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**Posted to the group

FROM THE PAT FINUCANE CENTER

See below further reaction to arrest from Bloody Sunday
Trust & full programme of events planned for Bloody Sunday 2005

Bloody Sunday Trust/Outrage at arrest of Derry man

The Bloody Sunday Trust has described as disgraceful
the arrest of Derry man Martin Doherty today following his
conviction for contempt for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

Michael McKinney, whose brother was murdered on Bloody
Sunday, speaking immediately after the arrest of Mr Doherty said:

‘It is disgraceful that after everything that has
occurred at this Inquiry that the only person to be arrested and
imprisoned to date will be a Derry man who clearly did not murder
anyone on Bloody Sunday.

‘It was not Martin Doherty who killed or wounded 28 people in Derry
on the 30th January 1972 but of those who were responsible, none have
been arrested and none have been imprisoned for their actions that day.
Martin Doherty has shown a lot less contempt for this inquiry than those
who took the stand and refused to answer questions or told downright lies.

‘Indeed, if the judicial system had pursued those
responsible for Bloody Sunday as they have pursued Mr Doherty, we
would not have witnessed the whitewash of Widgery or needed this
second Bloody Inquiry.

ENDS

Time for Truth

From Bogside to Basra

Each year the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration programme of events
seeks to breathe life into the inscription on the monument to the
victims of that day: ‘Their epitaph is in the ongoing struggle for
democracy’. So while remembering the 14 local people murdered on Bloody
Sunday and their families’ continuing struggle for truth and justice we
also consider the consequences this act of state terrorism, continues to
have on events right up to this day.

Had Lord Widgery in 1972 acknowledged the truth of what happened on
Bloody Sunday, it may not of itself have fundamentally changed the nature
of the British State or its role in Ireland. It would however have
made it harder for that state to continue to sell the lie that its army
was an impartial ‘peacekeeping’ force. In turn this would have made
it more difficult for its soldiers to continue to literally get away
with murder here and for the same unwritten institutional policy to be
now claiming the lives of uncounted victims in Iraq.

So as this year’s programme creates space for a local assessment of
‘The Truth of Bloody Sunday’ in the wake of Lord Saville’s inquiry and
we wait to see if he has the courage to tell that truth, we will
not just reflect on our experience of British Army occupation here but
use it to better understand the plight of the peoples of the Middle
East.

‘From Bogside to Basra’ will discuss the illegal US/UK occupation
of Iraq through the lens of Fallujah and Bloody Sunday. ‘An
Fhirinn’ will remember the many victims of state collusion here, and it is
appropriate that this year’s ‘Memorial Lecture’ will be delivered
by Geraldine Finucane, wife of the murdered solicitor Pat Finucane.
‘Conflicts of Remembrance’ will explore the difficulty in finding
ways to remember all the dead of a conflict when the truth of what it was
is still disputed. ‘At a Crossroads’ will compare and contrast
the prospects of building a just and lasting peace in Ireland and in
Palestine. For the duration of the week’s events, Free Derry Wall will
be painted in the colours of the Palestinian flag as an act of solidarity.

More generally these events create a space to come and reflect with
others on the importance of democracy here and throughout the world and
to stand shoulder to shoulder, in solidarity with the families of the
victims of Bloody Sunday and victims of injustice everywhere.

Truth-seeking in the cause of justice

Programme Film Strand

There is a crucial connection between justice and journalism. How can
we build the solidarity needed to create justice if facts are distorted
and the context that generates the facts is seldom if ever reported?
And there is always the ultimate sanction of the powerful, where
journalists who seek to report the full picture, themselves become a target.

All screenings 8pm at the Gasyard Centre (except
Divine Intervention, see below), Admission Free

Monday 24 January
Free Derry Tours/ Bloody Sunday Tour.

Tours at 2.00pm Monday to Friday, departing from the Bloody Sunday
Centre in Foyle Street. Tours at 12noon and 3.00pm Saturday will depart
from Pilots Row. Family members or some of those wounded will accompany
each tour. Tours cost £4.00 per person Mon-Fri (Saturdays free). For
bookings contact Ruairi on 07793 285972.

(EXHIBITION) ‘Murder on a Sunday’, AOH Hall, FoyleStreet.

