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Sinn Fein to veto victims definition bill

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Sinn Fein will try to veto any attempt to prevent dead IRA men from being defined as victims, it warned today.

The party accused the DUP of abandoning inclusivity and championing a hierarchy of victims after it announced plans to change the legal definition.

The DUP wants to ensure people like Shankill fish shop bomber Thomas Begley, who died in the blast, can't be placed on the same level as the innocent.

Sinn Fein victims' spokesman Francie Molloy said: "The DUP need to get real about the victims issue. For too long they have sought to play politics with it and attempt to elevate one victim over another.

"That approach has failed and Sinn Fein will robustly block any attempt to go back down that road."

A proposal from the Eames/Bradley Consultative Group on the Past for a £12,000 payment for relatives of all killed in the conflict met a furious reaction from unionists because it could include former paramilitaries.

The DUP's objections to victims of state violence benefiting from victims legislation apply to scenarios like in Loughgall where IRA men attacking a police station were killed by the SAS.

The ministerial Executive has created a Victims' Commission to help those bereaved in three decades of violence.

Mr Molloy said: "The current definition came about after years of campaigning by victims' organisations with the support of Sinn Fein. In response to any Bill the DUP bring to the Assembly on this issue, Sinn Fein will bring forward a petition of concern (which requires that subsequent legislation command significant support from both sides of the community).

"Given the universal view on this issue amongst those groups representing victims of British state violence I would fully expect the SDLP to join with us in this blocking these offensive and unnecessary DUP moves and I will be meeting with them to discuss this issue."

DUP European candidate Diane Dodds earlier said the DUP was drafting a changed bill.

"I hope that our legislation will attract cross-party support at Stormont," she said.

"Murderers like Thomas Begley, the Shankill bomber, cannot be put on the same level as the innocent people he cut down in cold blood."

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WISE UP. The ira kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered. Their victims (their own people) buried in unmarked graves, known only by those responsible- WAR CRIMINALS.

Posted by brian | 03.05.09, 02:43 GMT

The UDR, RUC and the British military machine all brought terror to my community.

If they are to be considered victims, and I have no objection to that - then dead IRA men should be afforded the same respect.

All sides inflicted suffering and all sides suffered. Thats the basis of the new political dispensation here. Get used to it.

Posted by ger | 21.04.09, 23:44 GMT

This appears to be an avoidable, divisive issue.
Got to agree with the DUP here. How can you be a "martyr" and a victim? Can't have it both ways, Sinn Fein. ALL terrorists cannot be classed as victims, in my eyes. I am lucky to have never been directly affected by the troubles, but I imagine if I had been, this would disgust me.

By Sinn Fein's twisted theory, I imagine, an IRA "volunteer" would be more worthy of the term 'victim'. Am I wrong?

Posted by Russell | 21.04.09, 23:18 GMT

IRA,UVF,INLA,UDA,and their likes were anything but victims.Name them for wht they were......terrorists.

Posted by RMS | 21.04.09, 18:44 GMT

Including former IRA paramilitaries who actually murdered innocent men, women, children and babies in cold blood is something similar to designating Hitler as a victim along with people who died in the Holocaust. After all, Hitler died as a result of the war, so applying S.F. logic he is a victim too.

Good grief, you really couldn't make this stuff up. It beggars common sense. It is simply ridiculous. If I were related to any of the innocents who were murdered I would feel victimized twice over.

Posted by Ex-Pat | 21.04.09, 18:14 GMT

Everyone is sadly a victim no matter what way anyone looks at it. Good or bad, a person killed is somebody's son or daughter, and everyone suffers in the end. The Bradley/Eames duo are to blame because they have tried to put a monetary value on victim's heads. Commonsense prevails- there should be no money handouts. If a terrorist goes to blow up a Police station and gets killed doing so, so sad, so bad, should not have been doing what he was doing-simple. His family definitely don't deserve compensation, that is ridiculous. If I lost my wife or son, etc. I would be embarassed by #12,000. you could not put a price on the death of a loved one. There are immediate situations where innocent people are the true victims.

Posted by Canuck | 21.04.09, 17:59 GMT

All those who died in the conflict are equal in death.

Their relatives grieve the same regardless which side of the divide they are from.

It is time for all Irish people to unite in hope for the future, and look forward to solving all differences through peaceful negotiation.

Those who died committing violent acts were just as much victims as their victims were because of an unfair society that placed more onus on a person's religion than their worth as a human being.

It is be hoped that we never see those dark days again.

Posted by John Jones | 21.04.09, 17:42 GMT

These people dont deserve to be called victims, this is both offensive and a blatant attempt to rewrite history by sinn fein.
What an insult to the real victims of the troubles, at least the perpetrators will be burning in hell if their is any justice.

Posted by Graeme | 21.04.09, 17:41 GMT