No violence at Castlederg march

Posted by Jim on August 11, 2013

 

 A republican commemoration in County Tyrone, which had appeared to be

threatened by loyalists, has passed off peacefully.

 The annual event organised by the Tyrone Volunteers Commemoration

coincided with the 40th anniversary of the deaths of two local

Castlederg IRA Volunteers, Seamus Harvey and Gerard McGlynn, who died

while on active service.

 Speaking ahead of the march, Britain’s Direct Ruler in the north of

Ireland, Theresa Villiers, had condemned the event and called for it to

be cancelled.

 Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly was a keynote speaker at the rally this

afternoon.

 He said that he was there to pay tribute to IRA members from the area

who had been “killed in action during the latest phase of a very old

conflict with Britain”.

 “I was part of the IRA – I am very straight forward about that. I am

proud to be here”.

 He criticised what he called the media maelstrom of attacks ahead of the

event.

 Mr Kelly said: “No unionist MLA, councillor, MP or minister, no loyalist

paramilitary or loyal order spokesperson – no matter how loud they

shout, will prevent me or any other republican honouring our comrades

who gave their lives in the struggle for Irish freedom and equality”.

 Unionists held a large protest at the towns Cenotaph, from which the

parade had been voluntarily rerouted.

 Senior members of the DUP, including Gregory Campbell and Arlene Foster,

were among those present.

 Mr Campbell said republicans should be “showing sorrow and remorse for

what they’ve done – not glorifying in it”.

 One loyalist victims campaigner, David Kerrigan, said of Sinn Fein:

“There is no use talking to them, they have set relations back in this

town 20 years.”