Here are some reasons that the unionists despise Gerry Adams and the i.r.a.
In conversation with a fellow republican internee Gerry Adams (leader of Sinn Fein) made his views known that he would:
"…wade up to my knees in Protestant blood to get a United Ireland"
Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein .
Tracey Munn (a two year old child) and Colin Nicholl (a 17 month year old baby) were both killed when the IRA left a no warning bomb on the busy Shankill Road on the 11th December 1971. The mother of one of the children, who was looking after Colin Nicholl for a friend, had left the pram with the two children in it outside a shop. The bomb, which had been left outside a furniture shop, exploded causing the front wall of the shop, and the floors above, to collapse onto the street below. The two young children were buried under the tons of rubble that collapsed down upon them. Such was the scale of the devastation that a digger had to be used to remove the rubble.
On the 21st July 1972 a series of bombs exploded across Belfast in what was to be one of the most bloody episodes in the troubles, the day became known as Bloody Friday. There were in total some 21 bomb explosions; in many cases people were literally blown to pieces. Such was the force of the explosions and their vicinity to people it was hard to ascertain from the mass of burnt body parts just how many people had lost their lives. The newspapers initially reported eleven people had died but it turned out to be nine. A police officer who had been on the scene describes the scene that was unfolding all around him:-"One victim had his arms and legs blown off and some of his body had been blown through the railings. One of the most horrendous memories for me was seeing a head stuck to a wall. A couple of days later we found vertebrae and a ribcage on the roof of a nearby building. The reason we found it was because the seagulls were diving on to it…" A 14-year-old boy was amongst those who were killed. In 1983 it emerged in a television documentary that Gerry Adams had been involved in the carnage that took place on that day. A former republican pointed the finger of blame at him, so did other former IRA volunteers, who had been sickened by the depths that their organization would stoop to.
On the 17 February 1978 the IRA committed what has since been described as one of the most horrific crimes in the troubles. The killings took place at a hotel called La Mon House, during a meeting of the Irish Collie Club (a pet club). The IRA had planted a firebomb in the Hotel, and when it exploded the building was engulfed in a massive fireball. Those who were killed were burnt alive, their bodies burnt beyond all recognition. One local newspaper, the Newtownards Chronicle described the scene as follows:- "For those who were to see this holocaust it was sickening. Sickening to see pieces of human body, limbs and other parts of the body being lifted. Many of them were just pure red flesh so indistinguishable that even forensic science experts found difficulty in sifting out their identification. It was only by getting down to some of the most minute details – teeth, hair, steel items belonging to the victims – that is was possible to arrive at identification." In all twelve people were murdered that day, three married couples were amongst those killed, eight of the victims were women. All those killed were Protestants again demonstrating that for a united Ireland the IRA would wade in Protestant blood. Its hard to understand how killing innocent Protestants attending a social dinner as part of a dog club could further any cause other than that of sectarian hatred.
Perhaps the most shocking, because it was perpetrated in the realm of the sacred, was the massacre that occurred at Darkley Pentecostal Church. On the evening of the 20th November 1983 the congregation of Darkley church were attending evening service, unaware of what lay in store for them. The first to be killed were two elders of the church whose job it was to welcome latecomers into the church. As they stood at the front door three gunmen emerged and shot them dead. One other man who was standing in the inner hall was also shot but managed to stagger bleeding, and barely able to stand, into the church to raise the alarm. The gunmen were not, however, finished their killing and began to open fire on the building. The small church was only of wooden construction and the bullets passed through the walls like they were made of paper. In all some 40 shots were fired into the small church in which some twenty sex children were present. Three people were shot dead, and many more were seriously injured. It is unclear which republican organization carried out the attack with some people pointing the finger of blame at the INLA although to make any clear distinction between the INLA and the Provisional IRA would be merely theoretical. The only thing that is clear is that this was another sectarian attack carried out by republican murder gangs.
The "Poppy Day Massacre" is perhaps the single worst incident in the history of the troubles if indeed we can single out one single atrocity amongst the catalogue of those perpetrated by the IRA. The attack was so vicious and so nakedly sectarian that many within the catholic community who had sympathized with the IRA came out in open criticism of the organization. On that day, the 8th November 1987, the people of Eniskillen were remembering those that had died in World War I and II in an open-air remembrance service at the war memorial. As they stood waiting for the service to begin, the crowd the usual mixture of people from all walks of life, a massive bomb exploded in a community hall just yards behind them. The explosion was devastating, bringing down tons of masonry that crushed people against steel railings. In all some 11 people were murdered that day, most of them were elderly couples. After the explosion relatives who knew that loved ones were trapped beneath the tons of rubble, made frantic attempts to try and dig them out. Perhaps one of the most moving stories is that of Gordon Wilson who was trapped, with his daughter under the tons of rubble. He was able to hold her hand as rescuers frantically tried to free them both from under 6 foot of rubble. Gordon Wilson recalls shouting to Marie to ask her if she was all right. She replied that she was, he did this five times and on the last occasion she replied:- "Daddy, I love you very much" and died. It later transpired in 1995 from a republican source, despite initial denials from the IRA, that the attack was not an accident but had been planned. The device had not been set off by accident but had been on a timer set to explode. The IRA unit knew of the bomb, which they claim was meant for security force personnel, but when it failed to explode on time they simply did not bother to phone in a warning. Those that died were simply Protestants and were thus either expendable or legitimate targets.
