Double Standard and the PSNI

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday November 15, 2002 22:23 by Oread Daily

business as usual

DOUBLE STANDARDS

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) stands accused of operating double standards in its investigations into the unionist murders of four young men in North Belfast and alleged republican intelligence gathering at Stormont. The PSNI has interviewed more than 5,000 people into the alleged Stormont spy-ring, assigned 40 detectives full times to the case, and charged four men. However in regards to the murders, well, that is a wee bit different story. No team of special detectives has been set-up to crack the unionist murder gangs responsible for the deaths of four young Catholic men in North Belfast. In fact, almost a year and a half since the first murder only one person faces a charge of withholding information in connection with any of the murders. Marie McColgan, whose son Danny was murdered by unionists in Rathcoole last January, says she is dismayed at the PSNI’s attitude. "Surely murder is the worst crime of all and no expense or resources should be spared in catching the killers," she said. The SDLP’s Martin Morgan said the difference in the PSNI"s approach to solving unionist murders and breaking up alleged republican spy-rings is deeply worrying. "It is obvious that there has been no resources spared in the PSNI’s investigations into the allegations of republican intelligence gathering at Stormont there should be the same robust approach to unionist murders. Catholics in North Belfast feel that when unionists murder a Catholic the PSNI simply does not tackle it with any enthusiasm. The fact that four unionist murders can go unsolved in a three mile radius is very worrying, especially when people consider that the PSNI does have a number of agents working within the UDA, who carried out the murders. The simple question that needs to be answered is, why has no-one been charged and what is the PSNI doing to protect innocent Catholics who have been bearing the brunt of the UDA campaign of violence?"

This weekend a "Day of Action in Support of Communities Under Siege" will be held throughout the island of Ireland as many will come together to show their support of the nationalist areas throughout the north that continue to bear the brunt of anti-Agreement unionism in all its forms, from the rejectionist politicians and the violence of unionist paramilitaries of the UDA and UVF to the complicity of the PSNI.

Over the last two years, vulnerable nationalist/republican friendly residential areas have been systematically targeted by unionist paramilitaries in a dramatic attempt to undermine the peace process. Statistical evidence of the tens of hundreds of pipe, petrol bomb and gun attacks against nationalist communities offer a clear indication that the peace process has been accompanied not by a decline in unionist violence but a massive increase. Furthermore, the levels of violence have not only risen but they have mirrored growing anti-Agreement rejectionism within political unionism. "We've been political pawns," said a resident, "pushed into the front line in a unionist bid to destroy the peace process." Yet, in a recent speech, British Prime Minister Tony Blair dismissed unionist paramilitary violence as "criminal" and therefore outside the remit of political unionism, i.e. this is not political violence, not organized violence, not terrorism. However, when it comes to the IRA, Blair has no such hesitation and the word terrorists flows easily from his mouth. The unionists destroy the peace process, and Blair immediately calls for the dismemberment of the IRA.

Did I mention that just last week, a Roman Catholic man was savagely beaten and left nailed to a fence post on the outskirts of Belfast by hardline Protestant unionists.
Sources: Irish Republican News and Information, Mail and Guardian, Andersontown News

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