An exhibition of Charlie McLaughlin’s paintings about Bloody Sunday
will be on display in the AOH in Foyle Street from 24 January.

(EXHIBITION) An Fhirinne Exhibition Launch, Pilots Row, 7.30pm.

The Mayor Councillor Gearoid O hEara, will launch this powerful
photographic exhibition of over 200 victims of state collusion with loyalist
paramilitaries, followed by speakers from An Fhirinne Campaign and the
Pat Finucane Centre. Exhibition runs each day until Saturday 30th
January. All Welcome.

(FILM) News from the Holy Land (UK, 2004, 50 mins, Documentary) Gasyard
Centre, 8.00pm.

Written/Directed by Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick this is an
illustrated call for a change in the way the Palestine-Israeli conflict is
reported.

Tuesday 25 January

Museum of Free Derry Exhibition launch, Bloody Sunday Centre, Foyle
Street, 7.30pm.

An exhibition detailing the Bloody Sunday Trust’s plans for the Museum
of Free Derry in Glenfada Park. Exhibition open Tuesday 25 January to
Tuesday 1 February.

(FILM) Death in Gaza (UK, 2004, 80 mins, Documentary), Gasyard Centre,
8.00pm.

Written/Reported by Saira Shah, Filmed/Directed by James Millar, this
is his poignant and unflinching look at the lives of three Palestinian
children caught up in the cycle of violence, dramatically culminating in
the director’s own death at the hands of the Israeli Security Forces.

Wednesday 26 January

(FILM) Bi Dam (With Blood) (US, Work in Progress, 50 mins, Documentary),

Gasyard Centre, 8.00 pm.

By Dan O’Reilly Rowe and Juliana Friedman. Using personal situations to
demonstrate the spirit crushing impact of the occupation on health
care, Bi Dam gives insight into a crucial aspect of life in the cities,
rural villages, and refugee camps of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Introduced on the night by Juliana Friedman (producer/director)

Bloody Sunday Memorial Quiz, Sean Dolan’s GAA Club, Creggan, 9.00pm.

All welcome, £10.00 per team.

Thursday 27 January

(PANEL DISCUSSION) From Bogside to Basra, Gasyard Centre, 7.00pm

Ironically the 30th January is the date the US Government chose for
‘their’ elections in Iraq. From three very different perspectives
the panel will discuss the US/British illegal occupation of Iraq through
the lens of Fallujah (where 13 civilians where shot dead by US Marines
at a peaceful protest on 30th April 2003) and Derry’s Bloody Sunday.
Speakers: Eddy Cherry, a former British Soldier, stationed in Derry,
now a leading member of ‘Ex Soldiers Against The War’, Dr Abdul
Al-Jibouri an Iraqi scientist, living in Derry and Paul O’Connor,
Coordinator of The Pat Finucane Centre, Derry. Chair: Jim Keys

(FILM) Divine Intervention (Yadon Ilaheyya) Gasyard Centre, 8.30pm
(2002, Fr/Ger/Morocco/Neth/US, 93 mins, Feature)

Divine Intervention (Yadon Ilaheyya) reeled in the Jury Prize at the
Cannes Film Festive and went on to win the Screen International Award at
the European Film Awards. However the US Academy Of Motion Pictures
told the producers of the film that it was not eligible to compete in the
Academy Awards (The Oscars) ‘as Palestine is not a state we recognise
in our rules’. So it’s with great pleasure that we have this
opportunity to screen this feature as part of this year’s programme.
It’s an engagingly offbeat Palestinian response to how Israeli
checkpoints disrupt and frustrate the lives ofordinary individuals.
The film begins with a deadpan comic sequence involving
neighbourly neuroses, rivalries and rage in Nazareth. There is intelligence
and freshness in the film’s mostly wordless comic style.

Friday 28 January

Bloody Sunday Memorial Mass, St Mary’s, Creggan, 7.30pm.

All Welcome.

(MEMORIAL LECTURE) Annual Bloody Sunday Lecture,
Guildhall, 8.15pm

The Annual Bloody Sunday Lecture, delivered this year
by Geraldine Finucane, widow of the murdered Belfast solicitor Pat
Finucane. Event sponsored by the Bloody Sunday trust and the Pat
Finucane Centre. Admission by donation.

Saturday 29 January

(PANEL DISCUSSION) Conflicts of Remembrance, Pilots Row, 12noon &
2.00pm.

