THE BOMBERS WANTED TO DIVIDE US
The bombers wanted to divide us
The full horror of the Omagh bombing has emerged over the weekend, in the series of grainy home video images of the immediate aftermath of the bomb, in the pictures of relatives sobbing with uncontrollable grief, in broken sentences mumbled by survivors still deep in shock. Survivors who count themselves lucky to be alive, but who are numbed by the knowledge that 28 of the people who were with them on the same street, at the same fateful moment, are now dead.
It will be a long time before Northern Ireland recovers from the trauma that was visited upon them on Saturday by dissident republicans determined to blow a hole in the reconciliation process, and who cared not a jot that they would slaughter innocent men, women and children in the process.
The aim of the bombers is not in doubt. Their motivation was to wreck the Good Friday Agreement, so painfully constructed as a beacon of hope by the politicians and so mightily endorsed by the will of the people on both sides of the border.
But the people who set off a murderous car bomb on Saturday are saying No to all that: No to the hopes of giving our children a better future; No to the prospect of raising a new generation free from violence and the fear of it; No to the aspirations of the vast majority of our people who want to live alongside each other in a spirit of tolerance, like the people of Omagh town.
Even by Northern Ireland's standards, the enormity of what took place on Saturday is on such a scale that shock waves have been sent around the world.
Not for the first time, people on the outside must be wondering what hope there is for a people who continue to tear themselves apart in the cruellest fashion, in a land where young tourists who have come to enjoy our country are blown to pieces because they happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
At a time like this it would be all too easy to abandon hope for the future, to accept that the peace so many parts of the world enjoy will never be established here.
That is exactly what the bombers wish us to think.
They want to break the spirit of the Ulster people: they believe they can shatter the resolve of those in both communities who are working tirelessly for peace, and they are confident that they can drive us back to bitter conflict by doing the only thing they are good at.
By bombing Omagh, they ensured that both Catholics and Protestants would be among the victims. The attack, by virtue of the chosen target, was aimed as much at nationalists and republicans who support the Good Friday Agreement, as it was at unionists and loyalists.
What the bombers do not realise is that in times of despair, the spirit of the Northern Ireland people remains as indomitable today as it has through 30 years of savagery. And the response of those who know that they only way forward is to build bridges instead of blowing people to pieces, will be to redouble their efforts.
This is no hollow sentiment. Northern Ireland's future well-being and prosperity rely not on the fine print of documents drawn up by governments, but on the determination of the people here to put the past behind them and to work together to build a new and better future.
The framework for such progress has been put in place by government, but it is the overwhelming desire for change on the part of the people that will make the difference in the end. The reality this morning is that the people of Northern Ireland are united, albeit through tragedy, in a way that has seldom before been evident.
Politically, too, the impact of the Omagh bomb ha failed to achieve its desired objective. It has prompted Sinn Fein to do something unionists have been waiting for for decades: condemnation of the use of violence for political ends. It has inspired David Trimble to demand a national day of mourning, on which Protestants and Catholics could come-together to pay their respects to those innocents who died in Omagh and in all the atrocities of the last three decades.
The immediate and unequivocal condemnation by Gerry Adams of the Omagh atrocity was an important and significant departure from normal policy, but will be of lasting consequence only if it is followed by a declaration that the war is over.
Such a statement would create clear water between Sinn Fein and the bombers, and in turn allow Sinn Fein to test unionist goodwill over their commitment to the aspects of the Agreement which require the sharing out of power and responsibility among parties genuinely committed to peace.
None of this will prevent those on the lunatic fringes of our society from trying to continue wrecking property and lives, and therein lies the
challenge for the two governments.
Tony Blair's emergency visit to the Province yesterday was much appreciated, and his words of comfort for the victims were heartfelt.
But in the light of this awful tragedy, the people Ulster now need to see action on the part of the authorities to ensure that those who are still inclined use or support violence, are isolated entirely and permanently from the peace process, and put where the can do no more harm.
It is said that the identity of the bombers is known to the security forces. If that is the case, it is a disgrace that, knowing their potential, they were in a position to inflict such a catastrophe on Omagh on Saturday. Intelligence sources have been fearing an attack months.
No stone must be left unturned in bringing them justice.
AFTER AN EVENT WHICH HAS CHANGED THE LIVES FOREVER, THAT IS THE VERY LEAST THE PEOPLE OF OMAGH DESERVE.
