A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
"A crime against humanity" - McMenamin
SDLP ASSEMBLY member for West Tyrone, Eugene McMenamin, who has strong links with Donegal, has expressed his horror at the Omagh tragedy, labelling the attack as "an evil act and a crime against humanity."
Mr. McMenamin's father was from Stranorlar while his two brothers and two sisters were also born in Donegal. He said he was saddened at the heartbreak the bomb blast had caused.
"I understand people are very angry because this was an attack on ordinary decent people going about their business on a Saturday afternoon. What words can be said about the people who carried out such an attack?"
The Assembly member, well known in Donegal as an avid Finn Harps fan,said: "The minute I heard there was a bomb I went straight to Omagh. As I arrived, I saw people in a completely state. People did not know where to go or what to do."
The SDLP member praised the emergency services and the people who set up the emergency base at the Omagh Community Centre for their response to the emergency.
However, he said the scenes in the County Tyrone town were just too traumatic even to relate.
"People saw the pictures on television. They were just beyond words. On my arrival, I met a man who didn't know where his wife was, if she was alive or dead. As it turned out, she had died, just one of the many wiped out in this terrible act of savagery."
The extent of the blast was really hammered home when he visited Tyrone County Hospital on Sunday and, as he left, Mr. McMenamin's only thought was: "My God, what are people like who caused this."
Conscience
"I don't think they'll be remorseful because I don't think these people have a conscience. Maybe 20 years down the line they might realise what they've done."
In the meantime, the ordinary people of Ireland, North and South, are still trying to come to terms with this atrocity.
"People do not know what to do. Ordinary people are trying to find some way of showing their grief, they just don't know what to do to show their sympathy.
"You'll go a long way to meet better people than the people on this island. It is so unfortunate we have a few fanatical lunatics who could cause such a carnage," he added.
Meanwhile, as people struggle to come to terms with the tragedy, the SDLP member vowed that his party would never stop working to get the country back to normality.
"I am absolutely positive that is what 99% of the people want," he concluded.
SDLP ASSEMBLY member for West Tyrone, Eugene McMenamin, who has strong links with Donegal, has expressed his horror at the Omagh tragedy, labelling the attack as "an evil act and a crime against humanity."
Mr. McMenamin's father was from Stranorlar while his two brothers and two sisters were also born in Donegal. He said he was saddened at the heartbreak the bomb blast had caused.
"I understand people are very angry because this was an attack on ordinary decent people going about their business on a Saturday afternoon. What words can be said about the people who carried out such an attack?"
The Assembly member, well known in Donegal as an avid Finn Harps fan,said: "The minute I heard there was a bomb I went straight to Omagh. As I arrived, I saw people in a completely state. People did not know where to go or what to do."
The SDLP member praised the emergency services and the people who set up the emergency base at the Omagh Community Centre for their response to the emergency.
However, he said the scenes in the County Tyrone town were just too traumatic even to relate.
"People saw the pictures on television. They were just beyond words. On my arrival, I met a man who didn't know where his wife was, if she was alive or dead. As it turned out, she had died, just one of the many wiped out in this terrible act of savagery."
The extent of the blast was really hammered home when he visited Tyrone County Hospital on Sunday and, as he left, Mr. McMenamin's only thought was: "My God, what are people like who caused this."
Conscience
"I don't think they'll be remorseful because I don't think these people have a conscience. Maybe 20 years down the line they might realise what they've done."
In the meantime, the ordinary people of Ireland, North and South, are still trying to come to terms with this atrocity.
"People do not know what to do. Ordinary people are trying to find some way of showing their grief, they just don't know what to do to show their sympathy.
"You'll go a long way to meet better people than the people on this island. It is so unfortunate we have a few fanatical lunatics who could cause such a carnage," he added.
Meanwhile, as people struggle to come to terms with the tragedy, the SDLP member vowed that his party would never stop working to get the country back to normality.
"I am absolutely positive that is what 99% of the people want," he concluded.
Further Information
Publisher: DONEGAL PEOPLE'S PRESS
Ref: DP/010
Published Date: 19-Aug-98
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