Panel discussion and question and answer session where guest
speakers will explore how and why we remember victims of conflict.

(PANEL DISCUSSION) The Truth of Bloody Sunday: Perspectives

Pilots Row, 2.00pm & 3.30pm.

Speakers John Kelly, brother of Michael, shot dead on
Bloody Sunday, legal academic Angela Hegarty, Writer/academic Niall O
Dochartaigh. The panel will present their perspectives on Bloody Sunday
as people who have followed the Saville Inquiry, before the event is
opened up for a Q & A with the audience. The event will close with the
launch of an updated edition of Niall O’Dochartaigh’s book
‘From Civil Rights to Armalites’ which includes a new chapter on Bloody
Sunday.

(PANEL DISCUSSION) Holy Cross in Context: Communities in Conflict over
Shared Space in North Belfast, Pilots Row 3.30 & 5.00pm.

Was the horror at Holy Cross School in 2001, as loyalists
attacked the school, the result of a breakdown of relations
between two communities? Or just naked sectarianism?
What was the damage and were any lessons learned?
Anne Cadwallader, author of, “Holy Cross - The Untold Story”,
Tom Holland, republican community activist and Louanne
Martin, who interviewed the children, try to answer these
questions.

(FILM) Film Screenings, Pilots Row, 12noon & 5.00pm

‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (BBC Spotlight documentary on collusion);
‘Lifting a Dark Cloud’ (PFC produced documentary on Kathleen Thompson)
‘Bloody Sunday: Massacre of the Innocents’ (Canada, documentary)

(PANEL DISCUSSION) At A Crossroads: Palestine & Ireland, Road Maps &
Road Blocks to Peace Calgach Centre, 7.30pm

Speakers Dr Jamal Zahalka and Mitchel McLaughlin.

Dr Jamal Zahalka, a Palestinian MP who sits in the Israeli Knesset and
Mitchel McLaughlin MLA, Sinn Fein Chairperson and senior negotiator,
will discuss the Irish and Palestinian peace processes, state repression
and violence. Dr Zahalka has been centrally involved in the struggle
for truth and justice around Israel’s own ‘Bloody Sunday’ against
the Palestinian people. As Palestinians living inside Israel came out
onto the streets in support of their comrades staging of a second
intifada in the occupied territories, the Israeli police force opened fire,
shooting 13 people dead. Since that day in October 2000 Jamal Zahalka
has been working closely with the families of the dead in their efforts
to take a legal case against the Israeli police force and itsgovernment.

Dr Zahalka will speak on life as a Palestinian living inside Israel, on
Israel’s murderous occupation of Palestinian land and its ruthless
response to Palestinian resistance through its intifada. He will
also speak on the current situation and the future direction for the
peace process following the tragic death of President Arafat
and the election of Mahmoud Abbas as the new leader of
the Palestinian people.

Traditional Music Night, Solas Arts Centre, Great James Street.

Traditional music, Adm £3.00, BYO.

Bloody Sunday Fundraiser, Gasyard Centre, 9.00pm & 1.00am

Live music and DJs Cruncher, Gary Og, Declan McLaughlin, Eileen
Webster, DJ One-Shot, Eamonn McCann, Joe Mulheron, Paul McCartney and
Robbie McVeigh. Adm £5.00, BYO.

Sunday 30 January

Memorial Service at the Bloody Sunday Monument, Rossville Street,
11.30am sharp. All welcome.

(MARCH & RALLY) Bloody Sunday March and Rally, Creggan shops, 2.30pm.

Speakers from the Bloody Sunday Families, an Fhirinne, Guest
International Speaker, Palestinian MP, Dr Jamal Zahalka, Sinn Fein and the SDLP.

BBC

Yesterday, an Iraqi family of seven in a car in Tal Afar failed to stop when ordered to in sign language by US troops. The american soldiers then opened fire on the car, killing the mother and father of the five children in the back seat.

Ask yourself: WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?

AMERICANS, BRITS AND OTHER FOREIGN TROOPS: GET OUT OF IRAQ.

Times of India

Accused British soldiers face trial

A handout photograph, issued on January 18, 2005, that is to be used as evidence in a court martial in Osnabrueck, purports to show Lance corporal Darren Larkin standing on an Iraqi detainee. (Reuters photo)

A British court martial prosecuting soldiers accused of abuse released photographs on Tuesday that apparently show British troops forcing Iraqi prisoners to simulate sex acts.

