THOUSANDS ATTEND OMAGH RALLY
Thousands attend Omagh rally
THOUSANDS of people marched for peace in Omagh yesterday - one week after the murder of constable Ronan Kerr - as police were granted an extra five days to question a 33-year-old man arrested on Friday.
The mass rally was a powerful demonstration against violence in a community which suffered the infamous 1998 bombing by dissident republicans that killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
The peace march came as police investigating the murder of the 25-year-old Catholic officer continued to question three men in connection with the killing.
Detectives on Friday were granted an extra five days to question a 26-year-old and a 40-year-old detained over the attack.
Dissident republicans opposed to the peace process were blamed for the booby trap device that exploded under the policeman's car on April 2. The same extremists are believed to have been behind a 500Ib van bomb police discovered near Newry on Thursday.
The Omagh rally attracted support from across the community and was attended by friends and relatives of the murdered officer. And while the march was not party political, organisers said it was intended to send a message of support for the peace process.
Gareth McElduff used Face-book to coordinate the rally and said it demonstrated the widespread support for the Kerr family.
He added: "Although these are 'major, major setbacks in the peace process, hopefully the amount of people that is going to come out today is going to show everybody that we want peace in Ireland again and we don't want to go back to the Troubles."
Many in the crowd held posters carrying a picture of PC Kerr's face, with the words: "Not in my name."
The officer's cousin Sinead O'Kane said she hoped the people responsible for the murder would see the groundswell of support for peace.
"It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain." she said.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed in the 1998 Omagh bomb, said: "I think it is important that we walk together and a very strong message comes out of Omagh that enough is enough. We don't want any more bombings or shootings in Omagh or anywhere else."
Politicians have noted that dissidents continue to target police and to show a disregard for the safety of the public.
The device that killed Constable Kerr detonated not long after a half marathon and fun run had passed the scene.
In a further development, it has emerged that just 24 hours before the fatal car bomb blast in Omagh. police had ordered a specialist team of detectives to begin sifting through evidence from historic dissident attacks in a bid to ramp-up pressure on the terrorists.
None of the dissident groups has yet claimed responsibility for the murder of PC Kerr. But officers have indicated that increasing links and cooperation between disparate organisations means a specific claim is not as relevant to their investigation as it might once have been.
They believe there are as many as 30 distinct groupings operating across Northern Ireland, some claiming to be the Real IRA, some Continuity IRA, some from Oglaigh na hEireann. with other groups claiming no affiliation at all.
The fluid nature of the dissidents has seen a new grouping emerge in the Co Tyrone area in recent months.
Police dealing with the officer's murder are also investigating the discovery of a substantial arms and explosives cache uncovered by the murder investigation team near Coalisland, Co Tyrone, on Tuesday night.
THOUSANDS of people marched for peace in Omagh yesterday - one week after the murder of constable Ronan Kerr - as police were granted an extra five days to question a 33-year-old man arrested on Friday.
The mass rally was a powerful demonstration against violence in a community which suffered the infamous 1998 bombing by dissident republicans that killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
The peace march came as police investigating the murder of the 25-year-old Catholic officer continued to question three men in connection with the killing.
Detectives on Friday were granted an extra five days to question a 26-year-old and a 40-year-old detained over the attack.
Dissident republicans opposed to the peace process were blamed for the booby trap device that exploded under the policeman's car on April 2. The same extremists are believed to have been behind a 500Ib van bomb police discovered near Newry on Thursday.
The Omagh rally attracted support from across the community and was attended by friends and relatives of the murdered officer. And while the march was not party political, organisers said it was intended to send a message of support for the peace process.
Gareth McElduff used Face-book to coordinate the rally and said it demonstrated the widespread support for the Kerr family.
He added: "Although these are 'major, major setbacks in the peace process, hopefully the amount of people that is going to come out today is going to show everybody that we want peace in Ireland again and we don't want to go back to the Troubles."
Many in the crowd held posters carrying a picture of PC Kerr's face, with the words: "Not in my name."
The officer's cousin Sinead O'Kane said she hoped the people responsible for the murder would see the groundswell of support for peace.
"It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain." she said.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan was killed in the 1998 Omagh bomb, said: "I think it is important that we walk together and a very strong message comes out of Omagh that enough is enough. We don't want any more bombings or shootings in Omagh or anywhere else."
Politicians have noted that dissidents continue to target police and to show a disregard for the safety of the public.
The device that killed Constable Kerr detonated not long after a half marathon and fun run had passed the scene.
In a further development, it has emerged that just 24 hours before the fatal car bomb blast in Omagh. police had ordered a specialist team of detectives to begin sifting through evidence from historic dissident attacks in a bid to ramp-up pressure on the terrorists.
None of the dissident groups has yet claimed responsibility for the murder of PC Kerr. But officers have indicated that increasing links and cooperation between disparate organisations means a specific claim is not as relevant to their investigation as it might once have been.
They believe there are as many as 30 distinct groupings operating across Northern Ireland, some claiming to be the Real IRA, some Continuity IRA, some from Oglaigh na hEireann. with other groups claiming no affiliation at all.
The fluid nature of the dissidents has seen a new grouping emerge in the Co Tyrone area in recent months.
Police dealing with the officer's murder are also investigating the discovery of a substantial arms and explosives cache uncovered by the murder investigation team near Coalisland, Co Tyrone, on Tuesday night.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/823
Published Date: 11-Apr-11
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