On the 17th July 1992 the IRA committed yet another atrocity against those they regarded as legitimate targets, these legitimate targets were also not by chance Protestants. On that day eight workmen lost their lives, they had committed the "crime" of working for a construction company that was carrying out minor repairs to a military installation. Again, it must be stressed, these men were workmen and were not members of the security forces. The men had been traveling home after a days work when the mini bus they were traveling in was blown quite literally off the road. The bomb had been concealed at the side of the road at the Teebane crossroads and was detonated as the minibus drove past. A short time earlier a school bus carrying school children had passed by, indeed, such was the proximity that they saw the events that transpired. The bus was blown onto its roof and the bodies scattered along the roadside.
The last atrocity is that of the Shankill bombing on the 23rd October 1993. On that day the IRA placed a bomb in a busy fish and chip shop on the Shankill Road knowing full well the carnage that would result. That day nine people lost their lives, all of them were Protestants, apart from one IRA man who did not get out of the building in time. Like other no warning IRA bomb attacks against the Protestant community the results were devastating. The building itself was very old and when the bomb went off the floors above just simply collapsed down upon all those who had been inside. The stories told by rescue workers make harrowing reading:- "…The scene was horrific. There was one lady lying in the road with head injuries and half her arm was blown off. She later died. But the worst part for me was when we unearthed the body of a young girl. I will never forget seeing that face staring up at me out of the rubble." In all two young girls died that day, one of them was 7 years old and the other was 13, one of the young girls died alongside her parents. As a final act of insult to the Protestant community Gerry Adams carried the coffin of the IRA bomber who had failed to make good his escape in time. The IRA tried to claim that loyalists had been using the room above for meetings but it turned out that they had not used the room in months. It was also a rather weak excuse considering that civilians would have been killed regardless.
I remember going to the funeral of one of the victims of the La mon house attack i was 12 and at the age where you start going to funerals as a mark of respect, you go when your younger but dont really understand why you are there.
But this one i knew and remember looking at the crowds of people who turned up .Now some people say there are reasons that people join paramilitary groups and this would have been one .
And the sight of gerry Adams carrying the coffin .I was back home then and knew then that no protestant could have him as a rival in a poltical group . Could you see yourself talking to a man who gave the orders to kill your countrymen and women and children.
In conversation with a fellow republican internee Gerry Adams (leader of Sinn Fein) made his views known that he would:
"…wade up to my knees in Protestant blood to get a United Ireland"
Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein .
Tracey Munn (a two year old child) and Colin Nicholl (a 17 month year old baby) were both killed when the IRA left a no warning bomb on the busy Shankill Road on the 11th December 1971. The mother of one of the children, who was looking after Colin Nicholl for a friend, had left the pram with the two children in it outside a shop. The bomb, which had been left outside a furniture shop, exploded causing the front wall of the shop, and the floors above, to collapse onto the street below. The two young children were buried under the tons of rubble that collapsed down upon them. Such was the scale of the devastation that a digger had to be used to remove the rubble.
On the 21st July 1972 a series of bombs exploded across Belfast in what was to be one of the most bloody episodes in the troubles, the day became known as Bloody Friday. There were in total some 21 bomb explosions; in many cases people were literally blown to pieces. Such was the force of the explosions and their vicinity to people it was hard to ascertain from the mass of burnt body parts just how many people had lost their lives. The newspapers initially reported eleven people had died but it turned out to be nine. A police officer who had been on the scene describes the scene that was unfolding all around him:-"One victim had his arms and legs blown off and some of his body had been blown through the railings. One of the most horrendous memories for me was seeing a head stuck to a wall. A couple of days later we found vertebrae and a ribcage on the roof of a nearby building. The reason we found it was because the seagulls were diving on to it…" A 14-year-old boy was amongst those who were killed. In 1983 it emerged in a television documentary that Gerry Adams had been involved in the carnage that took place on that day. A former republican pointed the finger of blame at him, so did other former IRA volunteers, who had been sickened by the depths that their organization would stoop to.
On the 17 February 1978 the IRA committed what has since been described as one of the most horrific crimes in the troubles. The killings took place at a hotel called La Mon House, during a meeting of the Irish Collie Club (a pet club). The IRA had planted a firebomb in the Hotel, and when it exploded the building was engulfed in a massive fireball. Those who were killed were burnt alive, their bodies burnt beyond all recognition. One local newspaper, the Newtownards Chronicle described the scene as follows:- "For those who were to see this holocaust it was sickening. Sickening to see pieces of human body, limbs and other parts of the body being lifted. Many of them were just pure red flesh so indistinguishable that even forensic science experts found difficulty in sifting out their identification. It was only by getting down to some of the most minute details – teeth, hair, steel items belonging to the victims – that is was possible to arrive at identification." In all twelve people were murdered that day, three married couples were amongst those killed, eight of the victims were women. All those killed were Protestants again demonstrating that for a united Ireland the IRA would wade in Protestant blood. Its hard to understand how killing innocent Protestants attending a social dinner as part of a dog club could further any cause other than that of sectarian hatred.
