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

category national | history and heritage | news report author Friday February 24, 2006 11:58author 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.

Comments (8 of 8)

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author by Watcherpublication date Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:45author address author phone

This article is not by relatives of the Dublin / Monaghan bombings victims nor id it by the group Justice For The Forgotten. It is obscene that Loyalists should be allowed to march through to Dublin but it is even more obscene that Trolls should pretend to speak on behalf of the victims and relatives.

author by uh?publication date Fri Feb 24, 2006 13:15author address author phone

it asks readers to contact the groups mentioned and local political and religious representatives to express their opinion on the politicisation of the suffering experienced by many people.
It ought be clear that the bombings south of the border in the early 1970s terrorised a generation of Irish people and copperfastened an attitude of abandonment to their fellow Irish north of the border as their political situation descended into terrorist attrition. Terrorist attrition which the group rsf never attempted to put right, but now as the Orange Order come they decide to lay a wreath.
If they felt so sincerely about the suffering caused by Terrorism be it Loyalist, Nationalist, Covert British secret service, Sectarian or Other they would lay their wreath another day, and stick to organising their protests against the Orange Order's visit to Dublin. Instead they are manipulating the emotions of people in Dublin by laying associative blame for those bombings by loyalist paramilitary groupings with yet unproven collusion by the British state at the Orange Order.

NO MANIPULATION OF TERROR.
especially by those who have not condemended terror or moved on from the advocacy of armed struggle. Everyone who was alive in Dublin (or Monaghan) between 1971 and 1974 has full right to write on those events. RSF have as any organisation a right to commemorate the suffering, but not to manipulate it for other sectarian ends.

to repeat for the benefit of the sloppy reader:-

" 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."

author by Barrypublication date Fri Feb 24, 2006 13:37author address author phone

The only point to this post seems to be an attempt to pressure the victims of the states biggest mass murder into attacking against RSF rather than highlight the links to Loveulster and the Dublin Monaghan bombings . Its a clear attempt to manipulate any public statement they might make and an attempt to muddy the waters about the national scandal which currently exists surrounding this atrocity . These people will no doubt be seriously distressed at the news Robert McConnel will be honoured in the centre of Dublin while theyve been ignored and treated like dirt for decades and this idiot is urging people to send them nuisance e -mails .

The title of the article itself is a clear attempt to portray it as somehow connected to the Justice for the Forgotten campaign . Its a disgrace and highly sinister . I hope it gets removed

If anyone has the tinme to be sending emails i suggest they send them to McDowell asking for an explanation into the files disappearance from garda hq and as to why the mass murderer McConnell is being honoured on the streets of Dublin tomorrow by the UVF .

author by Antifapublication date Fri Feb 24, 2006 14:29author address author phone

This poster has zero concern for the Dublin-Monaghan victims. After years of being ignored, this cynical cowardly troll wants people to harrass the Familes of the Forgotten into condemning the laying of a wreath in their memory by RSF while butchers apron waving loyalist "victims" are to be welcomed marching past the steet that was bombed in their name.

Note the hypocrisy "NO MANIPULATION OF TERROR" - What exactly are "Love Ulster" about with their crude good victim V bad victim propaganda?

Remember the compassion displayed at the time from loyalist quarters?

Sammy Smyth, then press officer of both the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) Strike Committee, said, "I am very happy about the bombings in Dublin. There is a war with the Free State and now we are laughing at them."

author by uh?publication date Fri Feb 24, 2006 17:15author address author phone

Laying a wreath to victims both protestant and catholic of the Dublin and Monaghan bombing is another. It is also quite neatly bring our attention to the fact that protestants were killed in those bombings. Yeah indeed Scottish protestants were killed in those bombings, one of an Orange order family.
RSF laying the wreath _for the first time_ on that day, of all days, is lame.

All of Ireland has been and was terrorised systematically . Papist and Dissenter. Atheist and Agnostic for over three decades. That now RSF want to make a point on talbot street to object to the Orange Order is itself *objectionable *. Simply because they are an organisation that has never renounced violence or terrorism. "we'll lay a wreath to all the victims including the orangelad to say eff off to the orange order"?

author by iosafpublication date Fri Feb 24, 2006 18:35author address author phone

Its a healing process and is very very important. I don't believe Ireland is going to get a peace and reconciliation truth commission yet. Probably because there are so many vested interests on all sides and parties to the conflict who don't want the truths to come out.

But I do believe its past time ordinary people of non party affiliation marked the suffering. I was with my da around the corner from Talbot street when the bomb went off. I was very very young, its one of my first memories. But I didn't get maimed. Lay those wreaths. all of you.

the wreaths are overdue.
the wreaths are overdue.

author by iosafpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 13:37author address author phone

Neither side just laid wreaths.

Dublin was thrashed, & citizens were injured. it was obviously going to be. We call it background noise michael, you don't need phone taps and communication intercepts to work out how riots happen. You have an expensively trained police force which was negligently managed last Saturday. Remember that if you go talk to the new recruits. Since indymedia ireland brought attention to the ultra right garage band due to play a gig in Portobello last weekend, it was clear as a diamond that trouble was coming. I am of the impression you wanted that trouble to come and wagered on which side would give it. I am amazed that there are regular contributors to this website who didn't see it. But maybe they're less au fait with background noise. Its almost all there, Michael on the newswire, you don't need to join the editors to read it. And what's not there is on the other websites dedicated to politics, nationalism and unionism. Sure michael, big swinging mickey mc dowell, my old jesuit trained enemy, you could just use google & learn about intelligence and save us all a lot of money on blunt trauma police protection wear, and glazing. How much do you estimate our economy has lost? Our tourism? When you go on minister of justice eu meetings don't they show you videos of riots and point out to you, that you do not allow groups of angry people gather near loose masonry and bricks? ITs coz they throw them Minister. Every time.

So Resign now. You are unfit to manage the department of Justice or direct the Gardaí.

author by Michael McDowellpublication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 13:53author address author phone

If Indymedia.ie are to retain their credibility then it is imperative that they sack Iosaf. For too long this Catalonian clown has been bringing Indymedia in to disrepute with his mendacious meanderings. In the interests of sanity, civililisation and the enlightmen; Iosaf must go.

Sack Iosaf and save the Republic!

ps Thanks to ye all for putting the windows in; we'll claim double from the insurance.


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