
SM 04/28/05 Gerry Adams Under Fire Over Debate No-Show
UT 04/28/05 Orde:'Policing Moving Quickly'
IO 04/28/05 Corkman Denies IRA Membership Charge
UT 04/28/05 DUP Claims Its 'Uniting Unionists'
TE 04/28/05 IRA Still Recruiting & Targeting- Police Chief
SM 04/28/05 Ministers Urged To Take Tougher Stance
BN 04/28/05 British Army Sniper's Death Investigated
SW 04/28/05 Bloody Sunday Play Holds State To Account
********************
http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=16291
Charge People, Says IAUC
The Irish American Unity Conference wants to see justice done in the case of the
murder of Belfast man Robert McCartney.
But the lobby group doesn't want the investigation to stand in the way of a return to
devolved government.
"We want to see arrests and we want to see people going to court. But you don't deny
people a government because of the committing of a crime," said IAUC national
president Andy Somers.
The McCartney case had become "a British smokescreen," Somers, a retired judge, said.
"This is another issue that the British have the Irish fighting over."
********************
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=2995530&p=z995545
Spicer Security Firm Criticised By US Auditors
25/04/2005 - 19:09:10
A controversial British security firm awarded a lucrative contract in Iraq defended
itself tonight in the wake of damning criticism by US inspectors.
Aegis Defence Services won a US government contract to help secure war-torn Iraq,
protect aid workers and officials and coordinate numerous private security companies.
But a Pentagon audit report found it had failed to provide adequate weapons training
for employees and did not properly vet Iraqi guards who could have posed a threat.
The report, published by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq
Reconstruction, said Aegis had not complied with several parts of its contract.
“There is no assurance that Aegis is providing the best safety and security for the
government and reconstruction contractor personnel and facilities,” auditors said,
although they added that concerns were being addressed.
The London-based firm was founded by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer.
The decision to award the three-year contract to Aegis last May angered Irish
nationalists and Irish-Americans because Mr Spicer spoke out in defence of two
soldiers who were convicted of murdering 18-year-old Peter McBride in 1992.
Mr Spicer, who was also embroiled in the Arms-to-Africa affair in the late 1990s, said
he was “delighted” when Scots Guards James Fisher and Mark Wright were not dismissed
from the British military.
The Washington-based Irish National Caucus led a campaign to block the Aegis contract
and wrote to President George Bush insisting it was covered in blood and should be
ripped up.
Caucus president, Fr Sean McManus, said of the audit report: “The real issue here is
not that Spicer’s employees are unqualified. The real issue is that Spicer is
unqualified.
“He practised and condoned state terrorism in Northern Ireland and he will leave a
trail of mischief and tears in Iraq.”
Mr Spicer came to prominence in a 1999 report into the flouting of a UN arms embargo
on Sierra Leone.
A parliamentary committee attacked senior foreign office officials for treating the
embargo in a “disgracefully casual manner”.
A company of which Mr Spicer was then a director, Sandline International, had been
supplying arms to the deposed President of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Kabbah.
Mr Spicer said he had been acting with the knowledge and support of the British
government.
He also intervened in Papua New Guinea in 1997 and the army there subsequently
launched a coup.
********************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/4494927.stm
Bomb Attack 'Racist', Police Say
A pipe bomb attack at a house in County Tyrone is being treated as racist, the police
have said.
The device was discovered outside a house in Greenfield Park in Fivemiletown, which is
occupied by migrant workers from eastern Europe.
Police said the device, which was dealt with by the army, could have caused serious
injuries if it had exploded.
They have removed several items for examintaion. A number of houses were evacuated
during the alert.
The Clabby Road which was closed, has been reopened.
Inspector Alwyn Barton said local people were horrified by the incident, which he said
was not representative of the community.
"This is purely and simply racism at its worst," Mr Barton said.
It is understood two of the men who live in the house are Estonian and one Lithuanian.
Police have appealed for anyone who was in the area from 0900 BST and witnessed any
suspicious activity to contact detectives in Dungannon.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/04/28 19:26:14 GMT
© BBC MMV
********************
http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3231214
Dublin And London Urged To Consider Power-Sharing
online.ie
2005-04-28 18:30:05+01
The Irish and British governments must be prepared to share power in Northern Ireland
if unionists refuse to go into government with nationalists, a senior Sinn Féin
negotiator insisted tonight.