The pictures discovered when lab technicians phoned the police after a soldier took them to be developed, could damage the reputation of Britain’s military, much as photographs of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison hurt the United States.

Three British soldiers pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to numerous counts of abuse, although one admitted assaulting a man. The court martial was held in Germany, where the troops are based.

In one picture, a male prisoner is apparently forced to kneel in front of a naked man and simulate oral sex. In another, one male prisoner kneels naked on another’s lap.

In London, General Sir Mike Jackson, the army’s top officer, said that the military could not comment directly on the case during the trial. But he took the rare step of making a televised statement moments before the images were broadcast.

“We condemn utterly all acts of abuse. Where there is evidence of abuse, this is immediately investigated,” he said.

At least one picture shows a soldier appearing to stomp on a man lying prone on the ground. Another picture shows a soldier punching, or simulating punching, a bound man. In yet another picture, a bound prisoner is tied to the prongs of a forklift truck.

Lance corporals Darren Larkin and Mark Cooley and Corporal Daniel Kenyon - all from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - denied charges which included disgraceful conduct and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.

Larkin admitted one charge of assaulting an Iraqi man and faces a sentence of up to six months in prison.

Prosecutors say the men carried out the offences during an operation code-named ‘Ali Baba’ to stop looting at an aid food depot in the chaotic weeks after the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The trial is the latest in a series of hearings against US and British soldiers after photographs of abuse by US troops at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib jail emerged, sparking global outrage.

A US military court sentenced Charles Graner, the ringleader at Abu Ghraib, to 10 years’ in prison last weekend.

Unlike the Abu Ghraib scandal, the trial of the three British soldiers concerns one incident and has not sparked allegations of systematic abuse.

Prosecutor Nick Clapham said the abuses occurred after the commander of a huge warehouse complex near the southern Iraqi city of Basra known as ‘Camp Breadbasket’ formed a plan to stop persistent looting of humanitarian food stores.

Under the plan, troops were to round up looters who were “to be worked hard” to repair damage and deter further pilfering.

Such an order was against international law, which prevents civilians from being detained and forced to work, but the soldiers’ actions went far beyond it, Clapham said.

“In no way did that order envisage conduct of the type you have heard,” he told the court.

All the accused had served together in a section led by Kenyon, who was charged with aiding and abetting others to force the detainees to simulate sexual acts and with failing to report the offences to higher officers.

Larkin pleaded not guilty to disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind by making two detainees undress in front of others but admitted assaulting a man by standing on him.

Cooley is accused of pretending to kick and punch detainees, while they were photographed and of suspending one bound man on a forklift truck.

Most of the charges carry maximum prison sentences of two years as well as dishonourable discharge from the army.

::: u.tv :::

Derry man jailed over Bloody Sunday

19/01/2005 12:54:43

A Derry man has become the first person jailed because of Bloody Sunday.
Local republican Martin Doherty had been called as a witness by the Saville Inquiry and given the code-name Provisional IRA nine. But he refused to give any evidence, claiming he wasn`t even present on Bloody Sunday.

Earlier this month, the High Court imposed a three-months sentence for contempt of the Inquiry, and just over an hour ago police took him from his Creggan home to Maghaberry Prison.

IOL

Motorway plans ‘breach Good Friday Agreement’

19/01/2005 - 15:02:29

The Government breached the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement by allowing a proposed motorway route to cut through an historic battlefield, it was claimed today.

An Taisce – Ireland’s National Trust – accused Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of giving tokenistic assurances to Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and the Orange Order.

Dr Mark Clinton said representations were made to the Taoiseach in March 2001 about the significance of the site in Aughrim and the damage that would be done by building the M6 through the historic Co Galway battlefield.

“Cecil Kilpatrick, Archivist of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, warned that the route would run ‘through the Command Post of the Williamite General Ginkel, through the position of the right wing of the Williamite Cavalry commanded by Huguenot General Ruvigny and through the site of a Williamite Gun Battery’,” he said.

“Finally, the road would obliterate ’Lutterell’s Pass”’ and so have ‘equally devastating effects on the Jacobite positions’.

