Car Bomb in Omagh - A Terrible Shame Born
In the aftermath of the horrific bomb attack in Omagh, Co Tyrone on Saturday which has left 28 people dead and hundreds injured, the following Ireland solidarity groups in the German cities of Heidelberg, Bielefeld, Cologne, Berlin and Frankfurt, call for an end to the use of violence in Ireland to achieve political change. This violence is causing not only enormous pain and loss of life, it is elitist and extremely undemocratic despite the overwhelming vote made by the people of Ireland for a peaceful future. Below is a copy of a statement which we published world-wide via Internet and eMail and which was also sent to the Press in Germany, England, Ireland and the USA.
Open letter to:
See Update below from 8.9.1998
Joint statement from Ireland solidarity groups in Germany
If the so-called "Real IRA" are responsible for the horrific massacre in Omagh yesterday, Saturday the 15th of August then those who are responsible for this should be tried and convicted in front of an International war-crime court along with their British counterparts responsible for assassination squads, the Dublin and Monaghan bombs and Bloody Sunday, to name a few of the many crimes against humanity during the past three decades. There is absolutely no excuse for endangering the lives of innocent civilians, which was obviously the case in Omagh, either by mistake or intent, even more when the result is the cold-blooded slaughter of infants and children. Either it was criminal carelessness or murderous intent, whereby the latter is most probably the case judging the bomb attacks of the last few weeks.
The Omagh bombers are war criminals by any international standards and they are out to wreck the democratic wish of the large majority of the Irish People. It can only be hoped that the catastrophe which hit the small town of Omagh yesterday can be reversed into strengthened support for the Peace Process as was the case after the death of the three Quinn brothers murdered by persons in an equally vicious manner. We support the present Peace Process because we beleive it is the only way forward to democracy. To date this process has brought Ireland and the "North" a long way towards a just and lasting peace. We would like to extend our deepest sorrow to the relatives of the dead and injured and express our shame for a crime which has most likely been committed in the name of Republicanism bringing carnage into the lives of many families.
On the 18th of August the "Real IRA" claimed responsibility for their bomb attack in Omagh during a cross-community festival.
Quote from Irish Republian News:
"As a direct result of the Omagh tragedy and also in response to the appeals of Bertie Ahern and others we are currently embarking on a process of consultation on our future direction." "In the meantime all military operations have been suspended from 12 midnight."
Asked how long the consultation process would last before a final decision was made the spokesman said "there is no timeframe"
He again voiced "regret" at the 28 deaths in the Omagh outrage and said it had "never intended" for civilians to be killed in the attack.
The spokesman refused to answer any more questions.
End of quote
Our disgust and shame expressed in our first response to the massacre has not been reduced by the refusal of the "Real IRA" to call a permanent stop ("there is no timeframe") to it's futile military campaign which is discrediting the whole Republican movement. It is hard to remember anything which has damaged Republicanism more than the present mass murders and there is no guarantee that this will not happen again if there is not an immediate and permanent stop. The only adequate response to the slaughter of the innocent on Saturday in Omagh would be the declaration of immediate and total ceasefires by those organisations still committed to the use of violence in Ireland.
It is perfectly valid to politically oppose the peace process. However the sheer inhumanity of the Omagh bombing demands that those organisations not on ceasefire now declare an end to their use of violence in Ireland or elsewhere.
Specifically we are calling on the so-called 'Real IRA', the Continuity Army Council and the Irish National Liberation Army to declare immediate and total ceasefires. We would like to make it clear that we completly reject the further use of violence by organisations who claim to be republican. Representations should be made to groups who are close to the political thinking of those who still believe in the use of violence.
32 County Sovereignty Committee
"Real IRA " announce that their armed campaign is over.
Omagh bombers abandon campaign. The dissident organisation which carried out last month's deadly Omagh bomb attack today announced that their armed campaign is over.
The splinter group which violently opposed the Good Friday talks agreement announced this morning that it had called an end to its activities from midnight last night. The group had already called a suspension of its operations in the days following a bungled car bomb attack in the centre of the County Tyrone town last month, killing 29 civilians.
The announcement had been widely predicted after heavy political pressure was placed on the militarists from grassrooots republicans and the broader nationalist community.
Its statement, released to Irish television in Dublin, said their campaign had been permanently abandoned "as a result of intense consultation that has taken place over recent weeks".