As unionist leaders continued to insist Sinn Féin cannot be granted a place in
government because of IRA activity, the party's general secretary Mitchel McLaughlin
urged London and Dublin to present the UUP and DUP with a stark choice.
"If, following the elections, the unionist parties continue to find excuses for
refusing to share power, then it is incumbent on the two governments to share power in
keeping with their obligations to deliver change in keeping with the Good Friday
Agreement," he said.
"The people mandated a locally devolved administration here and we are not prepared to
abandon that. But the governments carry a primary responsibility to jointly deliver
the promise of the Agreement in the interim.
"The unionist parties are happy to share power where they have no alternative as is
demonstrated in those councils throughout the North where nationalists are in the
majority.
"The two governments should put a stark choice to those who would continue to reject
democracy.
"The DUP and UUP will be glad to share power if faced with the choice of having no
power at all and therein lies the clue for the governments in dealing with a sterile
unionist position after the elections."
Devolution has been suspended in Northern Ireland since October 2002 when Stormont's
power-sharing executive threatened to totally collapse over allegations of IRA spying.
There have been three failed attempts to revive power sharing - two of them involving
Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionists and one last December involving republicans and the
Reverend Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists.
Unionists have insisted they will never share power with Sinn Féin while the IRA
continue to recruit, train and target.
They have also responded sceptically to the IRA's internal debate about its future,
following Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams's appeal to the Provisionals to consider
abandoning armed struggle.
The DUP, UUP and cross community Alliance Party's election manifestos have all
suggested politics in Northern Ireland should not be put on pause while republicans
make up their minds.
They have called for the replacement of the current system of power-sharing at
Stormont which forces the DUP, UUP, nationalist SDLP and Sinn Féin into government
together and have advocated instead a voluntary coalition between some of the parties.
Nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan has, however, ruled the proposal out.
The Ulster Unionists' David Burnside said recent reports about the involvement of
senior Sinn Féin leaders in the IRA Army Council made them unfit for government.
The South Antrim candidate argued: "The godfathers of Sinn Féin's paramilitary and
criminal empire must be shunned by all democrats.
"It is time the two unionist parties, Alliance and the SDLP moved on to govern Ulster
without them."
Mr Adams was also under fire today from SDLP, Ulster Unionist and independent
candidates in his constituency after he did not take part in a debate on paramilitary
shootings and beatings.
The SDLP's West Belfast candidate Alex Attwood said: "His non-attendance at the event
would seem to be in line with his comment in Derry that criminality is not an issue in
this election.
"The reality is that it is very much an issue for voters and people in this election."
Independent candidate Liam Kennedy also described the Sinn Féin leader's no show as
disgraceful and detected considerable scepticism about Mr Adams's appeal to the IRA.
"It is not being taken at face value here in Belfast or in Dublin," he said.
"People want action on ending paramilitary activity, not words."
Mr Durkan tonight expressed concern that Sinn Féin and the DUP would try again to
"Balkanise" Northern Ireland if they triumphed at the British general election.
The Foyle Assembly member noted comments from Mr Adams that he believed that despite
all the rhetoric from the Reverend Ian Paisley, a deal could be reached by his party
with the DUP.
"The SDLP is more sceptical and nationalists will be too. Sinn Féin suspended
disbelief about the DUP at last year's Leeds Castle talks and yet look at the results.
"No one should suspend disbelief now. That's why if people let Sinn Féin and the DUP
take over we are likely to have only more stalemates, suspension and polarisation.
"Even if they can do a deal, does anyone think that the parties who gave us the worst
of our past can give us the best of our future ?"
********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59635&pt=n
McLaughlin Challenges SDLP
The nationalist SDLP was challenged today to say whether it would back a post-election
referendum on Irish unity.
By:Press Association
Sinn Fein general secretary Mitchel McLaughlin, who is engaged in a fierce battle with
the SDLP`s leader Mark Durkan for the Foyle House of Commons seat, called on his
rivals to demonstrate their support for a united Ireland by demanding a border poll.
The Foyle Assembly member said: "Given our two parties espoused position in favour of
Irish unity, I would expect that the SDLP would back an immediate call for a
referendum on partition.
"After the elections are over, we intend to engage the SDLP on how we can best
prosecute the united Ireland agenda with the parties and the two governments.
"Both parties - Sinn Fein and the SDLP - are saying the same thing: we wish for a
united Ireland. Both parties should therefore push for a referendum on the border
immediately following the elections."
