The car bomb left outside the Strand Road RUC station on the morning of Thursday 21st Nov and neutralised that afternoon in a controlled explosion by the security forces, has been claimed by the "Continuity" IRA. The "Continuity" IRA is a faction associated with the hardline Republican Sinn Fein(RSF), which broke from (Provisional) Sinn Fein in the 1980s. RSF has no social base to speak of in any community north or south of the border, and its military wing has only emerged in the last year. Speculation by Unionist politicians that the name "Continuity" Army was a convenient nom de guerre for the Provisionals is unfounded.
In their statement to the Derry Journal last Friday claiming the attack, the "Continuity" IRA said that the 400lb home made fertilizer bomb was planted by disaffected members of Derry's Provisional IRA, tired of what they see as the Provisionals' sell out to British Imperialism. There is much speculation that the bomb in question was unprimed, this has been neither confirmed nor denied by police.
The DUP's Ian Paisley Jr warned of dire consequences last Saturday after the Orange Order was unexpectedly prevented by the RUC from marching through the predomonantly nationalist village of Dunloy. The comments are seen as a veiled threat to resume the picket of Harryville Catholic church, near Ballymena. The picket, by an abusive and sometimes violent crowd of Loyalists demanding the right for the Orange Order to march through Dunloy, ended this week amid speculation that the Orange Order and the Dunloy Residents' and Parents' association would reach agreement on the Orange march. But the Orange Order had refused to meet residents, and other Loyalists sent in their place failed to reach agreement. When residents, protesting at their not being consulted, blocked the route, the RUC decided not to force through the Orange Parade, and banned it instead. It is anticipated that the Loyalist picket of Harryville Catholic Church will resume tonight before 6 o'clock Mass commences.
The West Belfast Festival, as part of their winter school, organised a discussion week-end on the 16th and 17th of November, under the banner "A Right To March". To this week end were invited members of the DUP and UUP as were members of the three Loyal Orders, the Apprentice Boys, the Orange Order and the Royal Black Preceptory. Also invited were the fringe Loyalist parties the UDP and PUP. Nobody showed, even the two unionist representatives who had indicated that they would, mysteriously pulled out. The meeting, say the organisers, was sadly one-sided. If a discussion like this, away from the heat of the marching season, is boycotted by unionists across the board, what hope is there of finding a negociated solution to the Marches controversy?
The daughter of Civil Rights leader and former Westminster MP Bernadette McAliskey (nee Devlin), Roisin McAliskey was arrested in her Co Tyrone home last week before being flown to Fullsutton jail in England from whence British authorities hope to extradite her to Germany. She is expected to be charged in connection with a mortar attack on a British Army base in Osnabruck two years ago. The timing of the arrest has caused raised eyebrows, given Bernadette McAliskey's incisive criticisms of the peace process in general and the British Government in particular. Seven years ago she narrowly escaped an attempt on her life by a loyalist death Squad carried out with logistical and military support from British Secret Services.
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Hopes of restored confidence in the peace process were dashed this week as the British Government rejected proposals drafted by John Hume MP and Gerry Adams on how to restore an IRA ceasefire. Prime Minister John Major, in a letter to the SDLP leader Mr Hume, effectively rejected the Hume/Adams proposals before making a brief statement in the House of Commons, demanding a "credible" IRA ceasefire and condemning "IRA terrorism... for any purpose, at any time, in any place". The British governments refusal to facilitate Sinn Fein's entry to talks through an IRA ceasefire compounds the sense of grief and exclusion felt by nationalists at the state's partisan dealing with Loyalist marches this summer.
The British governments rejection of the Hume/Adams proposals, along with its subsequent statement, were done without consulting the Irish government, a grave development in the Irish peace process. Major's London statement, while it appears ambiguous on the question of the decommissioning of weapons ( a move seen by nationalists as a bit of realism dressed up as a concession) is more stringent on the question of the contents, remit and timeframe of talks and for the general conditions of Sinn Fein's entry. This move is seen by commentators as a concession to Unionist MPs by a Conservative government mindful of its precarious parliamentary majority. John Hume has condemned the British government for playing the numbers game at a crucial time in the Irish Peace Process, to suit his own domestic purposes.
The British Governments insistence on Sinn Fein's adherence to the Mitchell Principles has been condemned as one sided by the Pat Finucane Centre. A spokesperson said last week that in the light of the UDA's admitted breach of their own ceasefire and their continued presence at all party talks as well as direct negciations with Downing street, that the British Government's policy was clearly one-sided. The fringe Loyalist Parties the UDP and PUP, who represent the UDA and UVF, were meeting with John Major when threats of punishment shooting were issued by the UDA against members of its "own" community. Loyalist paramilitaries have been responsible for a number of punishment shootings since their ceasefire was called, as well as the sectarian murder of a Catholic taxi driver, yet their presence at talks has not been called into question. The Spokesperson fot the Pat Finucane Centre said "The Mitchell principles have not been applied across the board and , as such , have become a farce. Only meaningful dialogue will remive violence from our society. Not contradictory preconditions."
Hammersmith and Fulham Trades Union Council has submitted a list of ten questions to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in London concerning the actions of his force in relation to the killing by police of unarmed IRA suspect Diarmuid O'Neill in September this year. Said trades Council representative Oliver Donoghue : " The killing was followed by a series of hideously false claims made by the police press office. These included that the victim had been armed, that there had been a gun battle with police and that ten tonnes of explosive had been found in the house." "In fact Diarmuid O'Neill had not been armed, there had been no gun battle and so far nothing has been done about the murder apart from a referral to the Police Complaints Authority to investigate." The Police Complaints Authority is not an independent body.
The Pat Finucane Centre is changing its date for its weekly update on the world wide web to Wednesday. The Centre is also hoping to expand its service to human rights and political activists on the internet. If you have any ideas or comments please do not hesistate to e-mail the Centre at pfc@www.serve.com