“At the time, March 7, 2001, Mr. Kilpatrick also forwarded similar correspondence to then First Minister of the Northern Assembly, David Trimble.”

Dr Clinton said Mr Trimble then wrote to the Taoiseach and in reply Mr Ahern assured him that “Galway County Council and their consultants are aware of the historical importance of battlefields at Aughrim and you can be assured that full consideration of their significance will be taken into account during route design”.

Dr Harmon Murtagh, the historian consulted for the Environmental Impact Statement, told a planning hearing last week that he would prefer if the route passed further north avoiding the battlefield.

“It is now clear that well in advance, both the NRA (National Roads Authority) and An Taoiseach were made well aware as to the damage that would be caused by the M6,” he said.

“Equally, given that representatives of Grand Orange Lodge never signed off as being satisfied, it is now clear that the assurances given were, at best, tokenistic.

“As a result of what has been let happen, it would appear that the southern Irish authorities are in breach of the spirit of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement which prioritises “parity of esteem” in terms of respect for the different cultures.

“Equally the Republic’s Government is also in breach of the Environmental Impact Assessment directive 85/337/EEC as amended 97/11.”

Dr Clinton said the directive required any development with a trans-boundary dimension to secure the approval from the relevant authorities in the other state affected.

“An Taisce notes that the plan to build a motorway through the Aughrim battlefield site has attracted the objections of heritage interests representing all sides of the political spectrum – from the National Graves Association to the Orange tradition,” he said.

“Their shared objections are backed by An Taisce as well as the Academy for Heritage, which represents many of the country’s historians, including Dr Padraig Lenihan – a leading expert on 17th century Irish military history.

“The M6 scheme is particularly destructive to what historians have described as ‘Ireland’s Gettysburg’.

“Being the battle with the greatest fatalities (up to 9,000 killed) ever fought in Ireland, Aughrim is home to the country’s largest unmarked war grave. What sense was there ever in locating a motorway there?” he added.

IOL

Bloody Sunday: ‘IRA gunfire’ witness to testify
19/01/2005 - 16:36:34

The Bloody Sunday tribunal is to reconvene later this month to hear evidence from a man known as Witness X, it emerged today.

Witness X has denied telling the police in 1972 that he was a member of the Provisional IRA and fired two magazines from a carbine rifle in the Glenfada Park area of the Bogside on Bloody Sunday.

The hearing will take place on January 27 at a video conference room at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Witness X will give his evidence by video link and will be screened from view to protect his anonymity.

The hearing will be transmitted to the Guildhall in Derry, where the tribunal heard most of the evidence.

Late last year, Lord Saville and fellow judges retired to write their final report, which is expected to be completed by this summer.

Belfast Telegraph

Parades body ‘fatally flawed’
MPs call for reform of commission

By Michael McHugh
19 January 2005

Efforts to resolve parading issues are “fatally flawed” and need to be urgently reviewed, a high-powered parliamentary body has told the Government.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has urged the Parades Commission to review its approach to mediation between opposing sides, as well as providing greater transparency when giving its determinations.

The recommendations are contained in this month’s generally positive report into the 1998 parading legislation, which lauded the commission for helping to ease tensions surrounding marches, and advocated its retention.

Northern Ireland Office Minister Ian Pearson is considering the commission’s future on the back of Sir George Quigley’s report into the body in 2002.

The Affairs Committee recommendations included:

Making objections to parades clearer and more accessible to organisers.

Taking forward its proposal to develop a “compliance and post mortem” procedure to provide parade organisers with detailed feedback, in good time, on issues brought to the commission’s attention during the marching season.

Fuller explanations and greater detail about the potential impact of a parade on community relations and on human rights and public order.

Reviewing its involvement in mediation as a matter of urgency and strengthening its pool of authorised officers.

The report stated: “We are extremely concerned that mediation currently appears insufficiently rigorous and challenging, and is perceived by some as a “box-ticking” exercise.”

“Such a process is fatally flawed and will not achieve lasting resolutions to parade disputes.

“We urge the Parades Commission to review and develop its approach to promoting and facilitating mediation as a matter of urgency.”

Parading organisations and nationalist residents have complained about a lack of transparency and consistency in the commission’s determinations and the committee said more detailed determinations were necessary.

“We believe that the objections being raised about parades need to be made clearer to parade organisers, including public order considerations where appropriate and possible.”

