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MARTIN MCGUINNESS HAD strong words to say at the official launch of a mural of his party leader Gerry Adams today.
The Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland was speaking as the mural was unveiled on Falls Road in Belfast. It was painted after Adams was arrested for questioning by the PSNI over the murder of Jean McConville in 1972.
Yesterday, police were granted another 48 hours to question Adams.
Here is Martin McGuinness’s speech in full:
A chairde,I want to thank you all for coming here today to demonstrate your solidarity with my friend and our party leader Gerry Adams.I have consistently said in recent days that the timing of the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated.The decision to extend his detention is part of this.Does anyone here doubt that the arrest of Gerry Adams is inextricably linked to the Local Government and EU elections that will take place across this island in three weeks?Martina Anderson who is here with us today and our 350 local government and EU candidates across this island are being denied the solidarity and support of their party leader during a crucial election campaign.
Does anyone here doubt Gerry’s arrest at this time is not intended to disrupt that election campaign?
The PSNI has had the Boston tapes for a year.
The allegations contained in books and newspaper articles which the PSNI are presenting to Gerry as evidence that he was in the IRA in the 1970s have been around for 40 years.
But they are only now trying to use these. Is that not political policing?
This is a replay of the failed effort in 1978 to charge Gerry with membership.
That case was based on hearsay, gossip and newspaper articles and it failed.
36 years later those within the PSNI who are hostile to the peace process, are using the same old dirty tricks.
They are deliberately and cynically exploiting the awful killing of Jean McConville and the grief and hurt of her family.
Our sympathy is with the McConville family.
Let me be very clear about Sinn Féin’s approach to policing and to the PSNI.
We worked very hard to reform policing.
Sinn Féin’s negotiations strategy succeeded in achieving new policing arrangements but we always knew that there remained within the PSNI an embittered rump of the old RUC.
These people want to settle old scores whatever the political cost!
We fully support the PSNI in the fair and democratic implementation of policing and justice but our support is a critical support.
No police force is immune from criticism if it is acting in a politically biased and partisan fashion.
The arrest of Gerry Adams is evidence of that there is an element within the PSNI who are against the peace process and who hate Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin.
They are – what the reformers within the PSNI have described to us as the Dark Side.
They are small in number but very influential.
This group is working to a negative and anti-peace process agenda and are actively involved in political policing.
We have been told in recent days by our political opponents that there is no political policing; that there is no political interference in policing and, according to the British secretary of State, no one is above the law!
Who here believes that nonsense?
There are countless examples of the difference in treatment by the British state to its forces who killed citizens and its attitude to nationalists and republicans.
When the HET brought British soldiers in to question them about the killing of citizens they were not arrested.
On the contrary they were given tea and scones!
Just last year a British Inspectorate of Constabulary report – the HMIC – was scathing in its criticism of the PSNI handling of those investigations.
The PSNI today knows, and has for years, the names of those members of the British Parachute Regiment who killed 14 people on the streets of Derry in 1972.
Have any of the Paras been arrested? NO.
Is this political policing? Yes it is.
The PSNI know the British Parachute soldiers who killed 11 civilians in Ballymurphy in August 1971.
Have they acted on this evidence? No.
Is this political policing? Yes it is.
Last week the British Secretary of State Theresa Villiers told the Ballymurphy families there would be no review of their cases – families who have never had a proper investigation into their killings.
Is this political interference? Yes it is.
Four reports were published by the Irish Parliament into the Dublin Monaghan bombs which killed 33 citizens.
The Dáil concluded “that given that we are dealing with acts of international terrorism that were colluded in by the British security forces, the British Government cannot legitimately refuse to co-operate with investigations and attempts to get to the truth.”
But that is exactly what successive British governments have done.
They have refused to provide information in their possession on these killings.
Is that not political interference? Yes it is.
In a key note speech two weeks ago, the British Secretary of State criticised what she described as the one sided focus on state killings.
Is this political interference in policing and the justice system? Yes it is.
If the PSNI and the British government want to talk about the 1970s then let them talk about and acknowledge the truth of the recently published book by Anne Cadwallader of the Pat Finucane Centre – ‘Lethal Allies’ – which documents 120 killings carried by RUC, the UDR and British intelligence agencies, along with unionist death squads, in a five year period in the 1970s.
