VICTIMS GROUP'S QUEST FOR JUSTICE AIRED AT TORY PARTY CONFERENCE
Victims Group's quest for justice aired at Tory Party Conference
By Terry Patterson
OMAGH Victims Group has welcomed its recent opportunity to address a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Blackpool.
Mr. Michael Gallagher, chairman of the self-help organisation, and Mr. Victor Barker, the English lawyer whose 12-year-old son, James, died in the August 15 town centre atrocity five years ago, both delivered speeches to the Northern Ireland affairs section of the Tory party.
Mr. Gallagher he also lost his 21-year-old son, Aiden, in the blast - said it had been a wonderful chance to speak of their experiences and of the group's fight for justice.
It was particularly significant, he added, as the opening had come just days after it had been revealed that Mr. Barker had met with the Real IRA.
"We spoke to a packed and attentive audience which included one Northern Ireland MP, David Burnside," explained Mr. Gallagher. "There were
people there from England, Scotland and Wales, and the atmosphere was decidedly hushed.
"It was all rather subdued, not the typical noisy fringe meeting that is usually envisaged, although it finished with a lively question and answer session in which the audience fully engaged."
The meeting heard, too, of the victims' journey since the bomb, and of their struggle to secure justice, particularly their bid to obtain funding for the group's court action.
"And we recorded some of the group's achievements, such as placing the Real IRA on the USA Foreign Terrorist List," disclosed Mr. Gallagher.
"The whole affair was a major boost to us, for it was the first time any of the mainstream parties had asked to hear the voice of the victims at a conference.
"Certainly I can say that none of the party political conferences in Ireland has ever invited the Omagh families to address them.
"It is a credit to the Conservative Party that its Northern Ireland members approached us and gave us the opportunity to brief them on the slow progress in the quest for justice.
He continued: "We told them that we had a lot of concerns about what the Irish Government was going to do about the report that the Gardai knew before the attack that the bomb was coming north of the border.
"We expressed concerns, too, that there might be a cover-up, and that even though the senior investigating officer was, in our opinion, one of the best officers you could get in Northern Ireland, we were worried about how much co-operation he was getting."
Prior to addressing the fringe meeting Mr. Gallagher revealed that the families of the 29 people killed in the 1998 bombing would not be satisfied with a truth and reconciliation commission, if one was set up to establish what had happened.
Judicial inquiry
He said the relatives would have no confidence in a South African-style organisation. They would be happier with a judicial inquiry into Omagh, and they could see no good reason why there should not be one.
"As far as the people in Omagh are concerned I think we would be looking for a mechanism other than the truth and reconciliation model that is being talked about," he said.
"I cannot see why we can't have an inquiry set up with real teeth and real power. That would be much more preferable than the South African-model of truth and reconciliation where people can choose to participate or not to participate.
"Rather than having any kind of pussy footing exercise where the perpetrator says, 'I'm sorry', and there is no real satisfaction, I think we should have an inquiry that can ask for documents.
"It should also be able to summons witnesses from army intelligence, MI5 and the Garda, and which can highlight deficiencies where deficiencies occurred."
By Terry Patterson
OMAGH Victims Group has welcomed its recent opportunity to address a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Blackpool.
Mr. Michael Gallagher, chairman of the self-help organisation, and Mr. Victor Barker, the English lawyer whose 12-year-old son, James, died in the August 15 town centre atrocity five years ago, both delivered speeches to the Northern Ireland affairs section of the Tory party.
Mr. Gallagher he also lost his 21-year-old son, Aiden, in the blast - said it had been a wonderful chance to speak of their experiences and of the group's fight for justice.
It was particularly significant, he added, as the opening had come just days after it had been revealed that Mr. Barker had met with the Real IRA.
"We spoke to a packed and attentive audience which included one Northern Ireland MP, David Burnside," explained Mr. Gallagher. "There were
people there from England, Scotland and Wales, and the atmosphere was decidedly hushed.
"It was all rather subdued, not the typical noisy fringe meeting that is usually envisaged, although it finished with a lively question and answer session in which the audience fully engaged."
The meeting heard, too, of the victims' journey since the bomb, and of their struggle to secure justice, particularly their bid to obtain funding for the group's court action.
"And we recorded some of the group's achievements, such as placing the Real IRA on the USA Foreign Terrorist List," disclosed Mr. Gallagher.
"The whole affair was a major boost to us, for it was the first time any of the mainstream parties had asked to hear the voice of the victims at a conference.
"Certainly I can say that none of the party political conferences in Ireland has ever invited the Omagh families to address them.
"It is a credit to the Conservative Party that its Northern Ireland members approached us and gave us the opportunity to brief them on the slow progress in the quest for justice.
He continued: "We told them that we had a lot of concerns about what the Irish Government was going to do about the report that the Gardai knew before the attack that the bomb was coming north of the border.
"We expressed concerns, too, that there might be a cover-up, and that even though the senior investigating officer was, in our opinion, one of the best officers you could get in Northern Ireland, we were worried about how much co-operation he was getting."
Prior to addressing the fringe meeting Mr. Gallagher revealed that the families of the 29 people killed in the 1998 bombing would not be satisfied with a truth and reconciliation commission, if one was set up to establish what had happened.
Judicial inquiry
He said the relatives would have no confidence in a South African-style organisation. They would be happier with a judicial inquiry into Omagh, and they could see no good reason why there should not be one.
"As far as the people in Omagh are concerned I think we would be looking for a mechanism other than the truth and reconciliation model that is being talked about," he said.
"I cannot see why we can't have an inquiry set up with real teeth and real power. That would be much more preferable than the South African-model of truth and reconciliation where people can choose to participate or not to participate.
"Rather than having any kind of pussy footing exercise where the perpetrator says, 'I'm sorry', and there is no real satisfaction, I think we should have an inquiry that can ask for documents.
"It should also be able to summons witnesses from army intelligence, MI5 and the Garda, and which can highlight deficiencies where deficiencies occurred."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1675
Published Date: 30-Oct-03
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