The study also rejected suggestions in Sir George’s report that responsibility for restricting parades imposed on public order grounds should revert to the police.

The report also called for discussions between the commission and the police about a register of bands which take part in parades.

A commission spokesman said: “We welcome publication of the report and we look forward to examining its findings in detail.”

Belfast Telegraph

New fingers for Ryan after pioneering op
Toes grafted onto Tyrone boy’s hand

By Marie Foy
19 January 2005

Brave Tyrone boy Ryan Patterson has undergone pioneering surgery to give him fingers on his right hand.

The nine-year-old, from Seskinore near Fintona, was born without a right hand.

Last year he became a mini-celebrity when he escorted the Greek European Championship-winning captain onto the field in Lisbon.

The battling youngster went on to become the first person from Northern Ireland to have surgery to attach two of his toes onto his wrist so that he could grip items.

And the story of Ryan’s life-changing operation will be screened on TV across Ireland on an RTE documentary tonight.

Initially his parents Ian and Grace wondered if the trauma of surgery was necessary as Ryan had been doing extremely well.

But the operation, scheduled for the St James’s Hospital in Leeds, would give him two new fingers and he would be able to work with computers, drive a car when the time came - and maybe even become the snooker player or golfer that he dreamed about.

Surgeon Simon Kay said that in such operations the quality of a patient’s life depended not on the new digits themselves, but on family attitudes and support.

“We know after the first 24 hours if the new fingers are taking and after that time will allow mobility to improve,” he said.

As his parents made the decision to go ahead with the operation, Grace recalled her own battle with breast cancer and how, throughout all their trials, the family had placed their faith in God.

She said: “I always knew that everything would work out fine for God has a purpose for all of us. And now Ryan has his new fingers.”

A television crew accompanied Ryan and his family to England for his operation and recently filmed him at school in the McClintock Primary school.

Rowan Hand, documentary producer, said the programme aims to capture the human story of a young boy battling to overcome serious disability.

But would Ryan miss his toes?

“Not really, sure I’ll still have them, but they’ll be on my hand,” he said.

The story is broadcast tonight on Nationwide at 7pm on RTÉ One.

Belfast Telegraph

New gun laws to cut restrictions

19 January 2005

New firearms legislation that relaxes some restrictions on guns will come into effect at the beginning of February, the Northern Ireland Office has announced.

Under the new law certificates for holding firearms will be extended from three years to five years, although the NIO says renewals will be more “rigorous”.

The new law also says low-powered air rifles, paintball guns and de-activated guns will no longer require certificates, and there are provisions to allow shotguns and estate rifles to be loaned out.

New firearm holders will be required to demonstrate they can shoot safely, as will shooters already holding a certificate but wishing “to acquire a firearm of a significantly different type.”

The new law will also allow firearm dealers to exchange one shotgun for another.

Security Minister Ian Pearson said the changes will “enhance” public safety.

“This new legislation is the result of a detailed review of firearms controls in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“I believe that the new controls are relevant, effective and proportionate and that they strike a balance between public safety and the reasonable expectations of those who enjoy shooting as a sport or leisure pursuit and the firearms trade.”

Belfast Telegraph

Pressure on Murphy to revive assembly
Minister urged to go ahead without Sinn Fein

By Brian Walker
19 January 2005

Since its suspension in October 2002 the Assembly has cost £53.5m, junior minister Ian Pearson has told MPs.

Just over £23m of the total was spent on MLAs’ salaries, with £20.2m on staff and a further £10.1m on property and services.

But during Commons questions Secretary of State Paul Murphy resisted pressure from both unionist parties to rapidly find other uses for the Assembly, without an Executive which includes Sinn Fein.

DUP MP Nigel Dodds urged him to take action and “not allow Sinn Fein to hold the rest of us to ransom”.

The Ulster Unionist whip Roy Beggs questioned the purpose of holding further talks with Sinn Fein.

He said: “P O’Neill is a proven liar” and dismissed the IRA’s statement denying carrying out the Northern Bank robbery.

Mr Murphy replied that he had to talk to Sinn Fein, “not least to emphasise the seriousness of what has happened.”

He said a formal meeting of the British-Irish council in a fortnight’s time would examine all proposals for improving local accountability.

