British Army snipers killed five civilians at the Springhill estate in
west Belfast on 9 July 1972, eleven months after the Ballymurphy
massacre, and 47 years ago this week. Their families deserve support,
writes Gerry Adams (for Leargas)
The Upper Springfield area of west Belfast suffered many traumatic
events during the years of conflict. The area was the target of British
military invasion and occupation, pogrom and refugees. Scores of its
citizens were killed. Many more were injured. Hundreds spent years in
British prison camps and gaols. The British Army used every weapon in
its formidable arsenal to try and intimidate and terrorise the people of
the Upper Springfield. Brutal beatings, the frequent use of CS gas, the
indiscriminate firing of rubber and plastic bullets, arbitrary arrests
and torture, were all part of the daily experience of the civilian
population. So too were attacks by unionist death squads, working in
collusion with, and under the cover of British Army and RUC actions.
One legacy of this British government counter-insurgency strategy is
currently playing out in a Belfast Coroners Court where 10 of the 11
citizens killed during the Ballymurphy Massacre in August 1971 are
seeking the truth about the events surrounding the murder of their loved
ones.
Eleven months later, on a bright Sunday evening on 9 July 1972, and just
yards from the scene of the Ballymurphy Massacre, five more civilians
were shot dead by British troops. That evening British Army snipers were
hiding in what was then Corry’s timber yard overlooking the Springhill
estate and the Westrock Bungalows.
The Springhill estate and Westrock Bungalows represented some of the
worst public housing existing at that time. The Springhill estate was a
concrete, soulless estate with no public facilities. The Westrock
Bungalows were temporary aluminium structures. They were built in the
1940s and 40 years later were still being used by large families. By
then they were in a poor state of repair. The bungalows were cold, damp
structures.
The Springhill Massacre reflects in many ways the events the previous
year in Ballymurphy. All those shot dead were civilians. The British
claimed that the victims were gunmen or had been caught in crossfire
during a gun battle. None of this was true. Three of those killed were
children, one was a father of six and the last was the second priest
from the greater Ballymurphy area to die in the conflict.
In February, the families, their lawyer Pádraig Ó Muirigh, and prominent
lawyer Michael Mansfield relaunched their campaign for truth. The
families and other eye witnesses recounted the events of that evening in
1972.
John Dougal who was aged 16 was the first to die. He was the eldest of
eight children. He was shot as he tried to help others who had been
shot.
Margaret Gargan was 13 years old. She had been sitting talking with
friends in the street when she was killed. One of her friend’s recalls:
“We were only sitting talking, you know the way wee girls talk about
things. Next thing she fell down. We never heard the shot. Within a
couple of seconds, she was lying on the ground. It all happened so
quickly. Then everybody started to scream.”
Fr. Noel Fitzpatrick was a curate at St. John’s Church on the Falls Road
but was based at Corpus Christi only a short distance from where he was
shot dead. He had gone out to try and help a local man, Martin Dudley,
who had been shot and wounded. He was shot through the neck.
Paddy Butler was 38 and had six children. His son Eddie had been one of
those shot and wounded during the Ballymurphy Massacre the previous
August. Paddy had gone out with Fr. Fitzpatrick to help the wounded. Fr.
Fitzpatrick was waving a white hanky. As they bent over the wounded man
a bullet went through the priest’s neck and into Paddy’s head. Both
died.
The last victim was David (Dee) McCafferty who was 15 years old. He was
with Fr. Fitzpatrick and Paddy Butler trying to help a wounded man. When
Fr. Fitzpatrick was shot Dee tried to pull him to safety and was shot
several times.
Subsequently, forensic evidence showed that none of those killed or
wounded were armed or had been in contact with any weapons. An RUC
detective admitted that there was no investigation into the killings.
The trauma for all of these families has continued for 47 years. In the
years afterward it was especially difficult as the British Army and RUC
often singled the relatives out for additional harassment. Paddy
Butler’s daughter Jacqueline remembered that: “Although Daddy was an
innocent man, because he had been shot by soldiers, the RUC raided our
house every week after he died, ransacked it at four or five in the
morning. Mum didn’t understand that either. She used to say, ‘How could
they do that to us after killing Daddy?’ Every time there was a knock on
the door, she would shudder and think of the day Daddy went out and
never came back.”
Like the Ballymurphy families the Springhill families have been
campaigning for years for the truth. In December 2014 the Attorney
General John Larkin agreed to the establishment of new inquests. In a
letter to the family he said: “It seems to me that the truth about what
happened in Springhill on 9 July 1972 is, at present, only likely to
emerge through an inquest.”
That was over four years ago. The decision by the families to relaunch
their campaign at this time is because currently, due to a lack of
funding for inquests, there appears little likelihood that the
Springhill Inquests will be heard in the next few years.
In 2016 the North’s Lord Chief Justice, Declan Morgan, proposed a plan
to deal with all inquest cases within five years. It was blocked by
Arlene Foster. Last year a Belfast Court ruled that Foster, as First
Minister, unlawfully stopped a discussion at the Executive of the plan
by the Lord Chief Justice. It was claimed that because the majority of
the inquests relate to state killings that the DUP leader refused to
allow an inquest process to go ahead which would “rewrite the past.” The
funding has been blocked since then.