Sinn Fein and the SDLP have both released strategy documents for achieving a united
Ireland.
The SDLP argued it would preserve the Stormont Assembly and Executive set up under the
Good Friday Agreement in a united Ireland as well as the accord`s equality and human
rights protections including a Bill of Rights.
In a united Ireland, people living in the six counties which make up Northern Ireland
would still be able to describe themselves as British or Irish and there would be
seats in the House of Lords for those who wish to have representation there.
There would be more representation for Northern Ireland parties in the Dail in a
united Ireland than there is at Westminster and the Irish constitution would be
amended to guarantee the future of the Stormont Assembly as a regional parliament of a
united Ireland and key protections in the Good Friday Agreement.
Their document also insisted a referendum should be held once the Good Friday
Agreement institutions were bedded down and stable.
Sinn Fein`s discussion paper calls on the Irish Government to draw up a strategy
towards Irish unity, with a Green paper completed within one year identifying steps
and measures which can assist and promote the successful transition to a united
Ireland.
The Irish Government, the party believes, should negotiate the issue with the British
Government and support should also be sought internationally.
The Green Paper would be referred to a joint committee of both houses of Parliament in
Dublin to monitor, assess and report on how it is being implemented and a Government
minister appointed to oversee its implementation.
Northern Ireland MPs would also be given automatic representation in the Dail and also
a determined number of seats allocated to nationalist, unionist and other parties
north of the border based on party strength, with citizens there able to vote members
of the Seanad (Senate) and for the Irish President.
********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=633459
Second Inquest Into 1976 Dundalk Killing
By Michael McHugh
27 April 2005
Campaigners for the family of alleged UDR murder victim Seamus Ludlow last night
welcomed news that a second inquest is to be held into his death.
The Dundalk forestry worker was shot dead in May 1976 and dumped in a lane near his
home, allegedly by north Down loyalists from the Red Hand Commandos who were also
allegedly connected to the UDR, although no one was ever convicted.
Mr Ludlow's family have been campaigning for a full public inquiry into his death amid
concerns about the failed joint Garda/RUC murder investigation.
Louth County Coroner Ronan Maguire announced his intention to hold a preliminary
inquest into the death in May after being asked to re-open the case by the Irish
Attorney General.
Ludlow family solicitor James MacGuill said there were a number of issues to be
addressed.
"There are circumstances which led to him being abducted and there were also issues
surrounding the political use of his death by the Garda in their failure to inform the
family.
"There was also the issue surrounding the manner in which suspects were not fully
investigated. It was better for people to think that the IRA had shot someone," he
said.
Initially, the family was told republicans may have shot 47-year-old Mr Ludlow, who
was picked up on his way home from a bar near Dundalk, as an informer.
The RUC interviewed four men in relation to the killing but none were prosecuted.
One of the interviewees allegedly claimed to have witnessed the event and identified
the killers and their UDR and paramilitary background.
********************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=633258
2002 Riots: Three Arrested
By Debra Douglas
26 April 2005
Three men were arrested in the Short Strand area of the city this morning in
connection with attempted murders during riots three years ago.
The men were arrested for questioning about five alleged counts of attempted murder in
the loyalist Cluan Place area in June 2002 during days of street violence there.
Shots were fired, vehicles were hijacked, houses set on fire and pipe bombs were
thrown when rival gangs clashed at the interface between Cluan Place and Clandeboye
Gardens.
On one night alone, five people were wounded by gunfire during hand-to-hand combat
involving up to 1,000 people in the Short Strand/Newtownards Road area.
Terrified residents were forced to flee their homes as intense rioting continued
throughout the summer months that year.
A police spokeswoman confirmed the arrests were made in the Short Strand area this
morning in connection with five alleged counts of attempted murder in the Cluan Place
area in June 2002.
********************
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=141341906&p=y4y34z6yz
Family Offer Reward To Help Find Daughter's Body
28/04/2005 - 18:16:27
A murdered shop assistant's anguished family today offered a £10,000 ( €14,794) reward
to help find her body.
Lisa Dorrian vanished from a caravan site party along the Ards Peninsula in Northern
Ireland two months ago.
Loyalist paramilitaries have been blamed for her killing.
But despite a massive air, land and sea hunt for the blonde 25-year-old's remains,
police have so far drawn a blank.
In a bid to end their torment, the Dorrians made an emotional appeal for help.