The indisputable fact is that for 40 years there has been a virtual amnesty for British state forces involved in killing citizens both directly and through state collusion with unionist death squads.
I want to acknowledge that there are many progressive and open-minded elements in the new policing arrangements who are wedded to accountable and impartial policing.
I want to emphasise my absolute support for them in their efforts to deliver impartial and accountable policing.
But there is a small cabal in the PSNI who have a different agenda – a negative and destructive agenda to both the peace process and to Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin under the leadership of Gerry Adams will not allow these elements to succeed.
Gerry Adams is my friend.
Gerry Adams is the leader of Sinn Féin.
Gerry Adams stands head and shoulders above all of those who helped build the peace process.
He is a peace maker, a leader, a visionary.
There would be no peace process but for his commitment and dedication.
Gerry Adams is committed to moving this process forward.
He will not be deterred or deflected and neither will we.
The Dark Side fear him.
That’s why they are doing what they do.
And we stand with our friend and leader.
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Kathleen, you’ll be lucky if your family vote for you in the next election although you’ll probably run to the hills with your big fat pension.
I was talking to an uncle of a current Government T.D. and he said he wouldn’t make the mistake of voting for him again! ……… Makes you wonder about the accuracy of polls!
Is there any group in society apart from themselves they haven’t attacked?
No.
Bankers. They’ve been very kind to them so far.
Kathleen, I doubt you even believe it yourself. Nothing is ringfenced. There is no money there to ring fence. It’s been spent, its gone. We gave it to Sean Fitzpatrick to buy magic beans.
70 million to host the Presidency of Europe, It was 35 in Denmark!
More cuts from the party that brought you the property tax
The politics and those practicing it in this country ‘strikes fear into me’
It’s a deplorable act – one of the many, many, many of the like carried out on societies most vulnerable by successive governments. Shame is obviously a bi-word these days.
Another nail in the coffin for this government it will be very interesting to see how many will take their big fat pensions and retire and end up in the same boat as Bertie Aherne and the rest of his friends from the pervious government
@Kenneth, bertie and his gang of con artist did really well for themselves, they retired on huge made-for-life pensions and landed on there feet with careers. They never even answered or paid for destroying this country and its people, and don’t forget… look what party is leading in the polls for the next election!
Maybe now the apparently gormless general population of Ireland, gormless because they appear reluctant to stand up for themselves, will stand up for THE most vulnerable section of Irish society and in the process restore some credibility to themselves. And about frugging time……. Deep within the Irish psyche we are a stoic and compassionate people……… Time now folks for the compassion to find voice. Besides, the stoicism exhibited in recent years has taken a greater toll than the U-know whoze could dare believe. If this is not the time to say stop then give it up……. you have new masters.
An interesting example of the law of unintended consequences – a complaint is made to the Ombudsman that the Mobility Allowance Scheme is illegal because it excludes people over 66 years of age.
Rather than extend the scheme to everyone which the government can not afford, it is forced to completely abolish the scheme so it is no longer in breach of the Equal Status Act.
thats because you Joe are most likely dipping into the same pot as your buddys no wonder they have no money.
Utterly sickens me to hear FF to speak like they are the defenders of the down trodden when any simpleton can see they’d do the exactly same thing if, God forbid, they ever get back into power. You got us into this s*it pit FF…you have demnstrated you are utterly incapable of getting us out of it. Just like the current crop…
Think you will find that like every other grant in this country… a huge cohort of those getting it should not be… same goes for carers etc… I commend the HSE for reviewing every case and giving the money to those that deserve it. I wish people were half as critical of the huge volume of people out there playing the system…
Don’t feed the troll….people
DO NOT FEED THE TROLL!
:D
Of course Declan you have proof and only to happy to provide links to same?Yes?
Well Declan any links or are you just spinning the party line?
You’re a pr*ck …
Thats at Declan Cotter by the way…
You feeding out of the same pot as yourb buddy Joe greedy fickers.
Nice Tony… big man behind a screen… moron…!!!
And I am no troll… just dont beat the usual populist drum that is played on here…
No party line… I commend the Goverment for trying to undo the mess we find ourselves in… and yes it is of our own doing… I saw no protests on the street when social welfare was increased year after year… i saw no protests when income tax was reduced, college fee’s removed etc. etc etc… I could go on and on…
BTW Jenny… There is a world outside of links!!!! You need to get out more
If your gonna make a comment like you did it would be nice if you backed it up,did FG HQ not provide you with the info?
