Enniskillen bomb bereaved calls on government to seek Libyan compensation

“My mother was murdered for doing a very British thing, namely standing at a war memorial, wearing her medals earned in the RAF in WWII, when we stood against another tyrant,” states Aileen Quinton, whose mother Alberta was 72 when she was killed in the blast.

“She faced the ultimate disadvantage for being British in terms of losing her life at the hands of terrorists. Our government seems to be content that her children are further disadvantaged again for being British,” she told the NI Affairs Committee yesterday.

The NI Affairs Committee is investigating why Libya paid out £1 billion to US victims of Libyan terrorist attacks in 2008 but UK victims of IRA attacks, which were facilitated by the Gaddafi regime supplying the plastic explosive Semtex and other weapons, were excluded from the deal. Tony Blair has been accused of intervening in negotiations between Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and President George Bush that led to American citizens receiving compensation, an accusation that he denies. Victims of IRA atrocities, including Ms. Quinton, appeared before the committee yesterday and called for Mr. Blair to be called to give evidence.

“My submission to the committee is a reminder of the fact that other governments supported their victims and the British victims were specifically excluded when Bush signed the deal. We believe that this was all done because of the conniving of Blair, looking after his pal Gaddafi,” Ms. Quinton tells The Impartial Reporter. “The main thing about this is accountability - holding people and rogue states to account. Therefore it shouldn’t just be the victims that have an interest in this. We should at least be supported by our Governments and not be hindered by them.” Chair of the NI Affairs Committee Laurence Robertson has said: “Exploring the possibilities with regard to discovering what happened and possible measures being made towards reconciliation will help to assure victims and their relatives that the crimes are not forgotten.” Ms. Quinton agrees, saying: “I am sick, sore and tired of murder being dismissed as the past. There are no statutory limitations on murder, so why are murders in Northern Ireland treated as something we shouldn’t be thinking about anymore, or dismissed as ‘legacy’? Murder is murder is murder.” The impact of her mother’s death is “very much in the present” for Ms. Quinton. “The Enniskillen bomb happened just a few short years after the death of my father. I was in my twenties and I certainly could have done with my mother for a lot longer than I had her,” she comments. “The bomb had a tremendous impact and all the things that have happened since bring you back there to the horror of it all.

“Trauma like that also masks other conditions, for example, I didn’t get diagnosed until my forties that I was dyslexic and have ASD and ADD because any disabilities I have were always put down to the trauma of the bomb.” This “is not about money”, Ms. Quinton continues. Addressing the Committee, she said: “It is often said: ‘Money doesn’t bring them back.’ This is very true. However neither does not having it. Moreover money can bring some freedoms and space in which to better manage the impact of atrocities. Many of the physically injured have very obvious and immediate financial needs. Psychological injuries can give rise to these too. For many others, being a victim of terrorism has significantly reduced their economic potential.” The very fact that the NI Affairs Committee is investigating the lack of compensation gives Ms. Quinton some hope.

“The inquiry gives me the impression that [the MPs] consider that there is something to be investigated and that this kind of disadvantage is not OK. It seems that they want to get to the bottom of it. I think they will be pretty receptive to what we’ve got to say. But Tony Blair needs to be held to account, he needs to appear before the Committee.” Innocent Victims United representative Kenny Donaldson also gave a presentation to the NI Affairs Committee, calling for a legacy fund to be set up through an Independent Trust, free from government interference which would ensure that the innocent victims and survivors of Libyan sponsored IRA terrorism “are provided for and supported in the years that lie ahead.” Ms. Quinton reflects: “Over the years, the ripples of the Enniskillen bomb have went on and on in ways that will never get documented. These things just go on and on within families for generations.”