Contents

Jury Still Out on Collusion

• RUC 'Knew Finucane was to be murdered'
• Collusion - More than a case of just one bad apple

Collusion Storm

Revelations by former leading UDA man Bobby Philpott that collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and the security forces were a routine ‘daily’ occurrence have been followed by further revelations in the Sunday Times from former RUC man and loyalist paramilitary John Weir. A former RUC sergeant, Weir was convicted along with fellow RUC man Billy Mc Caughey in connection with the 1977 murder of Catholic shopkeeper William Strathearn. According to the Sunday Times Weir has claimed that collusion was widespread and, more controversially, sanctioned at a higher level.

Among the allegations are claims that:

• members of the RUC sold machine guns manufactured by Down Orange Welfare to the UVF in Portadown. Weir implicates then RUC Chief Inspector Harry Breen in this incident. Breen, who later joined Special Branch, was shot dead by the IRA after returning from a meeting with Gardai in Dundalk.
  
• RUC members supplied the UDA in East Belfast with weapons handed in during the 1971 weapons amnesty,
  
• RUC members participated in the gun and bomb attack on the Rock Bar in Keady in 1975 and the bomb attack on Tully’s Bar in Whitecross a year later,
  
• a former RUC reservist near Markethill allowed his farm to be used to plan and prepare attacks including the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, the attack on Donnelly’s bar in Silverbridge in 1975 in which three people died and ‘other atrocities’.
  
• a former intelligence officer with the UDR, according to Weir, supplied the explosives for the Dublin-Monaghan bombings and other loyalist attacks.
  
• RUC officers passed on prior warnings to loyalists whose homes were due to be searched
  

Earlier revelations from Philpott, a former loyalist prisoner, were broadcast on Sunday in the TV series ‘Loyalists’. In the programme Philpott claimed that members of the RUC, British Army and UDR regularly passed on information to loyalist death squads. Reaction has been swift with the RUC press office claiming that no evidence exists of ‘official’ or ‘institutional’ collusion. The denial of ‘official’ collusion is disingenuous to say the least. It is quite probable that collusion was never actually ordered in an official memo sent down through the ranks by senior officers! Collusion was a necessary part of the dirty war, tolerated and encouraged throughout all branches of the security forces. The fact that it was widespread is an indictment of senior management who colluded in ignoring the fact that members of the RUC, British Army and UDR were guilty of conspiracy to murder. The latest revelations once again confirm the need for an independent judicial inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane after whom our centre is named. Meanwhile a row has broken in the Law Society for Northern Ireland after it was claimed that officers of the Society are trying to stop their own Human Rights Committee from considering a report into Pat Finucane’s murder. The case has now been taken for judicial review.

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Garvaghy Road Intimidation Continues

Supporters of the Orange Order plan to hold a series of rallies this week as part of the continuing intimidation of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. Wednesday March 10 marks 250 days since the siege of the area began. On Saturday the Apprentice Boys are mobilising supporters to parade to Drumcree church. Tension in the area remains very high and, if anything, is set to escalate coming towards the summer.

Scots Guards

It has been confirmed that the two Scots Guards convicted of the murder of Peter Mc Bride, Guardsmen Fisher and Wright, have been posted to Germany by the British Army. We have since contacted politicians and press in Germany to inform. There is speculation that the two may form part of NATO force to be sent to Kosovo. The judicial review of the decision to allow them to remain in the British Army will come before a Belfast court in the near future.