Call it real life Jenny… I see it day in, day out… Saw a couple on SF take a trip to Disney Land last year… Right through college i saw people getting grants having there own cars!!! This couple has a brutal record of holding individuals accountable.. If you deserve the benefits then the state should provide…but the state has an obligation to verify..
Playing the system like google to tune of circa €6 billion over 5 yrs. quite a tune while the disabled stranded at home.
So they can’t afford 10.1 Million for the disabled of the country for mobility allowance, but yet for 266 people they can manage to have travel expenses of 7.2 Million…when are people gonna fight back!
Could we not just take it out of the foreign aid budget?
You are inviting more taxation Kelleher. Is that your policy? If the money is not there it is not there. Are you seriously saying we need more taxation? If we cannot afford these allowances how are you proposi mg the money be made available. Tell the nation you want more taxation and stop playing party politics with an important issue.
ANGLO IRISH BANK HAD PRIVATE CONTRACTS WITH GERMAN AND FRENCH BANKS…..not a word was mentioned in those contracts about the Irish citizen being responsible for any liability for those loans in anyway shape or form….60 BILLION has been pushed on us illegally through agents in our government working for the Troika and the ECB , so are we going to take this bull** or are we going to say NO ?
there was a very nicely cut coat and red shoes walking into the dail today, whilst i sat outside in my wheelchair protesting, yep.
i didnt feel nice in my scruff nor the bucket the hse gave me for a wheelchair, a reconstituted sick clapped out museum piece it is. i think revolt is the only way. surely there was more than twin and myself who heard this news last night? where were you today then? all working? too sick? we need far more people out there being expressive not sitting at a laptop being passively aggressive, this way is the easy way. i am in utter fear of what will happen next and when kathleen expresses herself as ‘agonizing’ over this….no Kathleen Lynch, you dont agonize over disability cuts, we agonize as we are the disabled being cut. if you have to make a decision over heating for the house, versus ‘can i afford this to help keep my eyesight? YES, thats agonizing, and thats what i do all the time. a disability pension only goes so far Minister for Health with special responsibility for disability and mental health. i am mental with this agonizing and thats a bloody fact.
The Irish bull. Where do you get the money? I take it for your comment that you are willing to pay additional tax , but , do you really think the people can afford to pay more tax? The cause is mighty but people are stretched. The idea that the State can just magic up the money is outdated. How much cash are you personally prepared to cough up to replace these grants, each week?
How about makin corporations cough up seeing as they wont even pay the 12.5% tax they are supposed to pay and how about cutting the salaries of the high end earners and special allowances for the political elite and how about nationalising our gas and oil ???…..shall i continue ??
Tua,
Thats the corporations that employ hundreds of thousands up and down the country… Give me a break….I work for these companies and know first hand that our corporation tax is a massive insentive.. I hear this kind of babble from Boyd Barrett all the time… rediculous.
Rory is bang on with his comment.
They are very kind to employ a man who can’t even spell incentive. Is this a quid pro quo for them paying around 4% ?
Rory , can you pay my bils ? I have a private contract with the ESB and you have to pay my bill….just like ANGLO they had private contracts with European banks and we are paying those bills, so will you pay my bills which you have no liability for ?
An actual tax take of 0.14% is a joke. As for them paying wages etc that a red herring. Our 12.5% rate is lowest in Europe by far. So implementing the full rate would not send these companies elsewhere. Ur stance is “half a loaf” politics. Except we ain’t getting half a loaf or even the crumbs of the corporate tables.
Kellehers scared? The thought of Fianna Fáil getting back into power scares me shitless!
This government is devoid of any humanity. They are a disgrace to this country. Enda is the most sniveling , two-faced p***k I have ever come across!!
I thought this government promised to look after the most vunerable in this country how come they didn’t tell the public what they really had planned once they had there massive wages and pensions sorted
Kathleen should be ashamed, especially considering the fact had she not made a full recovery, it could so easily be her on the receiving end of these cutbacks now: http://www.medicalindependent.ie/6797/ready_for_the_challenge
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