The Springhill families deserve support. They have demonstrated enormous
courage and perseverance over almost 50 years. Fr. Des Wilson put it
well when he said:
“There is still a long way to go to reveal the truth about what our
neighbours suffered. It is worth the journey because one of our most
heartening principles in the truth will set us free, and so it is the
duty and privilege of us all to reveal it.”
(Abridged from elnacional.cat)
The Catalan independence movement has made a new show of strength in
Europe.
Eighteen months after the large-scale demonstration in Brussels,
some 10,000 protesters, according to French police, had travelled to
Strasbourg by some eighty coaches, three special flights and other
indeterminate means. They gathered this Tuesday in front of the European
Parliament to express their opposition to Carles Puigdemont, Oriol
Junqueras and Toni Comín being prevented from taking the seats they won
in May’s election.
The rally, which lasted almost five hours, ended with speeches organised
by the Catalan Council for the Republic. Those who spoke included
members of pro-independence organisations and from MEPs from around the
continent.
As their lawyers feared they could be arrested, Puigdemont and Comín
didn’t attend in person, but could speak via video from the German
border. Similarly, a letter by Junqueras from prison was read out.
The three decried what they said was the violation of their political
rights, asked Europe to no look aside and warned them that the
independence movement isn’t giving up despite the repression: “We’ll do
it again”.
Speaking from a bridge on the Franco-German border, Puigdemont argued
the importance of him being able to continue the fight from exile, for
which he apologised for his absence. He also thanked the thousands who
had travelled to Strasbourg for their commitment, saying they are “the
proof of their failure and our success”.
Comín, with the president in Kehl, made similar remarks. He said that
democracy is under threat in Spain and, as such, in the whole of Europe
and that they will continue to be a “free voice” from exile.
Finally, Oriol Junqueras, writing by letter from prison, said that if
the price he has to pay is the loss of his freedom, he’ll pay it. He
argued that Catalonia can be the “spearhead” for the future of Europe,
and called on the continent to not look the other way.
Among the pro-independence leaders there, ANC’s Elisenda Paluzie said
that it won’t be easy to achieve their goal, and that the “battle” must
be won in Catalonia: “We will win independence ourselves, no one will
give it to us”. Marina Llansana, of Òmnium, meanwhile, said that “no
sentence, however severe it may be” will make them give up: “We’ll do it
again, each and every one of the crimes they tell us we’ve committed”.
More than 20 MEPs attended from various countries, members of the
EU-Catalonia Dialogue Platform. They all denounced the situation where
Puigdemont, Comín and Junqueras couldn’t take their seats alongside them
in the Parliament today.
But it was an Irish voice, that of Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy, who spoke
up in the brief opening plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
to decry the absence of the three Catalan voices. During a short session
to constitute the newly-elected European chamber, the European United
Left representative demanded the floor to send a powerful message of
criticism to acting parliamentary president Antonio Tajani.
Visibly indignant, Mr Carthy said that the pro-independence Catalan
leaders had not been allowed to enter the EU Parliament and take their
seats because of the decision of one member state and demanded that “the
voices of the people of Catalonia must be heard”, while at his side, a
colleague [Martina Anderson] held up a photo of Carles Puigdemont. Matt
Carthy denounced to president Tajani, who presided over Tuesday’s
session, that the decision to close the door to Puigdemont, Junqueras
and Comín “undermines the credibility of this house “, which is
entrusted with the mission of “standing up for democracy and human
rights “.
As the Irish MEP explained to the press later: “Tajani opened his
remarks by describing the European Parliament as the house of democracy,
the only EU institution that is directly elected by the people. If that
is the case, the votes of all the people must be equal and there cannot
be administrative or judicial barriers put in place to prevent the will
of the people from being recognised,” he said. “Two million Catalan
people voted for their MEPs and they are as entitled to have
representation in this house as those who voted for me or anyone else
here.”
Mr Carthy, who also forms part of the EU-Catalonia Dialogue Platform,
said that any MEP who fails to stand up for the rights of those Catalan
voters “undermines our own ability to talk about democracy, human rights
and rule of law anywhere else in the world.”. For the Irish MEP, the
“silence” of all EU leaders on the matter is “deafening.” “If it were in
South America or the Middle East, we would be hearing the lectures from
European leaders,” he lamented. If such “administrative loopholes” were
used to block elected MPs in other parts of the world, EU leaders “would
be shouting from the rooftops.”
According to him, the EU is doing a “huge disservice to the people of
Europe” because it is making it “impossible” for us to try and build
peace and democracy in other parts of the world. “People see us clearly
as hypocrites,” he warned.
Independence Day is a day of celebration and reflection about how far this experiment in representational democracy has come, and just how far we have to go. In the 243 years of our nation’s existence, we have seen the slow, hard-won expansion of our democracy — and we still have a long road ahead.
Our history has been a long battle for equality, fairness, and opportunity for all. The America we celebrate today would not be the nation we love so dearly without the activists who marched for voting rights, championed the labor movement, and fought for civil rights, LGBTQ equality, and so much more.