Lisa's sisters Michelle and Joanne held hands as their father John told how their
lives have been ruined.
He said: "We as a family are offering a reward of £10,000 to any one individual person
or persons collectively who provides information that directly leads to the recovery
of Lisa's body.
"We are not asking for information on who committed that horrific crime, we are purely
asking for someone to tell us where our daughter is.
"We are destroyed over her death and will grieve for the rest of our lives. But we
cannot grieve properly or try to move on until we have been able to give her a proper
Christian burial.
"Lisa has been taken from us and it has ripped our lives apart, but someone, somewhere
can answer our prayer and help us in locating her and lay her properly to rest."
His wife Patricia sobbed during the press conference as the intense strain on the
family showed.
Three men have been questioned over her disappearance but later released.
Lisa went missing from the caravan park in Ballyhalbert, 10 miles from her home in
Bangor, Co Down, on February 28.
She left behind her handbag and personal belongings.
Graffiti appeared soon after accusing the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a splinter terror
group heavily involved in drugs and racketeering.
Messages painted on the entrance of the village's Moatlands Estate read: `PSNI (Police
Service of Northern Ireland): ask the LVF where Lisa is' and `LVF drug-dealing scum'.
But today's appeal was not about bringing the killers to justice.
Joanne Dorrian urged whoever knew what happened to her sister to simply do the right
thing for the family.
Her voice trembling with grief, she said: "Lisa was a beautiful, kind girl who was
liked by everyone she met.
"We are begging you to help us. Please tell us where she is."
********************
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4471918
Gerry Adams Under Fire Over Debate No-Show
By Dan McGinn, PA Ireland Political Editor
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Democratic Unionist Assembly member Diane Dodds were
today under fire for failing to attend a debate with other West Belfast election
candidates on paramilitaries.
Nationalist SDLP Assembly member Alex Attwood and Ulster Unionist councillor Chris
McGimpsey rounded on their rivals over the no-show at the event in Belfast’s Europa
Hotel.
Workers Party candidate John Lowry and Independent Liam Kennedy also took part during
the breakfast debate.
However, the loyalist Progressive Unionist turned down an invitation.
Mrs Dodds had told the organisers that she could not attend because she was on a
school run.
However Mr McGimpsey said: “You would think that on this serious issue that the DUP
candidate would be present, especially if she is claiming that she will be strong to
unionism in West Belfast.”
Mr Attwood lambasted Gerry Adams for failing to respond to an invitation to debate
IRA, other republican and loyalist punishment attacks and beatings and criminality.
“His non-attendance at the event would seem to be in line with his comment in Derry
that criminality is not an issue in this election,” the West Belfast Assembly member
said.
“The reality is that it is very much an issue for voters and people in this election.”
********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59631&pt=n
Orde:'Policing Moving Quickly'
Policing in Northern Ireland is moving on a lot more quickly than some of Northern
Ireland's politicians, Chief Constable Hugh Orde claimed today.
By:Press Association
As he presented 50 officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland with the Chief
Constable`s Highly Commended Awards, Mr Orde claimed the force was leading the way in
community policing in Europe.
Among the recipients of the award in Belfast City Hall was Constable Alan Swann who
helped resuscitate a three-year-old boy at the Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle, Co
Antrim two years ago.
He used life saving techniques until an ambulance arrived at the scene and the boy
made a full recovery.
Mr Orde said the awards proved policing was working in Northern Ireland despite what
some people claimed.
"These are facts. None of this is made up," he said.
"These are officers who did go into burning buildings, they gave mouth to mouth
resuscitation to people who were not in a very pleasant condition.
"They just got on with it. Some got attacked. Some had guns pointed at them and didn`t
shoot but made the arrests.
"If someone points a gun at a police officer in most countries, most police officers
open fire.
"We have a number of officers here today who faced that situation and made a split
second decision that they could arrest this person without actually shooting them and
did so.
"I`m not sure I`d want to do that but there are some really brave events, brave things
across the spectrum."
Constable Norman Gibson, who devised Operation Clean Up which seized and destroyed
over 1,500 illegal, untaxed cars used by criminals was also honoured.
Another recipient was Constable Gordon Crossley, who used a Land Rover to rescue a man
from a blazing flat above a shop, shielding him from the flames.
The Chief Constable said: "I think in some areas we lead Europe in community policing.
"I have been out on foot patrol in Crossmaglen a couple of months ago, hearing the
police officers talking about the same sort of things they would be talking about in
south London - how to make their community safer.
