Upset for Republican victims

Editorial Department • Published 1 Jul 2010 16:00 0 Comments

Dear Sir, - Reading Michelle Gildernew's letter in your paper, 'Families have done their loved ones proud' I felt nauseous and particularly upset for all of those families throughout Northern Ireland who have lost loved ones at the hands of republican terrorists.

Michelle's letter reeked of hypocrisy, untruths and offence.

To even have the audacity to claim that some of her colleagues acted in a 'democratic' way is an insult to every person in Northern Ireland who was murdered by the IRA.

While I am hopeful that the Saville report will bring peace to those who lost loved ones on Bloody Sunday I will not sit back and let Sinn Fein attempt to rewrite history. Let us not forget, it was the IRA who created the context for Bloody Sunday and the Saville Report states that the IRA were present on the day - including our own potentially armed deputy First Minister.

What Michelle failed to mention in her ideological letter was the fact that the republic myth created by Sinn Fein in an attempt to justify their terrorist action was completely quashed by the Saville report. Saville concluded that the British and Northern Ireland Governments did not have any involvement. This serves to ask serious questions about the stories and myths Sinn Fein and Republicans have sought to sell across the world for generations.

No such justification has, or will ever exist for their terrorist campaign no matter how many lies Sinn Fein attempt to spin. Michelle and her colleagues are supposed to be in favour of power sharing. Michelle's language only served to contradict this. It is time Sinn Fein faced up to the truth instead of avoiding the real questions. Her comments only act as an insult to Unionists and for that reason it is difficult to see how Saville will contribute to reconciliation and building a shared future.

Yours faithfully,

Tom Elliott

UUP MLA Fermanagh South Tyrone

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This letter appeared in Impartial Reporter 01 Jul 10

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