Today we remind ourselves just how much we have to fight for. Together, we must continue our fight for freedom — the freedom of every person, no matter their background, to have a fair shot at the American dream; the freedom of every family to live with dignity; the freedom to live in a world with clean air and water; and the freedom to build a brighter future for the next generation.
I am so proud of you, my team at the DNC, and the millions nationwide who are working tirelessly to protect, strengthen, and expand our American democracy.
Happy Fourth of July, Jim. Thank you for standing with us in this fight.
Independence Day Remembrance🇺🇸:
A DREAM OF LIBERTY
By Sean McCarthy
from Listowel, Co. Kerry
One night as the wind whispered eerie tales
And the stars danced to and fro
I dreamt of the land where my forefathers trod
In those times of long ago
In Boston Harbour I saw brave men
And I watched with youthful pride
When they scattered the tea in a tax-laden sea
To a dark and an angry tide
I wondered then as I watched these men
Who flouted King George’s might
Would redcoat hordes with their glittering swords
Wreak vengeance in the night?
Then a voice rang out in the starry air
“Stand fast young man be brave
Far better to die ‘neath an open sky
Than live like a cowering slave”
That early dawn of that April morn
I stood on a mountain tall
And felt the shock of the musket shot
That started first freedoms call
My spirits soared as its thunder roared
I prayed to the blazing sky
To bless the hand of the gallant band
Who carried our banner high
In that shifting scene of my wandering dream
I rode fast to Bennington town
General Stark and his Green Mountain Boys
Were camped on the dewy ground
I gazed for a while and I saw his sad smile
Then he softly said to me
“Their young blood will stain this Vermont plain
Before our land is free”
I remember that smile as I rode each mile
In my heart a dreadful chill
The blood and the sweat and the smell of death
Rising high over Bunker Hill
The men and the boys with their sightless eyes
Who lay dead before their time
When they broke the chain of King George’s reign
In a place they call Brandywine
Then clear upon a cold night air
I heard a suffering cry
A ragged band of hungry men
Were slowly shuffling by
Across the valley grim and bare
I heard the bugle blow
The bloody beat of their torn feet
Staining the virgin snow
In the shivering scene of my nightmare dream
A tall man spoke to me
He looked grey and old in the crippling cold
But his eyes were bright and clear
He said “Listen well, then you must tell
Of these deeds these men have done
And future days will sing their praise
From dawn ’til the setting sun”
“Tell them of Saratoga
Where the patriots fought and died
Of Valley Forge of Paul Revere
Who made that midnight ride
Of Cowpens and Kings Mountain
Don’t let them soon forget
Or Patrick Henry’s immortal words
”Give me liberty or death”
“Remember Swamp Fox Marion
Who led that wily band
Allen, Greene and Sumter
Who made a noble stand
Remember too the mothers true
Who cried their tears alone
Their names will be told with the brave and the bold
Where e’er our flag is flown”
He left me then but I saw him again
Standing tall near Yorktown Bay
I saw Cornwallis surrender his sword
On that bleak October day
Then the tall man turned and he said to me
“Young man, our fight has just begun”
Like a flashing scene I awoke from my dream
And I cried in my silent room
On my way to school I felt like a fool
As my childish tears did flow
The things I had seen were all in a dream
You see they’d happened long ago
Then I cast my eye to a building high
Where the flag was floating free
And I smiled to the sun for the men who had won
A nation for you and me
Click here to hear The Wolfe Tones’ recitation:
https://youtu.be/vONZUGHEzCA
PLAQUE DEDICATION
On Tuesday, July 9, 2019, at 1100 hours, a Plaque Dedication will be held honoring the memory of Captain John T. Vigiano Sr., L-176, who died on July 7, 2018. The dedication will take place in the quarters of Engine 233 & Ladder 176, 25 Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. All off-duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform.
PLAQUE DEDICATION
On Friday, July 12, 2019, at 1100 hours, a WTC Plaque Dedication Ceremony will be held honoring the memory of Battalion Chief Robert P. Miuccio, Battalion 22. The dedication will take place in the Quarters of Ladder 79 & Battalion 22, 1189 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island, NY. All off-duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform.
PLAQUE DEDICATION
On Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at 1100 hours, a Plaque Dedication Ceremony will be held honoring the memory of Firefighter George R. Scheer, Engine 249. The dedication will take place in the quarters of Engine 249 & Ladder 113, 491 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. All off-duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform.
PLAQUE DEDICATION
On Monday, July 22, 2019, at 1100 hours, a WTC Plaque Dedication Ceremony will be held honoring the memory of Firefighter Brent G. Crobak, Engine 251. The dedication will take place in the Quarters of Engine 251, 254-20 Union Turnpike, Queens, NY. All off-duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform.
PLAQUE DEDICATION
On Wednesday, July 31, 2019, at 1100 hours, a WTC Plaque Dedication Ceremony will be held honoring the memory of Firefighter Charles Williams, Ladder 111. The dedication will take place in the Quarters of Engine 214 & Ladder 111, 495 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, NY. All off-duty members and their families are invited to attend. Members are requested to attend in dress uniform.