"When I went to Coalisland we were met by the local priest on a foot patrol without
soldiers."
With mainstream republicans still refusing to take seats on the Policing Board, the
Chief Constable added: "The world is moving on very quickly.
"What I think is quite interesting is I think we are moving on more quickly than many
of the elected representatives and if they don`t come on board policing, they are
going to be left behind."
********************
http://www.online.ie/news/viewer.adp?article=3231134
Corkman Denies IRA Membership Charge
online.ie
2005-04-28 15:00:05+01
A Corkman arrested on suspicion of membership of an illegal organisation had tattoos
including the Irish flag and Oglaigh na hEireann on his arms, the Special Criminal
Criminal Court heard today.
Garda Fergal Lucey said when he examined Aidan O' Driscoll at Mayfield Garda Station
in December 2003 he found a tattoo of the Irish flag on his right arm and on his left
arm two Irish flags with the words Oglaigh na hEireann and Saoirse.
Garda Lucey, who was member in charge at Mayfield at the time, was giving evidence on
the 12th day of the trial of three Corkmen and two Limerick men who have denied
membership of an illegal organisation.
The five men are Ciaran O' Dwyer, aged 50, of Castletroy View, Limerick, John Murphy,
aged 25, of Ashburton House, Kilbarry, Old Mallow Road, Cork, Ultan Larkin, aged 34,
of The Bungalow, Farranshone, Limerick, Gerard Varian, aged 45, of Bride Valley View,
Fairhill, Cork and Aidan O' Driscoll, aged 25, of Glenheights Park, Ballyvolane, Cork.
They have all pleaded not guilty to membership of an illegal organisation styling
itself Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA on
December 15, 2003.
Prosecuting counsel Mr John Edwards SC has said the five men were allegedly members of
the Real IRA.
Detective Inspector John Quilter told the court he carried out six interviews with
O'Driscoll at Mayfield Garda Station on December 15 and 16, 2003.
He said that when asked about membership of an illegal organisation, O' Driscoll
replied: "I am not a member of an illegal organisation, never was and never will be."
O' Driscoll denied knowing anything about a rucksack found near Glanmire in Co Cork in
2001 which contained 169 rounds of ammunition and assorted documents, including one
entitled "General Head Quarters, General Army Orders, revised spring 1999."
Detective Inspector Quilter said that O' Driscoll remained silent when he was asked
about 19 of his fingerprints which were found on one of the documents in the rucksack.
The trial continues tomorrow.
********************
http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59643&pt=n
DUP Claims Its 'Uniting Unionists'
Unionists are uniting around the Democratic Unionist Party, its deputy leader claimed
today.
By:Press Association
East Belfast MP Peter Robinson claimed unionist voters were plumping for his party`s
candidates in constituencies where nationalists could win.
And he also claimed the biggest challenge facing the DUP after the election was
advancing the cause of uniting unionism.
Following UK Unionist leader Robert McCartney`s call yesterday for his supporters to
back DUP candidates in all 18 Westminster constituencies, Mr Robinson declared: "With
the DUP now the mainstream voice of unionism, the UUP has been relegated to the
margins of political debate.
"This is a process which has been ongoing for a number of years and has seen hundreds
of former Ulster Unionists joining the party at every level.
"With people who have never been involved in politics joining along with converts from
the UUP, the DUP is the unionist party that is moving forward.
"This shift is proving that unionists are uniting around the DUP as the party to take
forward the cause of the Union."
Both the DUP and David Trimble`s Ulster Unionists are contesting all 18 Westminster
constituencies in Northern Ireland.
In the November 2003 Assembly Elections, the Rev Ian Paisley`s party overtook the UUP
as the largest unionist party and biggest party in Northern Ireland - a result which
was reinforced in last year`s European Parliament Elections.
The DUP is aggressively targeting the five UUP House of Commons seats in East Antrim,
South Antrim, South Belfast, North Down and Mr Trimble`s constituency in Upper Bann.
However yesterday South Antrim MP David Burnside claimed his party`s vote could prove
more robust than some pundits were predicting.
The Ulster Unionist, who faces a dogfight with the DUP`s Rev William McCrea for the
South Antrim seat, also claimed he did not believe there would be an electoral wipe-
out of his party.
Mr Robinson said today voters believed the DUP had provided strong leadership for the
Union and over the past 18 months since the Assembly Election had proven it was safe
in its hands.
