On Adams Arrest
Posted by admin on May 1, 2014
The British Government never fully implemented the Weston Park Accord (paragraph 20) because they didn’t have to. They already knew they never had any intentions of ever prosecuting members of the security forces. On the other hand, they had every intention of arresting, incarcerating and interning republicans (post GFA) on alleged offences committed prior to the GFA and in some cases without charge or trial.
In not fully implementing the WPA, the Brits were able to selectively incarcerate any republicans who spoke out against them, the PSNI/RUC, the DUP, AND it also guaranteed SF that those who opposed them would be silenced (McGeough, for one, as he was the first republican arrested and given a 20 year sentence on 31 year old troubles related charges after the signing of the GFA) thus sending a clear message to others: “Step in line or else”.
Mary Lou McDonald, Gerry Kelly and others within SF are calling Mr. Adams arrest, around election time, “politically motivated”. Well, wasn’t that exactly what happened to Gerry McGeough? Only McGeough, an Independent candidate at the time, was arrested at the count center in Omagh and Sinn Fein never called McGeough’s arrest “politically motivated”.
According to media reports, the interviews recorded on tape of Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price cannot be used in court in the McConville case because they are both now deceased? In contrast, the judge in the McGeough trail allowed the taped testimony of deceased witnesses to the alleged shoot-out, between McGeough and Sammy (the “UDR/DUP”) Brush, to be used in court against Mr. McGeough. My, how things can change when you are considered politically correct in the eyes of the Brits.
If Mr. Adams is cleared of any wrong doing in the McConville murder then so should Ivor Bell. In fact, Sinn Fein should take the lead on calling for an immediate end to the charges brought against Mr. Bell by the PSNI/RUC. If the tapes cannot be used in court, then how can the Diplock court justify continuing any prosecution against Mr. Bell without incriminating Mr. Adams, again?
When Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness insisted that the PSNI/RUC march in the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade, after the parade committee rescinded their invite to them due to pressure from Irish-American activists, it was a slap in the face to the families of the innocent victims murdered by members of the security forces in collusion with loyalist death squads.
Instead of kissing the arse of the PSNI/RUC, British and Irish government, it would behoove Mr. Adams & Company to be calling for a complete HALT to the continuing pursuit of republicans on prior GFA offences by the PSNI/RUC. One would think that since Mr. Kelly and other members of SF sit on the NI policing board they would have some say in the matter? If the Brits are not holding members of their own security forces (war criminals) accountable for the murder of innocent civilians during the troubles, then why should republicans be held accountable any longer?
It should be realized that Sinn Fein is just as guilty as the Brits for allowing British injustice and double standards to continue to be used in northeast Ireland against republicans while known murderers within the PSNI/RUC, British Army, UDR and loyalists go unpunished. It wouldn’t hurt for the SDLP to step up to the plate on this issue as well.
McClafferty 32