The New IRA has said any border infrastructure developed as a result of Britain’s withdrawal of the north of Ireland from the EU will be considered a legitimate target for attack. In an interview with Channel 4 News, a representative of the organisation’s Army Council told correspondent Alex Thomson that any Crown Border Force installations or personnel would be “legitimate targets”. He said the New IRA reserved the right to attack anyone who upheld “the illegal border in Ireland”. Channel 4 said the interview took place yesterday at an IRA safe house in the 26 Counties under tight security conditions. As intense negotiations continue in Brussels and London ahead of an EU summit starting tomorrow, the New IRA member said: “First of all there is no such thing as an Irish border. It’s a British border. Since its formation, since its inception, the purpose of the IRA has been to take action against all such infrastructure of British occupation. “The IRA is an Army. And as an Army we are committed to armed struggle for political and social change in Ireland. Bearing in mind any installation or aspects of British occupation within the Six Counties — be it at the border or elsewhere — any infrastructure would be a legitimate target for attack and armed actions against those infrastructures and against the people who are manning them. “It’s important to understand that this is a country under occupation by Britain and as in any colonial situation the people have the right there to respond by all means necessary to that occupation.” The spokesman went on to say no kind of Brexit deal would be acceptable to Irish Republicanism. “Regardless of the form of occupation, whatever kind of border there is, be it soft or so called hard border — that’s irrelevant. We are talking about an illegal occupation here. That means the IRA reserve the right to attack those who are upholding that illegal occupation along the border and elsewhere, and the illegal partition that goes with it, and those who are upholding that.” “The EU and the British and the 26 County administration constantly speak about the border as if it has been there two minutes, and it’s only an issue with Brexit. There’s been a border since 1921. It has been resisted. It is being resisted. It will be resisted regardless of any deal formed around it.” The spokesman was also asked about the peace process and the 1998 Good Friday peace deal which ended the armed struggle of the Provisional IRA. “First off, the Good Friday Agreement is dead,” he said. “It was superseded by various other agreements such as the Leeds Castle, St Andrews, Hillsborough deals and others. So the Good Friday Agreement is defunct. “Secondly the Good Friday Agreement was not ratified by the Irish people as a unit, as a whole, but by two separate questions depending on which statelet they lived in.” The spokesman was asked if the new IRA “are on the wrong side of history”. He responded: “On the contrary, we are not on the wrong side of history. No colony has ever secured its freedom without armed resistance. We have more support [in Ireland] than the Conservative Party, but they lord it over us. We also have more support in Ireland than the Labour Party does.” Asked whether this comparison is bogus because those parties are based on the British “mainland”, the spokesperson said: “Well this is the mainland of Ireland. The IRA is confident that it has popular support for its goal of a 32 County Irish Republic. The political parties you reference are silent about the armed activities of the state. For instance, the £25m HQ for MI5 at Palace Barracks.” “There are 700 MI5 operatives in Belfast City alone. Every PSNI officer is armed with a Glock pistol or a Heckler and Koch rifle. Contrary to popular beliefm there are still thousands of British soldiers operating in the Six Counties. And there are also armed pro-British death squads operating under the flag of Loyalism. “So therefore the IRA will take no lectures on morality, or the futility of violence from those who remain morally in favour, if not tactically.” Asked why the new IRA felt it could succeed in achieving Irish unity when the Provisional movement had failed, he said: “Republicanism has always gone through peaks and valleys and at this point we remain heavily organised, and to paraphrase a phrase of our enemy we are sophisticated and capable and showing increasing sophistication and ingenuity. But this is a period of consolidation and rebuilding. “Rebuilding is important, but it’s crucial to realise it doesn’t reduce our operational capabilities
RENAMING OF FDNY LT. MICHAEL R. DAVIDSON PLAYGROUND
Join Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer & Friends of Michael Davidson Playground to celebrate the acquisition and renaming of FDNY Lt. Michael R. Davidson Playground and in honoring a Sunnyside and Woodside hero on Wednesday, October 30 at 11:00 AM at 50th Street and 39th Avenue, Sunnyside, NY 11104.
FDNY ANCHOR CLUB
On Sunday, October 27, the FDNY Anchor Club is sponsoring a “Visit to Calvary Hospital” located at 1740 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY. The visit will start at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Lunch will follow. The event will resume from 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM. The outline for the day includes visiting patients, distributing candy and flowers, and providing some light entertainment. All off-duty members, their families and friends are invited to participate. For additional information, please contact William Greco, E-68, at 917-575-1012.
RETIREMENT SEMINAR
The UFA will host a Retirement Seminar for delegates and members who are beginning the retirement process on Tuesday, October 22, at 12:00 PM, in the 4th Floor Conference Room of the UFA office. Space is limited, so we are only able to accommodate 50 members. Members must RSVP beforehand to reserve their place. Topics include knowing how your SBF Benefits change in retirement, knowing your Social Security options and learning your pension options. For more information, or to RSVP, contact UFA Retiree Liaison Marty Tighe at mtighe@ufanyc.org or call 646-839-6577.
