No Apology Necessary – by Michael Lagan

There is a concerted effort by Unionism and by those of the middle ground recently, to have Nationalists and Republicans come to the conclusion that the IRA’s armed campaigns were “unjustifiable” while at the same time, claiming Protestantism’s only wrong-doing was discriminating against Catholics.  Few if any of those peddling this falsehood have so much as mentioned that as of a few days ago, Loyalist narco-terrorists are still willing to attack Irish citizens and use violence in a bid to get their own way.  It’s the old ‘There was an alternative’ speech, peddled by those of a holier-than-thou viewpoint on the conflict here.

People like Naomi Long, Doug Beattie and to be totally honest, most of Unionism came off with a line which shows them in one of two lights. They either didn’t grow up through the conflict, or they’re so incredibly ignorant that they feel they have a right to tell an entire community that they had no right at all to defend themselves from a police force, the RUC, which was literally an extension of Loyalist terrorism and the UDR which even going by the Ministry of Defence’s own internal memos was a Loyalist militia.  Add to that the interventions and murderous mischief of the British intelligence structures, and one opens a door into a world where Nationalists and Republicans actually deserve an apology from Unionism, Loyalism and British intelligence due to their murderous collusion, targeting of innocent Catholics and asking the same to trust a police force which openly backed up Loyalists while they burned the Fall’s Road, took part in the murders of the Glenanne Gang and went along with the falsehood peddled about the McGurk’s Bar bombing.

One person who should know better than to peddle the ‘company line’ is Colum Eastwood.  A man from Derry, a so-called Nationalist from a city which along with Belfast bore the brunt of British and Unionist aggression and a city gerrymandered in such a way that even with an overwhelmingly Catholic population, ended up, on paper, a Unionist city.

Those who take the line of ‘there was an alternative’ might like to take a look at Derry as a snapshot.  A city which was at the heart of Prince William of Orange’s crusade against King James and since that period, in one way or another held by a false Unionist majority.  However, looking at a more recent history, Derry was the battleground for one of the more enlightening battles, the Battle of the Bogside.  Sparked by the Apprentice Boys of Derry marching along the walls, the RUC pushed Catholics back into the Bogside with Loyalists coming up behind the RUC and attacking Catholics and Catholic homes along the way.  It got so bad that the Irish army set up field hospitals along the border, with the Irish government requesting UN peacekeepers be sent to the region.

At Burntollet bridge in January 1969, Civil Rights marchers were attacked on a march from Belfast to Derry.  Around 300 Loyalists attacked the march including approximately 100 off-duty officers of the Ulster Special Constabulary.  RUC officers stood by and allowed the attack to happen unhindered with accounts claiming the RUC joined in on the attack.

In 1972 Bloody Sunday happened because Unionists and the British army didn’t like the fact those damned Catholics wanted rights.  Thanks to the British army’s Parachute Regiment, Bloody Sunday was one of the IRA’s biggest recruitment drives with hundreds of young men and women joining its ranks within days and weeks…and all that without the IRA having fired a shot.  No, people saw Britain’s aggression against a people demanding the same rights as their Protestant and Unionist neighbours.  The massacre was televised worldwide causing global consternation and showing Britain and its forces for what they were…jackboots on the neck of Irish Catholics in the North of Ireland.

The Ballymurphy Massacre, Bloody Sunday, Catholic children being shot dead on the way to the shops by British soldiers, Aiden McAnespie, The Fall’s Road Pogroms, RUC Special Branch targeting Loyalist terrorists onto Rosemary Nelson and Pat Finucane, The Shankill Butchers, The Glenanne Gang, The Loughinisland Massacre, 21-year-old Billy McKavanagh shot dead in Belfast City centre by the British army, Sean Grahams Bookies Massacre, the McGurk’s pub bombing, the Battle of St, Matthews…and the list goes on and on and on. 

 Are those people saying ‘there was an alternative’ actually saying Nationalists and Catholics didn’t have a right to self-defence or to fight back?  After all, the British army and police force could not be trusted, so who was to defend Catholics considering collusion was rife with the RUC joining in on attacks at times? Notice few of those peddling this view of ‘there was an alternative’ have said there was an alternative to the British army and Loyalist murder and violence…and indeed collusion?   

Nationalists and Catholics have absolutely nothing to apologise for.  In the face of an overwhelming force from all sides, they fought back and held their ground.  There most certainly was no alternative at the time other than to fight back against a force made up of the RUC, British army, British intelligence, Special Branch, UDA, UVF, FRU, SAS, and more which we probably don’t even know about.

We should never have to apologise for defending ourselves and then fighting back against aggression that was brought to our door.