Bitter row as councillors reject parade for Iraq soldiers
Thursday, 28 August 2008
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A war of words raged in Limavady today after councillors rejected a call for soldiers returning from Iraq to parade through the town.
Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors voted to reject the notice of motion brought forward by Unionist Leslie Cubitt on Tuesday night.
Mr Cubitt today hit back at Sinn Fein claims that soldiers should “hang their heads in shame”, saying that honouring the members of the Territorial Army and the Royal Irish Regiment was not intended to be political. He added that Sinn Fein should look to the civilian victims of IRA violence before speaking about civilian victims in Iraq.
The motion was defeated by seven votes to six, with unionist councillors backing the motion.
Sinn Fein councillor Paddy Butcher said today that the soldiers were “not welcome here and they are not welcome in Iraq”.
Mr Butcher said his party would not tolerate any “jingoistic celebration of an illegal war launched over false claims about weapons of mass destruction by Bush and Blair”.
He added: “We have opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the outset. It is estimated that over half a million innocent men, women and children have been killed by allied forces and we don’t feel it is right to glorify those deaths.
“The British Army should hang their head in shame not expect a civic reception at the expense of the rate payers of Limavady borough.”
Mr Butcher said his party totally rejected claims made by unionists during the debate that the soldiers were only “serving their country” and should be honoured.
Mr Cubitt responded today that the comments were “a bit rich” coming from Sinn Fein.
He said: “What about the illegal war that the IRA waged and the number of innocent Protestants killed by the IRA and still being targeted by dissidents?
“What about the innocent people who were killed — the civilians, the policemen, the school teachers — murdered by the IRA thugs in Northern Ireland?”
He added: “We did not want a parade. All we wanted was to honour these people from the TA and RIR who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq and especially the ones from in and around Limavady. There are quite a few people I know who have served there. This wasn't supposed to be political or contentious, whether you agreed with the war or not. I know an awful lot of members of the Roman Catholic faith serving in the RIR and people from the south of Ireland serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Mr Cubitt said it was ironic that members of the Equality Commission had been at the meeting on Tuesday to speak about good relations among councillors. “This shows there is no such thing among councillors in Limavady,” he said.
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Comments
22 Comments
Poland Again
I get disgusted when it is suggested that only republicians reject a parade or celebration. I am neither republician or unionist but view the invasion of Iraq as no differnt than the Nazi invasion of Poland or Russia.Wars began under false pretences. Far from freeing people the murder rate has increased. This war is purely based on religous ,racial hatred and greed for oil this will probably result in the complaints its not the ordinary soldiers fault this does not wash because you would then have to apply the same excuse to the ordinary German soldier. I do not normally read or comment on anything in the tele because the stories are normally so normally biased toward pro unionist views and transparent even when it pretends to be imparial it is cringe worthy, but I will break my own rule as this glorification of extermination of innocent people is wrong. I will be there to peacefully protest and do not think the predicted violence will come from anti war
Posted by a amallon | 23.10.08, 11:59 GMT
Our Troops are only doing there duty and the Royal Irish Regiment should be honoured for having putting there lives at risk Uk troops should be permitted to parade on British soil and Northern Ireland is a British country ,as for the war in Iraq Republicans have a long history of stabbing Britain in the back World War two comes to mind ,Republican terrorists were active when Britain stood alone against Germany and i do;nt think Hitler would have stopped at the border and left the Republic unoccupied !
Posted by Steve | 02.09.08, 22:18 GMT
this is a disgrace northern ireland is british and we are being told by some republican that british soldiers can not walk on british streets the goverment needs to step in and do something about this and stop turning there backs on us britian used to be a strong country at least british people in ulster dont back down to sinn fien. what is republican partys even doing in our government they hate everything we stand for and will not be happy until the union between ulster and britian is ruined and the way we are being treated it dosent look likeit will last much longer britian have turned there backs on us too much the british goverment should be ashamed
Posted by paul | 31.08.08, 15:49 GMT
Richard has a good point. Dishonest politicians started the war in Iraq. The ordinary hard working serviceman/woman has to try and sort the situation out. We should celebrate their efforts and at the same time condemn the politicians.
Posted by andy | 29.08.08, 12:40 GMT
Eddie, how could `they british troops' occupy 'our country' for 800 years? The British Army has only existed for 301 years. Maybe they had a Tardis?