HISPANIC HERITAGE CELEBRATION
On Monday, October 21, 2019, from 1700 – 1900 hours, a Hispanic Heritage Celebration will be held at the Fire Museum at 278 Spring St. New York, NY hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Society and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. All are welcome to attend. Come celebrate with your fellow employees, enjoy live music and great food. To RSVP, please email diversity.inclusion@fdny.nyc.gov.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Doctors in the D.C. area have confirmed for the American public this morning that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has bigger ones than President Donald Trump. In a testy exchange at the White House yesterday, Pelosi, House Majority Whip Stenny Hoyer, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, all Democrats, left a meeting with President Trump abruptly. Reportedly, Trump called Pelosi a “third rate politician” after being pressed by her to give definitive answers about his plan for the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria involving Kurdish people and Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States.
When she left the White House, Pelosi told reporters that she thought Trump might have been upset before the meeting because she had overseen a resolution with stunning bipartisan support in the House hours earlier. On a vote of 354 to 60, roughly two-thirds of House Republicans voted along with the Democrats to condemn Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria. Since then, Turkey has begun bombing in the area, and Russia has sent in military support to help Syria.
Though there were no videos taken of the meeting that have been released, photos published on President Trump’s Twitter feed document the fiery exchange. One image, of Pelosi literally standing up to Trump, was shared by the president perhaps to mock Pelosi. However, within minutes of Trump tweeting the photo, Speaker Pelosi had made it the banner image on her Twitter profile, effectively putting the fires of that particular insult out.
Ivor Bell, an 82-year-old veteran republican, has been found not guilty
of involvement in the 1972 IRA execution of informer Jean
McConville.
This morning the judge told the jury there was no evidence to support
the prosecution’s case.
“My role now is to direct you to return a verdict of not guilty because
you simply cannot find him to have done the acts alleged,” said the
judge.
The prosecution lawyer, Ciaran Murphy, said there would be no appeal of
this decision.
Mr Justice O’Hara gave his instruction to the jury after yesterday
ruling that evidence from the Boston tapes featuring Mr Bell was
inadmissible. The trial had been subject to reporting restrictions until
today.
The prosecution case that Mr Bell “encouraged” or “endeavoured to
persuade” former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and the late Pat McClure
to take part in the killing rested on interviews recorded by Boston
College’s Belfast Project, also known as the Boston tapes.
INTERVIEWS INADMISSABLE
Mr Bell gave interviews to the lead researcher in the project, former
IRA prisoner Anthony McIntyre, then a history PhD graduate.
On Wednesday Justice O’Hara, following an application by defence lawyer,
Barry MacDonald, QC, ruled that the Boston tapes, which had been the
subject of an international legal tussle, should be inadmissible.
The trial heard that the Belfast Project had been discredited by
academics. One of the witnesses, history professor Kevin O’Neill from
Boston College, said the project was “now held up as a model of how not
to do oral history”.
Mr MacDonald contended that Mr McIntyre “was a man on a mission and had
an agenda to discredit Gerry Adams and other architects of the peace
process”.
Justice O’Hara said Mr McIntyre was not a “neutral interviewer”. He said
he and Mr Bell had a “clear bias and were out to get Gerry Adams”.
The judge added that “while Mr Bell may have felt he was free to tell
his version of the truth…..the difficulty is he also may have felt
free to lie, distort, exaggerate, blame and mislead”.
ADAMS EVIDENCE
During evidence given by Mr Adams, the prosecuting counsel, Ciaran
Murphy, asked the former Sinn Féin leader would he have had a problem
“shooting touts”.
Mr Adams responded: “I would have a problem shooting anyone. That’s a
very loaded question. I am not on trial here.”
He categorically denied the allegations. “I categorically deny any
involvement in the abduction, killing and burial of Jean McConville or
indeed any others,” he said.
Under cross-examination from Mr Murphy, he said if people were agents or
informers they were liable to be shot.
“It is a regrettable fact that when armies are engaged in war they do
kill those that would have been perceived as having assisted the enemy
by giving information or in any way jeopardising (the organisation),” he
said.
But the former Sinn Féin leader said the IRA action against Ms
McConville, whose body was not returned to her family, was wrong. It was
“totally wrong to have shot and secretly buried these folk”, he said,
adding that compassion should have been shown to Mrs McConville and her
family.
Mr Adams also was highly critical of Mr Moloney and Mr McIntyre and the
Belfast Project which he said was “most suspect” with no “real
scholarly, historical process of evaluating and bringing forward facts
about Irish history”.
FAMILY DENY ALLEGATIONS
After the case a statement was issued on behalf of Mr Bell’s family.
They acknowledged that the “entire process has been a difficult and at
times frustrating process for the family of Jean McConville, who have
been seeking truth and justice for over 50 years”.
They added, “From the outset of this process Ivor has vehemently denied
the allegations levelled against him relating to the murder of Jean
McConville. He put forward an alibi at the earliest opportunity at the
police station.
“In the course of this trial process the court heard evidence which
corroborated Ivor’s alibi, and that he was not in the jurisdiction at
the time of the murder.”
Mr Bell and his family added that the “court has rightly held that the
Boston College tapes are inherently unreliable. We now look forward to
putting this case and its ill-founded allegations behind us”.
Peter Corrigan, Mr Bell’s lawyer added: “The Boston tapes were of no
benefit from a historical perspective, never mind meeting the threshold
of evidence in a criminal trial.
“The process from start to finish was fatally flawed, which lacked the
relevant safeguards and as described by one expert during the course of
the trial ‘is exactly how not to conduct an oral history project’.”