The announcement was quickly welcomed by the Irish and British governments and political leaders in Ireland. Sinn Fein said the decision had come about because of political pressure and not because of the new repressive legal measures rushed through parliaments in Dublin and London last week. Party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said: "Our thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones and those who are recovering in hospital at this time. We lobbied for this outcome. It is what nationalists and republicans, indeed all the people of this island wanted to see happen."
Mr. McLaughlin said Sinn Fein had "made it clear to them and to anyone thinking about supporting them that their position was wrong and they should stop".
The circumstances had made this morning's announcement "inevitable", he said, and it was "a genuine response to an impossible situation" for the group.
The two governments response in rushing through draconian legislation was "wrong", he added. "This is a political conflict which requires political measures, not repressive ones to resolve it."
Cease-fire has been declared on the 18th of August. However not permanent. The cease-fire is a good step in the right direction, however it is important to send further eMails to encourage a permanent cease-fire decision. To date we have addressed our eMails to Mr Ahern and he wrote to us with the following request.
Your e. mail was received by me. However as I have no links with the 32 County Sovereignty Committee (I resigned after the May referendum) I would suggest that you e.mail it elsewhere. I suggest you try e.mail:mackmorb@mailcity.com or mackmorb@iol.ie.
For the record, I agree with your call for a permanent cease fire.
Yours sincerely, Michael Ahern
eMail 1:
mackmorb@mailcity.com
eMail 2:
mackmorb@iol.ie.
Answered with a four page eMail. However there was no mention of a cease-fire never mind a permanent one. Demand an immediate and permanent cease-fire now! The Continuity IRA are the only organisation from the three mentioned here who have not declared a cease-fire to date.
Republican Sinn Féin,
223 Parnell Street,
Dublin 1, Ireland.
eMail: saoirse@iol.ie
Telephone: (Ireland) 01-872 9747
Fax : (Ireland) 01-872 9757
The Irish Republican Socialist Party
Cease-fire has been declared on the 22nd of August. The word permanent is not used. However it is stated that this is a "complete cease-fire." Like in the case of the "Real IRA" this is a good step in the right direction. At the moment it looks as if this cease-fire is nearer to permanent than that of the "Real IRA." See Update (08.09.98)It is also important here to send further eMails to encourage a permanent cessation.
The Irish Republican Socialist Party,
392 Falls Road,
Belfast BT12, Ireland
eMail: irsp-web@irsm.org
see INLA cease-fire declaration (22.08.98)
See below for further information (Peter Urban)
Please send your comments also to:
Peter Urban
North American Coordinator
Irish Republican Socialist Committees
2057 15th Street,
Suite B San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone/Fax 415-861-1355
eMail:irsp@netwiz.net
Quote PFC: In recent months those advocating the continued use of violence on this island have appeared to enjoy more support abroad than on the streets of Belfast, Derry or South Armagh.
See Cease-fire Appeal To The Irish Diaspora
In a recent discussion paper Mr.Urban drew a strange parallel between the killing of Ranger Best, the resulting cease-fire of the Official IRA 1972 and the car-bomb in Omagh. The killing of the local Derry man on leave was bad enough when it happened and the ceasefire which followed was the best thing that this organisation was capable of doing. If Mr Urban would like to suggest that the INLA are in the same desolate situation as that in which the Officials where 1972, then we might well expect a cease-fire from INLA pretty soon. However he does not say that. He minimises the catastrophe in Omagh by comparing it with Ranger Best, while at the same time calling on the INLA not make the same "mistake."
Another interesting parallel which Mr Urban takes is a piece of blunt propaganda i.e. when he states "the Sinn Fein-dominated Pat Finucane Centre." Who does Peter Urban think he is kidding? There are many groups and people who are not dominated by Sinn Féin in Ireland and elsewhere who support and appreciate what this organisation has done for Peace and Justice over the past years. In Ireland this can be seen through the large vote which this Political Party has received. This is called democracy. Believe it our not, there is not one single Sinn Féin "Kommissar" here in Germany to tell the Ireland Solidaritity Groups what to do.
Quote: Peter Urban
It should be noted that the IRSP had been discussing the possiblity of calling for an INLA ceasefire for some time, and, as was noted previously, the matter was debated, then defeated, at the party's last Ard Fheis. The statement did not result from the outrage over the Omagh bombing (ala Ranger Best), nor was it prompted by the Sinn Fein-dominated Pat Finucane Centre's public call for bombarding the IRSP, along with Republican Sinn Fein and the 32-County Sovereignty Committee, with demands to end the present struggle in arms.
End of quote
See the INLA cease-fire declaration (22.08.98) which we regard as an honest piece of work.
Irlandinitiative Heidelberg - 21st of August 1998