WE WILL DEFEAT EVIL FANATICS
We Will defeat evil Fanatics
Ahern throws down gauntlet to Real IRA
By LORNA REID
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern threw down the gauntlet yesterday to the Real IRA, warning the self-styled renegades they were about to learn a lesson which would teach them to respect Irish democracy.
As the toughest security legislation in recent times was introduced in the Dail, the Taoiseach said those who carried out the Omagh atrocity had a stark choice - they could heed the will of the Irish people, or defy the Government to put them out of business.
In an emotional tribute to the Omagh bomb victims and to the three Quinn boys who died in Ballymoney, Mr Ahern said survivors of the atrocity would still suffer from their injuries for years and would be haunted at times by terrible images.
"The heart of Omagh was devastated on that terrible day, but Omagh will be rebuilt," he pledged.
The attack on Omagh was not just a reckless attack on a community, both Protestant and Catholic, it was an indiscriminate attack on democracy and the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Ahern added.
"That was the evil done by the self-styled 'Real IRA', and I am under no illusion as to the continuing danger that such fanatics who remain at liberty can pose to the rest of society," the Taoiseach said.
In a direct attack on the Real IRA, Mr Ahern said the bombers and their political associates had sought to deny the right of the Irish people to choose their own destiny.
"This so-called Real IRA cannot hope to take on the people of Ireland and win. They have already disgraced themselves and the name which they have misappropriated.
"There is no community in Ireland which wishes to have them operating in their midst. The time for sophistry that provides a cover for murderous attacks on fellow Irish men and women is over," he declared.
The Taoiseach made a special appeal to young people involved or thinking of becoming involved in violence: "Ignore the siren voices of the depraved few who will ruin your lives, while using you to do their dirty work. They have nothing to offer but violence and death."
Former Government Minister Alan Dukes said the tough new law proposed was bad legislation and introduced further restrictions on freedom.
The Fine Gael TD said we would be far better served if the Minister for Justice was serious about enhancing police operational capacity and the allocation of additional resources to the gardai to counter terrorists. He wanted the Omagh bombers found and put behind bars. But the State should not take arbitrary powers which carried the clear danger of penalising the wrong people.
Ahern throws down gauntlet to Real IRA
By LORNA REID
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern threw down the gauntlet yesterday to the Real IRA, warning the self-styled renegades they were about to learn a lesson which would teach them to respect Irish democracy.
As the toughest security legislation in recent times was introduced in the Dail, the Taoiseach said those who carried out the Omagh atrocity had a stark choice - they could heed the will of the Irish people, or defy the Government to put them out of business.
In an emotional tribute to the Omagh bomb victims and to the three Quinn boys who died in Ballymoney, Mr Ahern said survivors of the atrocity would still suffer from their injuries for years and would be haunted at times by terrible images.
"The heart of Omagh was devastated on that terrible day, but Omagh will be rebuilt," he pledged.
The attack on Omagh was not just a reckless attack on a community, both Protestant and Catholic, it was an indiscriminate attack on democracy and the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Ahern added.
"That was the evil done by the self-styled 'Real IRA', and I am under no illusion as to the continuing danger that such fanatics who remain at liberty can pose to the rest of society," the Taoiseach said.
In a direct attack on the Real IRA, Mr Ahern said the bombers and their political associates had sought to deny the right of the Irish people to choose their own destiny.
"This so-called Real IRA cannot hope to take on the people of Ireland and win. They have already disgraced themselves and the name which they have misappropriated.
"There is no community in Ireland which wishes to have them operating in their midst. The time for sophistry that provides a cover for murderous attacks on fellow Irish men and women is over," he declared.
The Taoiseach made a special appeal to young people involved or thinking of becoming involved in violence: "Ignore the siren voices of the depraved few who will ruin your lives, while using you to do their dirty work. They have nothing to offer but violence and death."
Former Government Minister Alan Dukes said the tough new law proposed was bad legislation and introduced further restrictions on freedom.
The Fine Gael TD said we would be far better served if the Minister for Justice was serious about enhancing police operational capacity and the allocation of additional resources to the gardai to counter terrorists. He wanted the Omagh bombers found and put behind bars. But the State should not take arbitrary powers which carried the clear danger of penalising the wrong people.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/133
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
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