BRINGING BACK INTERNMENT WILL NOT SOLVE PROBLEM
Bringing back internment 'will not solve problem'
By Jim Fitzpatrick
A former internee and respected community representative who was a neighbour of several of the Omagh dead, warned yesterday that internment would not work in Northern Ireland.
Paddy Joe McClean, from Beragh, said that internment had previously been successful in the Republic, although he did not support its
reintroduction there either.
Among those from the Beragh area that died were Mary Grimes (65) and her daughter Avril Monaghan (30), who was pregnant with twins, and her own 18-month-old daughter Maura.
Beragh Sunday school teacher Esther Gibson (36) was also among the dead as was Veda Short (56) from Gortaclare, Gareth Conway (18) from nearby Carrickmore and Brenda Logue (17) whose relatives live in the town.
Mr McClean, a retired teacher and former chairman of the civil rights association who has always opposed violence, was detained without trial under the old Stormont regime for four years in the late fifties, and once again in the brutal operation in 1971.
He described the calls for internment as an "ill thought out knee-jerk reaction by good people" who wanted to put an end to the savagery
of the Omagh bombing.
He said an internment strategy in Northern Ireland was doomed to failure because of the divided nature of society.
"At times like this when there is horror and massacre of innocent people, naturally enough people are going to fly to extremes.
And it's understandable that they should call for most extreme measures in every way. But at the same time, they should also be aware of what happened in the past and how that didn't solve anything.
"Rather than going down that road of extreme exclusivity, we're going in the opposite direction which is one of inclusive dialogue.
And where such large numbers of people have voted for that approach I think it would be inappropriate to go the other way," he said.
However Mr McClean said internment had been shown to be effective when introduced previously in the Republic, but he felt any move in the Republic would create pressure for similar action in the north.
"It did work in the Republic before. But the Republic is a different type of society than we have here.
"The other thing is that if it works in the Republic the tendency would be to introduce it here indiscriminately.
To be introduced in one jurisdiction is not going to be enough," he said.
Mr McClean said the only option was for everyone to cooperate fully with the police investigating the atrocity he said Sinn Fein's condemnation would remain "hollow words" unless they publicly backed calls to supply information to the RUC.
"It has taken them (Sinn Fein) 20 years to use this word condemnation and only know when they're forced into it by public opinion.
Is it going to take them another 20 years to co-operate with the security forces? Even though they're not perfect, you can still co-operate and work with them to try and provide a more perfect security force.
"Condemnation must mean working with the police. Taking ownership of the security services. Taking ownership and responsibility or our own community and creating the conditions where a minuscule number of people cannot perpetrate massacres and slaughter like this," he said.
Mr McClean said those who planted the Omagh bomb were attempting to destroy the peace process, but had helped unify all sections of the community.
"The reason for the bomb is quite obvious, people don't want this new process to succeed. They're fighting against it. They're fighting against change."
But people here are united in sorrow.
They're united in condemnation of what has happened.
At the moment they're united in anger and I suppose it's in that angry context that the word internment has been brought up," he said.
By Jim Fitzpatrick
A former internee and respected community representative who was a neighbour of several of the Omagh dead, warned yesterday that internment would not work in Northern Ireland.
Paddy Joe McClean, from Beragh, said that internment had previously been successful in the Republic, although he did not support its
reintroduction there either.
Among those from the Beragh area that died were Mary Grimes (65) and her daughter Avril Monaghan (30), who was pregnant with twins, and her own 18-month-old daughter Maura.
Beragh Sunday school teacher Esther Gibson (36) was also among the dead as was Veda Short (56) from Gortaclare, Gareth Conway (18) from nearby Carrickmore and Brenda Logue (17) whose relatives live in the town.
Mr McClean, a retired teacher and former chairman of the civil rights association who has always opposed violence, was detained without trial under the old Stormont regime for four years in the late fifties, and once again in the brutal operation in 1971.
He described the calls for internment as an "ill thought out knee-jerk reaction by good people" who wanted to put an end to the savagery
of the Omagh bombing.
He said an internment strategy in Northern Ireland was doomed to failure because of the divided nature of society.
"At times like this when there is horror and massacre of innocent people, naturally enough people are going to fly to extremes.
And it's understandable that they should call for most extreme measures in every way. But at the same time, they should also be aware of what happened in the past and how that didn't solve anything.
"Rather than going down that road of extreme exclusivity, we're going in the opposite direction which is one of inclusive dialogue.
And where such large numbers of people have voted for that approach I think it would be inappropriate to go the other way," he said.
However Mr McClean said internment had been shown to be effective when introduced previously in the Republic, but he felt any move in the Republic would create pressure for similar action in the north.
"It did work in the Republic before. But the Republic is a different type of society than we have here.
"The other thing is that if it works in the Republic the tendency would be to introduce it here indiscriminately.
To be introduced in one jurisdiction is not going to be enough," he said.
Mr McClean said the only option was for everyone to cooperate fully with the police investigating the atrocity he said Sinn Fein's condemnation would remain "hollow words" unless they publicly backed calls to supply information to the RUC.
"It has taken them (Sinn Fein) 20 years to use this word condemnation and only know when they're forced into it by public opinion.
Is it going to take them another 20 years to co-operate with the security forces? Even though they're not perfect, you can still co-operate and work with them to try and provide a more perfect security force.
"Condemnation must mean working with the police. Taking ownership of the security services. Taking ownership and responsibility or our own community and creating the conditions where a minuscule number of people cannot perpetrate massacres and slaughter like this," he said.
Mr McClean said those who planted the Omagh bomb were attempting to destroy the peace process, but had helped unify all sections of the community.
"The reason for the bomb is quite obvious, people don't want this new process to succeed. They're fighting against it. They're fighting against change."
But people here are united in sorrow.
They're united in condemnation of what has happened.
At the moment they're united in anger and I suppose it's in that angry context that the word internment has been brought up," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0687
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.