"There is a stark contrast between the single positive voice of the DUP and the
divided and discredited Ulster Unionist Party," the former Stormont Regional
Development Minister said.
"This message is coming across every night on the doorsteps."
The DUP deputy leader said it was essential unionists rallied round his party to
prevent Sinn Fein from becoming the largest Northern Ireland party.
He accused the UUP of not be willing to enter an electoral pact which would allow
unionists to win seats under threat from nationalists.
But Mr Robinson said unionist voters in those constituencies were, however, choosing
to back the DUP as the only party that could win them.
"After the election, the challenge facing the DUP as the dominant unionist party will
be to further the cause of unionist unity," he said.
"May 5 is not the end of the process of uniting unionism but merely another stage in
this long-term goal. We must continue to build the widest possible coalition of
support for the message the DUP has been setting out during this campaign.
"After years of division, unionist unity is finally coming about not between the UUP
and DUP but within the Democratic Unionist Party. This is good for unionism and after
years of unionist decline offers hope for the future."
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/29/nira29.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/04/29/ixnewstop.html
The IRA Is Still Recruiting And Targeting, Warns Police Chief
By Tom Peterkin
(Filed: 29/04/2005)
Northern Ireland's most senior policeman said yesterday that the IRA was continuing to
recruit volunteers despite Gerry Adams's plea for an end to the armed struggle.
Hugh Orde, the province's chief constable, supported claims made last week by Bertie
Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, when he said the Provisionals were still active.
Although Mr Orde said he was "clear" that the Provisional IRA was not going back to an
armed struggle, he added: "We know they are still recruiting, they still target, they
still carry out the activities that they have always done with the exception of going
out to kill soldiers, police, civilians, members of the public."
Mr Adams, the Sinn Fein president, has said that the IRA had begun internal
discussions as to whether it should follow his call to forsake violence for politics.
But his declaration has been met with a sceptical response among Sinn Fein's opponents
on both sides of the border, with rival politicians dismissing it as a ruse to
maximise the republican vote.
Mr Orde, who is head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said it was now for
republicans to prove this claim was more than just words. "I have always said I'd wait
and see. Actions speak louder than words and currently I haven't seen an awful lot of
action that suggests that there is going to be a fundamental shift.
"That doesn't mean there won't be but, as we said when the loyalists declared their
renewed ceasefire, we'll wait and see. We didn't have to wait long to see, there. We
arrested a lot of them."
Mr Orde said dissident hardline republican terror groups such as the Real and
Continuity IRA were still trying to cause disruption but had been thwarted by arrests.
David Liddington, the Conservative Party's Northern Ireland spokesman, said Mr Orde's
remarks demonstrated that Sinn Fein and the IRA still had far to go to achieve
credibility.
"The fact that the IRA is still recruiting and targeting, in addition to its
involvement in other criminal activities, will do nothing to convince the law-abiding
majority - Unionist and nationalist - in Northern Ireland that they are about to
abandon the option of violence.
''For that to happen, republican involvement in crime must end. Sinn Fein should
support the police. The IRA has to decommission its illegally-held arms. Until that
happens, there is no question of a Conservative Government accepting Sinn Fein into
the government of Northern Ireland."
Mitchel McLaughlin, the Sinn Fein general secretary, described Mr Orde's comments as
"yet another political intervention''.
He said: "Given the fact that these remarks come in the midst of an election campaign
and at a time when the initiative by Gerry Adams offers the prospect of forward
movement, many questions will be raised about the intentions of the PSNI.''
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http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4474620
Ministers Urged To Take Tougher Stance
By Dan McGinn, PA Ireland Political Editor
The Government must take a tougher position on the display of sectarian flags and
display of paramilitary symbols in Northern Ireland, ministers were urged today.
The nationalist SDLP called for the introduction of a new Sectarian and Hate Crimes
Act which would outlaw flags and graffiti in Northern Ireland, regulate bonfires and
act against incitement to hatred on the Internet.
Outlining his party’s anti-sectarian strategy, East Antrim candidate Danny O‘Connor,
who in recent weeks has had to leave his home following a series of attacks, said
people wanted to live and mix with other communities without fear of violence or
intimidation.
“But what do we have?” he asked.
“Paramilitary bully boys tearing our communities and society apart, attack and fear of
attack driving people from their homes, a silent, steady segregation of our society.