The full horror of the Omagh bombing has emerged over the weekend, in the series of grainy home video images of the immediate aftermath of the bomb, in the pictures of relatives sobbing with uncontrollable grief, in broken sentences mumbled by survivors still deep in shock. Survivors who count themselves lucky to be alive, but who are numbed by the knowledge that 28 of the people who were with them on the same street, at the same fateful moment, are now dead.
It will be a long time before Northern Ireland recovers from the trauma that was visited upon them on Saturday by dissident republicans determined to blow a hole in the reconciliation process, and who cared not a jot that they would slaughter innocent men, women and children in the process.
The aim of the bombers is not in doubt. Their motivation was to wreck the Good Friday Agreement, so painfully constructed as a beacon of hope by the politicians and so mightily endorsed by the will of the people on both sides of the border.
But the people who set off a murderous car bomb on Saturday are saying No to all that: No to the hopes of giving our children a better future; No to the prospect of raising a new generation free from violence and the fear of it; No to the aspirations of the vast majority of our people who want to live alongside each other in a spirit of tolerance, like the people of Omagh town.
Even by Northern Ireland's standards, the enormity of what took place on Saturday is on such a scale that shock waves have been sent around the world.
Not for the first time, people on the outside must be wondering what hope there is for a people who continue to tear themselves apart in the cruellest fashion, in a land where young tourists who have come to enjoy our country are blown to pieces because they happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
At a time like this it would be all too easy to abandon hope for the future, to accept that the peace so many parts of the world enjoy will never be established here.
That is exactly what the bombers wish us to think.
They want to break the spirit of the Ulster people: they believe they can shatter the resolve of those in both communities who are working tirelessly for peace, and they are confident that they can drive us back to bitter conflict by doing the only thing they are good at.
By bombing Omagh, they ensured that both Catholics and Protestants would be among the victims. The attack, by virtue of the chosen target, was aimed as much at nationalists and republicans who support the Good Friday Agreement, as it was at unionists and loyalists.
What the bombers do not realise is that in times of despair, the spirit of the Northern Ireland people remains as indomitable today as it has through 30 years of savagery. And the response of those who know that they only way forward is to build bridges instead of blowing people to pieces, will be to redouble their efforts.
This is no hollow sentiment. Northern Ireland's future well-being and prosperity rely not on the fine print of documents drawn up by governments, but on the determination of the people here to put the past behind them and to work together to build a new and better future.
The framework for such progress has been put in place by government, but it is the overwhelming desire for change on the part of the people that will make the difference in the end. The reality this morning is that the people of Northern Ireland are united, albeit through tragedy, in a way that has seldom before been evident.
Politically, too, the impact of the Omagh bomb ha failed to achieve its desired objective. It has prompted Sinn Fein to do something unionists have been waiting for for decades: condemnation of the use of violence for political ends. It has inspired David Trimble to demand a national day of mourning, on which Protestants and Catholics could come-together to pay their respects to those innocents who died in Omagh and in all the atrocities of the last three decades.
The immediate and unequivocal condemnation by Gerry Adams of the Omagh atrocity was an important and significant departure from normal policy, but will be of lasting consequence only if it is followed by a declaration that the war is over.
Such a statement would create clear water between Sinn Fein and the bombers, and in turn allow Sinn Fein to test unionist goodwill over their commitment to the aspects of the Agreement which require the sharing out of power and responsibility among parties genuinely committed to peace.
None of this will prevent those on the lunatic fringes of our society from trying to continue wrecking property and lives, and therein lies the
challenge for the two governments.
Tony Blair's emergency visit to the Province yesterday was much appreciated, and his words of comfort for the victims were heartfelt.
But in the light of this awful tragedy, the people Ulster now need to see action on the part of the authorities to ensure that those who are still inclined use or support violence, are isolated entirely and permanently from the peace process, and put where the can do no more harm.
It is said that the identity of the bombers is known to the security forces. If that is the case, it is a disgrace that, knowing their potential, they were in a position to inflict such a catastrophe on Omagh on Saturday. Intelligence sources have been fearing an attack months.
No stone must be left unturned in bringing them justice.
AFTER AN EVENT WHICH HAS CHANGED THE LIVES FOREVER, THAT IS THE VERY LEAST THE PEOPLE OF OMAGH DESERVE.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/024
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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