Justice for the Forgotten. No manipulation of the victims of Terror.

national | history and heritage | news report Friday February 24, 2006 11:58 by don't forget

The news that the minority irish republican armed force party, "RSF" intend to manipulate the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974 by laying a wreath to co-incide with the mildly controversial Orange Order march in Dublin later this year, ought present us with an opportunity to revisit the events of May 17th, 1974 and the other "Dublin bombings".

It is simply offensive that a party which refuses to engage in constitutional politics either side of the border in Ireland, seek to promote their agenda by associating their protest against Orangeism with the suffering of victims of terror. Two "wrongs" may never make a right. A quick recap of what occured in Dublin Ireland between 1/12/72 and 17/5/1974

A series of terrorist attacks occured in both Dublin and Monaghan on the 17th of May 1974.

A total of 33 people were killed [including one near full term pregnant woman], and many others (approaching 300) seriously injured and / or maimed. Most of the injured are still living. It is unthinkable that a tiny extremist party which promotes a "four province" federal solution to Ireland (in which one would presume the Orange order would have a right to march were the hypthotetical parliament of Uladh or Ulster democratic) use the suffering of those families in 2006.

Three car bombs exploded across a time frame of only a few minutes on Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street in the centre of Dublin. They were followed shortly after by a fourth car bomb in Monaghan.

This was yet another dark page of the Irish "Troubles" or British / Irish conflict of the late 20th century which was covered up, not investigated and "almost forgotten". Only in June 2005 did the Irish government announce it would bring a case against the British government at the European Court of Justice, to force them to release files relating to the main suspects (for the most part members of Loyalist paramilitary organisations). Many of those suspects are now dead and in the meantime popular opinion in Ireland has laid responsibility for the logistic support at the door of the British covert security forces active on both sides of the border in Ireland at that time.

Links
http://www.serve.com/pfc/dubmon/intro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_and_Monaghan_Bombings

"Justice for the Forgotten was formed in January 1996 with the aim of campaigning for truth and justice for the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974. Its membership includes the overwhelming majority of the bereaved families and many wounded survivors. In January 2001 the bereaved families and survivors of the Dublin bombings of 1 December 1972 and 20 January 1973 joined with those of 1974 and amalgamated into a united organisation demanding to know the truth as to how and why all their loved ones were cruelly murdered and so many were maimed."

The group "Justice for the Forgotten" has compiled much information in the public domain at its website which is available to read, including their submissions to the Irish Government (Oirechatas) and the Barron report (which under justice Barron was the initial Irish Governmental inquiry).

http://www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org/index2.html

If you consider the laying of a wreath ["To show that there is not a hierarchy of suffering Republican Sinn Fein President Ruairi O Bradaigh will lead a wreath at the monument in Talbot St, to the 33 victims, Protestant and Catholic of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombs."] (sic) offensive, considering that the tiny republican abstentionist grouping is opposed to the Irish Peace Process, and has never renounced armed struggle or condemned terrorism and is de facto as sectarian an organisation as many argue the Orange Order is : then - contact the representative groups of the victims of terror in Ireland & demand that protest be registered .

Justice For The Forgotten,
64-66 Lower Gardiner Street,
Dublin 1,
Ireland

Tel No: +353-1-8554300
Fax No: +353-1-8193258

e-mail: 1974bombings [at=nospam]esatlink.com

Also consider contacting your local political and religious representatives that this wanton display of manipulation not go unchallenged.