With an accompanying video of her standing outside Stormont last month (July 20), Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill tweeted that “there can be no amnesty for those who murdered citizens on the streets of Ireland and for those who directed them”.
She continued by stating: “Sinn Féin will continue to support the right of all families to access truth and justice”.
I couldn’t agree more. Although it wasn’t just on the streets of Ireland that citizens were murdered. Certainly men, women and even children were killed throughout Ireland, north and south, but many were also murdered throughout England, Scotland, Wales and even Europe.
We just have to remember names such as nine-year-old Patrick Rooney in Belfast and six-month-old Nivruti Mahesh Islania in Germany to know the brutality of that awful truth. No democratic country should ever consider introducing such ‘amnesty’ legislation even if dressed up in a ‘statute of limitations’ clause by Boris Johnson and Brandon Lewis.
I am glad the Deputy First Minister supports “the right of all families to access truth and justice”.
I class myself as one of those families considering my police officer brother John was killed by the IRA while off-duty in my family-run ice cream parlour in 1988. Two random teenage customers were deliberately shot and injured that night. Their only crime was loving our ice cream. No-one has been brought to justice for this brutal attack.
Almost 33 years later I doubt anyone will. I have reluctantly accepted that. But I am glad that Michelle O’Neill agrees that the dream of someone being brought to court, no matter how long that might take, is a glimmer of hope that should not be taken away from any victim’s family.
Killers, no matter who they are, shouldn’t believe they can get away with murder. That sends the wrong message to grieving families and future generations.
For political advisers to design a Monopoly board with a ‘Never go to jail’ card for every player is obnoxious. It appears the lid must be kept on the rancid ‘Troubles’ can of worms to ensure the stench of the real truth and the clandestine backroom deals with certain groups and individuals never spills out.
I assume Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill, and therefore Sinn Féin by association, must also agree that her revulsion of this statute of limitations ‘amnesty’ proposal must naturally extend to those apparent side deals that appear to have been already secretly slipped into the legacy mix.
Surely it isn’t just coincidence that some people here appear to be untouchables?
Surely there’s no hierarchy of murderers or those who directed them?
Surely it’s not possible that some people were privately given assurances that they would never be prosecuted - effectively demanding they be given a private ‘amnesty’ before signing up to any peace deal?
Perhaps the Deputy First Minister could clarify her thinking on that possibility.
GEORGE LARMOUR
(Author: They Killed The Ice Cream Man), Belfast
Viral myocarditis is a well-established significant risk for cardiac arrest in athletes
Columnist Cahair O’Kane states in his back page article (August 17) on the Covid-19 outbreak in the Tyrone panel that there is nothing precluding players who did not exhibit symptoms and whose isolation period had ended (10 days) from participating in the All-Ireland semi-final. This is wrong.
The absolute minimum period for return to play in all athletes who test positive for Covid is 17 days, even in those who display no symptoms – 10 days’ complete rest and a very graduated return to play protocol over the next seven days, with a view to returning to competition on day 18. This is the published protocol of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine.
The reason for this is the risk of myocarditis (viral inflammation of heart muscle), even in asymptomatic Covid patients. Viral myocarditis is a well established significant risk for cardiac arrest in athletes.
To underline this risk there have been several published studies showing cardiac MRI evidence of myocarditis in young athletes who tested positive for Covid with either minimal or no symptoms. One study of athletes from the University of Ohio showed a very concerning figure of evidence of myocarditis or heart muscle scarring in 12 of 26 athletes post-Covid.
I feel it is very important that all athletes are aware of this information and follow the correct protocols. If athletes have any chest pains, palpitations or dizziness, they should stop exercising immediately and consult a doctor before recommencing. The FSEM return to play protocol is easily found on the FSEM website.
DR PAUL McCORMACK
Fellow Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine RCSI, Kilrea Health Centre,
Co Derry
Getting away with murder
Alex Kane (August 20) rightly condemns a general amnesty for Troubles-related offences as “a case of quite literally getting away with murder”, only to add that, “I know the chances of many of these people being held to account are already extremely limited”.
Yet, like so many others, he offers no meaningful alternative.
Our truth recovery process proposes that where former combatants, on all sides, are willing to come forward, and where victims and survivors are willing to engage in
this process as an alternative to the courts, both should
be facilitated by new legislation. Before people rush to judgment, could I suggest that they read the proposal at truthrecoveryprocess.ie.
PADRAIG YEATES
Dublin 13
Back to the future
The commission of Inquiry 1969 into riots and disturbances in Derry was presented to both Houses of Parliament in 1969. Following the publication of the report there is no evidence to indicate successive British governments or political unionism responded with mutual respect, recognition or cooperation to the Catholic community in the north of Ireland. There is evidence to indicate that British governments tolerated poverty, discrimination and the use of the Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act (Northern Ireland) 1922 before Stormont was brought to heel with the stroke of Mr Heath’s pen in 1972.
An ongoing failure to address the social and economic conditions that contributed to the destruction and needless loss of lives in Ireland, England and further afield since 1969 is an impediment to progress and an indictment of a dysfunctional political system.
A de BRÚN
Steelstown, Co Derry