Posted by Eamon | 29.08.08, 03:50 GMT
We the British people are paying Sinn Fein's wages and they are glad to take them. We should honour our service men & women because they do a great job, and they are OUR TROOPS.
Posted by john | 28.08.08, 21:29 GMT
No better a man for stirring the sectarian pot, Leslie Cubitt, next he'll be crying about how his culture is being denied equality...game, set and match Leslie...and Sinn Fein look like the trouble makers...
Posted by Limavady Resident | 28.08.08, 21:09 GMT
Again the Uglyness that is Sinn Fein and the SDLP comes to light. The fine young men who risked their lives at the request of their government should have a full parade. Why should the soldiers of your country not be recognised and honoured. They should be treated as the heroes they are. The streets should be full of welcoming people. They volunteered to do the toughest of jobs. It doesn't matter if you like the war or not you cannot take away their courage. Shame on Sinn Fein and the SDLP.
Posted by James Martin | 28.08.08, 20:25 GMT
99.99% of Nationalists do NOT want their taxes used to pay for this inappropriate and deeply divisive parade...let the Orange Order pay for it from their funds and run it in a private field somewhere...
Posted by GerryT | 28.08.08, 20:07 GMT
Hmm. did the British welcome Cromwell's thugs with street parades after he committed genocide in Ireland? Is this where the unionist gets their great ideas from past history?
Posted by eamon | 28.08.08, 19:34 GMT
More citizens of the Republic of Ireland are members of the British forces than of their own defence forces. A fairly bizarre situation in a supposedly neutral state if nothing else
Posted by neil | 28.08.08, 19:22 GMT
Eddie ' if they british troops did not occupy our country for this past 800 years' Nothern Ireland is part of the UK so in what means do you use the word our? refering to what
Posted by Eddie?? | 28.08.08, 15:29 GMT
We would have freedom justice and peace and no deaths in this country if they british troops did not occupy our country for this past 800 years. I hope they dont think the Irish people will support 800 years of british murder in the middle east.
Posted by eddie | 28.08.08, 15:16 GMT
Think about Paddy Butchers comments; don't judge; just look at the FACTS. Surely the facts stand for themselves. Aggressive foreign governments masqerading as peace keepers for strategic & financial purposes should never be honoured. Your judgement is skewed
Posted by Realist | 28.08.08, 14:33 GMT
Just shows the NI 'kick the sleeping dog' mentality: the only territory where some politicians want to parade their soldiers of this so-called Iraq "coalition of the willing" so happens to be the divided society of Northern Ireland, where almost almost 50% of the population find those same soldiers inacceptable for historical reasons..
I don't see the US, Poland, Italy, Ukraine or other country holding parades for their Iraq returnees.
Posted by GI Jacques | 28.08.08, 14:22 GMT
In the United States, opinion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is as split as it is here, but the American people have the ability to see the distinction between the policy makes and those who have to pick up the pieces of a political decision. It is disappointing, although not at all surprising, that Sinn Fein are still not capable of making that distinction.
Posted by Richard | 28.08.08, 14:05 GMT
Northern Ireland needs to move on from its jingoistic, militaristic, post-colonial, plantationist, war-commemorating timewarp mentality...it is the sign of a sad and sick society...the dogs in the street know it is dangerous and DIVISIVE to put on a commemoration like this !!
Can someone clever in NI please find something peaceful that all of us can celebrate without decending into tribalism!!!???
Posted by Colonel Blimp | 28.08.08, 13:56 GMT
Sienn Fein your views on this topic is a joke ull lose my vote
Posted by WHY | 28.08.08, 12:38 GMT
Sinn Fein councillor Paddy Butcher should take a moment to reflect on his words and sit down and think about Mr Cubitt's point of view which could not be any truer or accurate
He said: “What about the illegal war that the IRA waged and the number of innocent Protestants killed by the IRA and still being targeted by dissidents?
“What about the innocent people who were killed — the civilians, the policemen, the school teachers — murdered by the IRA thugs in Northern Ireland?”
Posted by JOKE | 28.08.08, 12:24 GMT
Sinn Fein councillor Paddy Butcher said today that the soldiers were “not welcome here and they are not welcome in Iraq”.
Your views make me sick, Sinn Fein should 'hang their heads in shame'!!!!!
Posted by Andrew | 28.08.08, 12:19 GMT
22 Comments