ONLY TOUGHEST REACTION WILL DO AGAINST TERRORISTS
Only toughest reaction will do against terrorist
The proposal to amend the offences Against the State Act, and other measures unveiled, yesterday will receive widespread public support on, the strength of Government assurances that this will make it easier for the gardai to achieve convictions against the bombers of Omagh. Striking a blow for democracy the Government has moved swiftly to introduce what in other times would be regarded as draconian legislation. In the present climate, nothing will suffice but the toughest of security responses. Assured of the support of all parties in the Dail the Government has demonstrated it will not-be deflected by the hypocritical statement issued on behalf of the Real IRA. The resolve to crack down on the perpetrators of atrocities against the Irish people must not be diminished one whit.
How often down the years have we thought we had seen the last of atrocities? The appalling Enniskillen bombing was regarded as a watershed amid a tidal wave of revulsion against those responsible for the deaths of so many civilians.
The Good Friday agreement had led us to believe the country was finally on a path which would enable people to live normal lives. Then came Omagh.
As President McAleese yesterday led the nation in mourning, amid harrowing scenes of grief at 16 funerals in the North and in Co Donegal, it was hardly surprising that the move by the Real IRA to somehow disclaim responsibility for its action has been greeted with the naked scepticism it deserves. Seamus Mallon spoke for the public at large when he described the statement as a callous and cynical ploy by people who seek to justify their actions through the twisted logic of the fascist and who deserve to be treated with contempt. Their credibility is nil. The feelings of numbness and shock which gripped the entire community have been replaced by anger and outrage over the sheer effrontery of the Pontius Pilate nature of a disavowal so empty in the face of so many deaths. Nothing the bombers can say or do "will bring back those who have been lost, leaving desolation in their wake. What passes for an apology was too little too-late. All those responsible for the bombing must be brought to justice.
Whether the Omagh outrage marks a turning point, the crossing of the Rubicon as Bishop Hegarty put it, is doubtful. The bombers have not called off their mad campaign. They have merely suspended the killing of innocent people. Perversely when it suits them, they will start the killing again sacrilegiously invoking the name of the Irish people.
A serious difficulty to be confronted is that the murderers, for that is precisely what they are, not patriots, have utterly rejected the peace agreement, turning their backs on political debate and opting to continue down the cul de sac of the bomb and the bullet. For 28 Irish and Spanish families the legacy their distorted grip on reality is to measured in emotional torment and inconsolable grief.
Far from being a watershed, the Omagh bombing marks the opening of a new and terrifying phase of, paramilitary activity by a handful of lunatics prepared to hold the country to ransom for their own blind cause. Nothing is surer but that they will return to the bomb and the bullet when they feel inspired to do so by their warped sense of patriotism curbing the right to silence for persons charged under the Offences Against the State Act, extending the maximum period, of detention to four days and restricting the bail laws, the Government will make it easier for the gardai to put terrorists behind bars.
Making it an offence to direct an unlawful organisation, effectively targets the puppeteers who pull the strings directing young extremists. The provision for confiscation of property will make land-owners think twice before giving refuge to terrorists and allowing them store arms on their land. The Government has acted wisely by not introducing internment at this stage. But by keeping the option open the Taoiseach has put down a final marker for the men of violence.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
The proposal to amend the offences Against the State Act, and other measures unveiled, yesterday will receive widespread public support on, the strength of Government assurances that this will make it easier for the gardai to achieve convictions against the bombers of Omagh. Striking a blow for democracy the Government has moved swiftly to introduce what in other times would be regarded as draconian legislation. In the present climate, nothing will suffice but the toughest of security responses. Assured of the support of all parties in the Dail the Government has demonstrated it will not-be deflected by the hypocritical statement issued on behalf of the Real IRA. The resolve to crack down on the perpetrators of atrocities against the Irish people must not be diminished one whit.
How often down the years have we thought we had seen the last of atrocities? The appalling Enniskillen bombing was regarded as a watershed amid a tidal wave of revulsion against those responsible for the deaths of so many civilians.
The Good Friday agreement had led us to believe the country was finally on a path which would enable people to live normal lives. Then came Omagh.
As President McAleese yesterday led the nation in mourning, amid harrowing scenes of grief at 16 funerals in the North and in Co Donegal, it was hardly surprising that the move by the Real IRA to somehow disclaim responsibility for its action has been greeted with the naked scepticism it deserves. Seamus Mallon spoke for the public at large when he described the statement as a callous and cynical ploy by people who seek to justify their actions through the twisted logic of the fascist and who deserve to be treated with contempt. Their credibility is nil. The feelings of numbness and shock which gripped the entire community have been replaced by anger and outrage over the sheer effrontery of the Pontius Pilate nature of a disavowal so empty in the face of so many deaths. Nothing the bombers can say or do "will bring back those who have been lost, leaving desolation in their wake. What passes for an apology was too little too-late. All those responsible for the bombing must be brought to justice.
Whether the Omagh outrage marks a turning point, the crossing of the Rubicon as Bishop Hegarty put it, is doubtful. The bombers have not called off their mad campaign. They have merely suspended the killing of innocent people. Perversely when it suits them, they will start the killing again sacrilegiously invoking the name of the Irish people.
A serious difficulty to be confronted is that the murderers, for that is precisely what they are, not patriots, have utterly rejected the peace agreement, turning their backs on political debate and opting to continue down the cul de sac of the bomb and the bullet. For 28 Irish and Spanish families the legacy their distorted grip on reality is to measured in emotional torment and inconsolable grief.
Far from being a watershed, the Omagh bombing marks the opening of a new and terrifying phase of, paramilitary activity by a handful of lunatics prepared to hold the country to ransom for their own blind cause. Nothing is surer but that they will return to the bomb and the bullet when they feel inspired to do so by their warped sense of patriotism curbing the right to silence for persons charged under the Offences Against the State Act, extending the maximum period, of detention to four days and restricting the bail laws, the Government will make it easier for the gardai to put terrorists behind bars.
Making it an offence to direct an unlawful organisation, effectively targets the puppeteers who pull the strings directing young extremists. The provision for confiscation of property will make land-owners think twice before giving refuge to terrorists and allowing them store arms on their land. The Government has acted wisely by not introducing internment at this stage. But by keeping the option open the Taoiseach has put down a final marker for the men of violence.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/117
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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