A Chara,
It was fitting that Trevor Ringland’s polemic, scolding all who honor the memory of the Hunger Strikers, appeared on the same day as the Ballymurphy Massacre inquest verdict. (The Hunger Strikers’ political ideology was deeply flawed-May 11th)
With words reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher circa 1981, Mr. Ringland complains about what he calls our deeply flawed political ideology. Why can he not see, much less be troubled by any flaws in the political ideology on display in Judge Keegan’s Ballymurphy Massacre findings?
Consider first that the Ballymurphy Massacre was regarded as a successful military operation. Why else send Colonel Derek Wilford and his Paras to Derry to do the same job on Bloody Sunday? Why else was future general, Mike Jackson, who gave discredited British Army versions of Ballymurphy killings to the press, given the same job, on Bloody Sunday? Surely, if British military commanders were displeased by the Ballymurphy killings, they would have given orders forbidding a second killing spree on Bloody Sunday.
Mr. Ringland says Republicans “struggle with the idea that a crime, including murder, committed for the cause is still a crime”. Why are the Ballymurphy Massacre killings, not murders committed for the cause of British rule?
A Catholic priest, Fr. Hugh Mullan, waving a white handkerchief, shot dead along with Francis Quinn, for going to help wounded victims. A mother of 8 children, Joan Connolly, shot and left bleed to death, in an act of “basic inhumanity”. Daniel Teggart, was felled by a bullet to the leg, then shot at least 11 times, as he lay on the ground. Noel Philips shot in the neck and throat at suspiciously close range. Joseph Murphy died from wounds aggravated by mistreatment.
Edward Doherty and John Laverty, shot in the back then labeled gunmen by Jackson, despite having no guns. John McKerr, a wounded British Army veteran, shot leaving Corpus Christi Church, and Edward Doherty shot and called a petrol bomber, without any trace of petrol.
Why in the name of justice, are these killings not crimes, no matter British law making the killers innocent and dead victims guilty for fifty years?
There are hundreds of families who cheered the Ballymurphy Massacre verdicts and believe genuine investigations by a Historical Investigations Unit, would prove their loved ones were also murdered by British crown forces, either directly or in collusion with loyalists.
Britain’s plans for those seeking justice today, are amnesty laws to stop prosecutions of crown forces and legacy mechanisms without a Historical Investigations Unit, to close down any path these families have to get the truth.
Mr. Ringland may see no flaws in his ideology that sanctioned a sectarian Orange state, state-sponsored murders, and internment etc. to uphold British hegemony.
Those across Ireland, and around the world, including myself, who honor the memory and ideals of the Hunger Strikers, will know better.
Slan
Martin Galvin
With words reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher circa 1981, Mr. Ringland complains about what he calls our deeply flawed political ideology. Why can he not see, much less be troubled by any flaws in the political ideology on display in Judge Keegan’s Ballymurphy Massacre findings?
Consider first that the Ballymurphy Massacre was regarded as a successful military operation. Why else send Colonel Derek Wilford and his Paras to Derry to do the same job on Bloody Sunday? Why else was future general, Mike Jackson, who gave discredited British Army versions of Ballymurphy killings to the press, given the same job, on Bloody Sunday? Surely, if British military commanders were displeased by the Ballymurphy killings, they would have given orders forbidding a second killing spree on Bloody Sunday.
Mr. Ringland says Republicans “struggle with the idea that a crime, including murder, committed for the cause is still a crime”. Why are the Ballymurphy Massacre killings, not murders committed for the cause of British rule?
A Catholic priest, Fr. Hugh Mullan, waving a white handkerchief, shot dead along with Francis Quinn, for going to help wounded victims. A mother of 8 children, Joan Connolly, shot and left bleed to death, in an act of “basic inhumanity”. Daniel Teggart, was felled by a bullet to the leg, then shot at least 11 times, as he lay on the ground. Noel Philips shot in the neck and throat at suspiciously close range. Joseph Murphy died from wounds aggravated by mistreatment.
Edward Doherty and John Laverty, shot in the back then labeled gunmen by Jackson, despite having no guns. John McKerr, a wounded British Army veteran, shot leaving Corpus Christi Church, and Edward Doherty shot and called a petrol bomber, without any trace of petrol.
Why in the name of justice, are these killings not crimes, no matter British law making the killers innocent and dead victims guilty for fifty years?
There are hundreds of families who cheered the Ballymurphy Massacre verdicts and believe genuine investigations by a Historical Investigations Unit, would prove their loved ones were also murdered by British crown forces, either directly or in collusion with loyalists.
Britain’s plans for those seeking justice today, are amnesty laws to stop prosecutions of crown forces and legacy mechanisms without a Historical Investigations Unit, to close down any path these families have to get the truth.
Mr. Ringland may see no flaws in his ideology that sanctioned a sectarian Orange state, state-sponsored murders, and internment etc. to uphold British hegemony.
Those across Ireland, and around the world, including myself, who honor the memory and ideals of the Hunger Strikers, will know better.
Slan
Martin Galvin
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| Martin Galvin is a US Attorney-At-Law. |