“That might suit Sinn Fein and the DUP who want to carve the north (of Ireland) up
between them but it will wreck our society.”
The SDLP‘s document claimed a Sectarian and Hate Crimes Act would:
Outlaw sectarian and racist chanting on the terraces at football matches.
Prevent bands who promote hate or display paramilitary symbols from taking part in
marches.
Oblige every council to draw up plans for promoting sharing and tackling hatred in
line with existing community relations legislation.
Create a Good Relations Commission to spearhead efforts for improved community
relations and supervise councils.
The party also called for:
The creation of a Shared Future Forum involving employers, trade union and the
community and voluntary sector to agree common action to promote sharing and combat
hate.
Mixed housing estates and the removal of those responsible for sectarian and other
hate crime from areas as opposed to their victims.
Co-ordinated action in education for sharing and cross community contact involving
schools, teacher training and the Youth Service.
Common action between the Governments in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic
against racism, incitement to hatred law reform and community relations.
Mr O‘Connor said Government needed to take a lead on tackling sectarianism,
particularly on the issue of flags.
“I don‘t need a flag to tell me that I am Irish,” he said.
“Nor should people need a flag to tell them that they are British.
“Nobody should want to see their flag used as a red card, warning members of the other
community to get out and stay out – or be put out.
“If the British Government is in any way serious about hate, they have got to act on
flags.
“They cannot just wash their hands of this situation when every summer, in places like
Larne, communities are left in fear for their homes and even their lives as the local
hardmen lord it over all of us.”
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http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=576ae39e124b7a45
British Army Sniper's Death Investigated
Big News Network.com Tuesday 26th April, 2005 (UPI)
Scotland Yard is investigating the London shooting death of a former British army
sniper who was prominent in the Northern Ireland campaign.
Retired Warrant Officer Michael Norman, 62, formerly of the Coldstream Guards, was
found with a bullet wound to the stomach in a green BMW April 17 with a 9 mm handgun
nearby.
Norman, who left the army in 1989 after 22 years, built a reputation in Northern
Ireland and other operational theaters as a high-grade sniper. He is reputed to have
killed as many as six Irish Republican Army gunmen during anti-terrorist operations,
The Times of London reported Tuesday.
He was also an anonymous witness at the inquiry into the Bloody Sunday deaths in
Londonderry in 1972, according to his former wife, Fiona McNab.
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http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php4?article_id=6346
Bloody Sunday Play Holds State To Account
Civil rights leader Bernadette McAliskey (formerly Devlin) is played by Sorcha Cusack.
In this scene she is questioned as part of the Saville Inquiry (Pic: Tristam Kenton)
A dramatisation of the Saville Inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings uncovers the
truth, says Eamonn McCann
The reality that Bloody Sunday the play depicts is not that of Bloody Sunday itself,
but of the tribunal.
Richard Norton-Taylor has done a marvellous job of distilling four years of evidence
into two hours on stage. He has drawn out all the main themes, such as the extent to
which British soldiers had suffered total amnesia in circumstances in which they had
opened fire and killed people. British generals were also absolutely unable to justify
the situation.
The play also brings out the tensions. The relatives of the dead had fought to get a
tribunal, but were also wary about it because of attacks on it by Conservatives and
Unionists.
People are still waiting to see if Saville will tell the truth. They are not
convinced, and that is a subtle thing to get across. There are particular moments
which get across the reality of people listening to evidence of how their relatives
died.
The tribunal dredged up memories. A lot of people gave evidence who had not spoken
about Bloody Sunday for nearly 30 years.
A number of relatives are wondering whether the play will come to Derry and be shown
in the Guildhall, where much of the inquiry took place. It would interesting for a
play to be performed in the location where the reality it is based on took place.
The play alerts people and is useful in drawing out the main facts. It refocuses
attention on the inquiry and the Bloody Sunday killings.
Bloody Sunday was the biggest loss of civilians at the hands of state forces in
Northern Ireland. Unlike all the other atrocities in Northern Ireland, it took place
in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses. The people of Derry know what happened
on Bloody Sunday. They saw it. I saw it.
The inquiry was not a search for the truth, but a search to discover whether the
British ruling class can admit what it has done to its own citizens.
The key question when the state murders its citizens is whether it can be brought to
account for its actions. This play is part of doing that.
Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry is at the Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn
High Road, London NW6 (Kilburn tube) until 7 May. Phone 020 7328 1000.
