Dail hears Ballymurphy justice appeal

Posted by Jim on July 18, 2015

Relatives of those killed in the Ballymurphy massacre were present for
an emotional debate in the Dublin parliament in which Sinn Fein leader
Gerry Adams vividly described being in the area on the night of the
killings when internment without trial was introduced by the British
government in 1971.

Thousands of British soldiers supported by the RUC police “smashed their way
into hundreds of homes”, he said. He watched his own home being smashed
into and male members of his family being dragged off. “The house was
occupied for days by the Parachute regiment. They destroyed everything,”
he said.

“They shit on beds. They urinated on wardrobes. They broke up family and
religious memorabilia. They dragged away over 300 men and boys into the
night, many of them later to be tortured.”

Ten people were shot dead, including a mother of eight. Mr Adams named
them: Fr Hugh Mullen, Francis Quinn, Daniel Teggart, Joan Connolly,
Joseph Murphy, Noel Phillips, Edward Doherty, John Laverty, Joseph Corr
and John McKerr.

An 11th man, local community worker Paddy McCarthy, died from a heart
attack after a British army patrol subjected him to a mock execution.

This week’s debate stemmed from the British government’s refusal to a
request in 2014 by the Ballymurphy families for a review of the events
that led to the deaths of their loved ones. Following that, the
Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, volunteered to introduce an all-party motion of
support for the families.

Mr Kenny reiterated his government’s disappointment with the decision
not to establish independent reviews. During the debate, he called on
the authorities in the North and Britain to deal with such incidents “in
a manner and a timescale that meets international human rights
standards”.

The suffering of the bereaved “has been compounded by the anguish caused
by the failure, to date, to establish the truth about the tragic events
which occurred almost 44 years ago”.

Mr Adams said the full resources” of the 26 County state must be
employed to challenge the actions of a neighbouring state in the killing
of Irish citizens.

He urged the coalition to put in place a strategic approach “which sees
the British government challenged on this issue at every meeting and in
every international forum.

“Unless we do this, the British government will continue to refuse to
give the Ballymurphy and other families what they deserve.”

He said the families had campaigned with great dignity for four decades.

“I have accompanied them to meet successive British Secretaries of State
and shadow Secretaries of State. None of them did anything of
consequence. We have also briefed successive Taoisigh and Ministers for
Foreign Affairs. Are we also going to let them down?

“The tenacity and resolve of the families has seen them compile
significant evidence which shows that all who died were killed
unlawfully and in breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on
Human Rights (ECHR).

“They have proposed the appointment of an Independent Panel to examine
all documents relating to the context, circumstances and aftermath of
the deaths of their loved ones. The British Secretary of State has
rejected this proposal.

“For that reason, the families are looking to the Irish government and
to Oireachtas members to demand that the British government stop
blocking and hiding the truth and agree to an Independent Review. This
motion is an important step on the road to achieving this.

“Let no one think that voting for this is enough. As this Dail knows
only too well from the British government response to the Dublin and
Monaghan bombings, motions on their own will not make a difference.”