Is it just me or do we hear a lot more about Loyalist and Protestant victims of the Troubles in the media than Nationalist or Catholic victims, unless it’s an incredibly high-profile case? There always seems to be spokesperson on the radio or in the papers, online or physical, “speaking on behalf” of Loyalist victims of the troubles, especially when it comes to compensation. I’m not by any means suggesting those from the Unionist persuasion are any less entitled to compensation or truth. Hurt was caused on both sides of the divide. I am however, suggesting they get more publicity and coverage than those of the Nationalist persuasion or ‘other’ or use the media more as a medium to ramp up support. I have found that many Loyalist and Protestant victims, of what is often referred to as “violent Republicanism”, join ‘Victims Groups’ which are predominantly Loyalist or armed forces orientated, of which there are approximately twenty-five in the North Eastern six Counties with a few prominent ones.
Groups like Innocent Victims United get huge amounts of air time on the likes of the Nolan Show (Yeah yeah, I know) with Kenny Donaldson consistently…and I do mean ‘consistently’, lambasting Republicans, Sinn Fein and “violent Republicanism” for what they did in the past. Ignoring completely that Loyalist paramilitaries and the likes of the Parachute Regiment and the SAS so much as existed…did I mention collusion? I vaguely remember Nolan permitting Kenny Donaldson to go on a solo rant unchallenged, about not only “violent Republicanism”, but also Nationalists in general, many of whom have absolutely nothing in common with “violent Republicanism” at all.
Kenny Donaldson of Innocent Victims United, was one of the lead campaigners on Libyan assets being used to compensate victims of IRA violence. No mention of victims of the British army or collusion getting compensation, yet it killed men, women and children with the majority being innocent. The Libyan assets idea seemed to be a runner until March this year when the Government revealed those Libyan assets could not be used to compensate victims, as said assets could not be seized by the British Government. Mr. Donaldson took to the papers today to reveal, surprise surprise, he had gleaned information from a Libyan banker that the British Government had been involved in a dirty little, secret deal with Libya to withhold Semtex from the IRA in return for Britain limiting America’s access to UK air bases during US air strikes on Libya in 1986. Not surprisingly the British Government has neither confirmed nor denied this accusation…and we all know what that means.
Victims of Loyalist paramilitaries and British collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries however, more often than not are forced to go it alone, more often simply seeking the truth than compensation. Families like the Finucanes have been campaigning for years, initially just to reveal the extent of collusion between Loyalist paramilitaries and the British security forces and the shadowy figures which led to the death of a much-loved husband and father. On the 12th of February 1989, the Finucane family were sitting down to Sunday lunch, when two UDA men knocked down the front door with sledge hammers and used a revolver and pistol to kill Pat Finucane, shooting him fourteen times. Pat’s wife, Geraldine was wounded in the foot by a ricocheting bullet. Michael was 17, Catherine 12 with John just eight years old at the time. The Force Research Unit were involved in Pat’s murder, they planted the seed to target Pat with MI5 also involved in the targeting and destruction of material showing the extent of security forces collusion in Pat’s murder.
Thirty odd years and counting to get to a semblance of the truth, thanks to the fact the British security infrastructure was colluding with Loyalist paramilitaries. After an arduous campaign seeking nothing but truth, and being let down time and time again by the British Government attempting to hide collusion between the British Government, Special Branch, MI5 and Loyalist terrorists, Geradine Finucane has secured the right to legally challenge the British Government for deciding not to hold an public inquiry into alleged state collusion in the killing and has been granted leave to seek a judicial review of the position taken by Secretary of State Brandon Lewis last November.
Rosemary Nelson’s assassination was prompted by the RUC themselves. Threats toward Rosemary Nelson came straight from the mouths of RUC officers, the same officers supposedly keeping the peace and protecting us all.
Everybody knew Nelson’s life was at risk long before a bomb exploded under her car in 1998. She had had many death threats, but had been refused police protection. She was murdered a week before the publication of a report into allegations that police officers had told her clients she’d soon be dead.
What no one had known, however, was that while the RUC itself was under scrutiny, special branch, MI5 and the security service had been spying on her. Between 1994 and 1998 security reports on Rosemary Nelson’s life increased until, in 1998, an application for a warrant to put a bugging device in her property went to Mo Mowlam, the then Northern Ireland Secretary. It troubled Mowlam, but she gave it the green light. Overwhelmingly the evidence always converged on the same point “It was the government that did it.”
The difference between victims of IRA violence and victims of Loyalist and British security forces collusion, is the families of those killed by the IRA whether directly or indirectly know exactly who killed them…it was the IRA. However, those who were killed by Loyalist paramilitaries, regularly have no idea whether the British Government have had a hand in the murder of mostly innocent people. The likes of the Glenanne Gang, which was literally run by the UDR and RUC with help from the FRU and MI5, was steeped in shadows and was linked to the murders of 120 civilians. Their victims included farmers, shopkeepers, nurses and two were teenagers on their way to a disco. British army documents back up the testimonies of survivors that they heard a “clipped British accent” at the scene of the Miami Showband Massacre with that English accent suggested as being that of Robert Nairac, serving with 14th Intelligence Company, the precursor to the British special forces unit, the Special Reconnaissance Unit which is currently operating in the North of Ireland, in an attempt to weed out the ringleaders of the rioting we have witnessed over the past couple of weeks.
Victims of Loyalist killers are attempting to gain the truth of murders caused by shadows. They are shadows because the British Government knows if it releases the truth, it will open a trail of blood leading straight to number 10 Downing Street. The British Government chose a side and used that side, Loyalist paramilitaries, to target mostly innocent Catholic civilians with no connections to the IRA at all…and Human Rights Lawyers. Let that sink in.
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