Perhaps the most shocking, because it was perpetrated in the realm of the sacred, was the massacre that occurred at Darkley Pentecostal Church. On the evening of the 20th November 1983 the congregation of Darkley church were attending evening service, unaware of what lay in store for them. The first to be killed were two elders of the church whose job it was to welcome latecomers into the church. As they stood at the front door three gunmen emerged and shot them dead. One other man who was standing in the inner hall was also shot but managed to stagger bleeding, and barely able to stand, into the church to raise the alarm. The gunmen were not, however, finished their killing and began to open fire on the building. The small church was only of wooden construction and the bullets passed through the walls like they were made of paper. In all some 40 shots were fired into the small church in which some twenty sex children were present. Three people were shot dead, and many more were seriously injured. It is unclear which republican organization carried out the attack with some people pointing the finger of blame at the INLA although to make any clear distinction between the INLA and the Provisional IRA would be merely theoretical. The only thing that is clear is that this was another sectarian attack carried out by republican murder gangs.
The "Poppy Day Massacre" is perhaps the single worst incident in the history of the troubles if indeed we can single out one single atrocity amongst the catalogue of those perpetrated by the IRA. The attack was so vicious and so nakedly sectarian that many within the catholic community who had sympathized with the IRA came out in open criticism of the organization. On that day, the 8th November 1987, the people of Eniskillen were remembering those that had died in World War I and II in an open-air remembrance service at the war memorial. As they stood waiting for the service to begin, the crowd the usual mixture of people from all walks of life, a massive bomb exploded in a community hall just yards behind them. The explosion was devastating, bringing down tons of masonry that crushed people against steel railings. In all some 11 people were murdered that day, most of them were elderly couples. After the explosion relatives who knew that loved ones were trapped beneath the tons of rubble, made frantic attempts to try and dig them out. Perhaps one of the most moving stories is that of Gordon Wilson who was trapped, with his daughter under the tons of rubble. He was able to hold her hand as rescuers frantically tried to free them both from under 6 foot of rubble. Gordon Wilson recalls shouting to Marie to ask her if she was all right. She replied that she was, he did this five times and on the last occasion she replied:- "Daddy, I love you very much" and died. It later transpired in 1995 from a republican source, despite initial denials from the IRA, that the attack was not an accident but had been planned. The device had not been set off by accident but had been on a timer set to explode. The IRA unit knew of the bomb, which they claim was meant for security force personnel, but when it failed to explode on time they simply did not bother to phone in a warning. Those that died were simply Protestants and were thus either expendable or legitimate targets.
On the 17th July 1992 the IRA committed yet another atrocity against those they regarded as legitimate targets, these legitimate targets were also not by chance Protestants. On that day eight workmen lost their lives, they had committed the "crime" of working for a construction company that was carrying out minor repairs to a military installation. Again, it must be stressed, these men were workmen and were not members of the security forces. The men had been traveling home after a days work when the mini bus they were traveling in was blown quite literally off the road. The bomb had been concealed at the side of the road at the Teebane crossroads and was detonated as the minibus drove past. A short time earlier a school bus carrying school children had passed by, indeed, such was the proximity that they saw the events that transpired. The bus was blown onto its roof and the bodies scattered along the roadside.
The last atrocity is that of the Shankill bombing on the 23rd October 1993. On that day the IRA placed a bomb in a busy fish and chip shop on the Shankill Road knowing full well the carnage that would result. That day nine people lost their lives, all of them were Protestants, apart from one IRA man who did not get out of the building in time. Like other no warning IRA bomb attacks against the Protestant community the results were devastating. The building itself was very old and when the bomb went off the floors above just simply collapsed down upon all those who had been inside. The stories told by rescue workers make harrowing reading:- "…The scene was horrific. There was one lady lying in the road with head injuries and half her arm was blown off. She later died. But the worst part for me was when we unearthed the body of a young girl. I will never forget seeing that face staring up at me out of the rubble." In all two young girls died that day, one of them was 7 years old and the other was 13, one of the young girls died alongside her parents. As a final act of insult to the Protestant community Gerry Adams carried the coffin of the IRA bomber who had failed to make good his escape in time. The IRA tried to claim that loyalists had been using the room above for meetings but it turned out that they had not used the room in months. It was also a rather weak excuse considering that civilians would have been killed regardless.
I remember going to the funeral of one of the victims of the La mon house attack i was 12 and at the age where you start going to funerals as a mark of respect, you go when your younger but dont really understand why you are there.
But this one i knew and remember looking at the crowds of people who turned up .Now some people say there are reasons that people join paramilitary groups and this would have been one .
And the sight of gerry Adams carrying the coffin .I was back home then and knew then that no protestant could have him as a rival in a poltical group . Could you see yourself talking to a man who gave the orders to kill your countrymen and women and children.
posted by William at 10:37 PM
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