But he added: “We cannot have an Executive without an end to criminality. We cannot have a voluntary coalition unless there are unionists and nationalists on it.”

Earlier this week the SDLP leader Mark Durkan slapped down the DUP’s proposal for a voluntary coalition, advocating instead his party’s idea of 10 independent commissioners to run the province, appointed by both governments and reporting to the Assembly.

And in the Commons, his colleague Seamus Mallon dismissed another DUP plan - to give the Assembly a scrutiny role over Direct Rule ministers, a proposal similar to James Prior’s ill-fared Assembly of 1982 which was boycotted by the SDLP.

Mr Mallon urged the Secretary of State to “resist the temptation to go down the Prior road to an Assembly without authority or responsibility.

“Your efforts should be based on the fact that only the two sovereign governments acting together have the power to deal with criminality, illegal arms and illegal armies.”

During PMQs, the Prime Minister hinted at finding some way of going ahead without Sinn Fein, though he indicated that he would still prefer to include them.

He was replying to a challenge from Unionist leader David Trimble, who accused Tony Blair of failing to “develop a coherent response to the Northern Bank robbery, although he has known for some time who was responsible.”

Mr Trimble said the Prime Minister was giving “the unfortunate impression” that he would allow Sinn Fein to walk through the doors of Downing St again, “after the biggest bank robbery in British history.”

Mr Blair said he was not denying the significance of the robbery.

He said: “I still want to find a way forward that includes everybody,” but added that it could not be with parties associated with bodies that commit terrorism or criminal acts.

The challenge was not for the governments but for those who want to be engaged in the process, he added.

” We cannot wait for ever for them to make up their minds.”

Guardian

I was not in league with robbers, says Belfast bank worker
Kidnapped employee upset by media insinuations

Angelique Chrisafis, Ireland correspondent
Wednesday January 19, 2005
The Guardian

A 23-year-old bank worker who was forced to take part in the £26.5m Belfast bank raid while his family was held hostage has spoken about his ordeal, angry at suggestions he could have been in league with the robbers.

Chris Ward, a supervisor at Northern Bank, said he was kidnapped and forced to go to work at the bank’s headquarters and “act normal” during the UK’s biggest bank robbery, last month. He said that if he had resisted his family would have been killed.

Mr Ward told the Irish News and the BBC Spotlight programme that on the night of Sunday December 19 he was watching TV with his father at home on the outskirts of west Belfast. A man knocked at the door asking to discuss Celtic football team. As the treasurer of the local Celtic supporters’ club, Mr Ward let him in. Two other men burst in, telling Mr Ward they knew “everything” about him.

They said: “We are going to take you away for 24 hours and if you cooperate everything will be OK. If you don’t, you and your family are dead.”

Mr Ward’s mother, father, brother and his brother’s girlfriend were held hostage at the house while he was driven - crying and at gunpoint - to the home of a colleague, Kevin McMullan, in Loughinisland, Co Down. Mr McMullan and his wife had been tied up and held at gunpoint. Mrs McMullan was later held blindfolded at an unknown location for more than 24 hours before being abandoned in Drumkeeragh Forest Park in Co Down, suffering from exposure.

The gang held the two bank workers overnight. At 6am they gave them mobile phones, ordering them to arrive at work at noon, stay composed and call the gang regularly to tell them “everything was OK”.

The men were told to dismiss their colleagues from the bank by 6pm. Mr Ward was ordered to fill a sports bag with £100 and £50 notes worth £1.2m. He carried the bag out of the bank and past security guards as part of a “dummy run”, stopping at a bus stop where a man in a trenchcoat and hat collected it.

Mr Ward and Mr McMullan were then told to load 24 crates of bank notes on to trolleys, covering the money with rubbish, black binbags and broken chairs. They were to tell security staff it was rubbish to be collected by a service company.

The robbers - in service company uniforms and wigs - stood outside loading the money into a large white van before departing. After the van had been filled a second time, Mr Ward and Mr McMullen were told to drive to Mr Ward’s house and wait until 11pm before calling police.

Northern Ireland’s chief constable, Hugh Orde, has blamed the IRA for the robbery. Sinn Féin denies IRA involvement. The IRA last night officially denied being behind the robbery. A statement said: “We were not involved.”

Both the British and Irish governments said this week they were “100% confident” the IRA was responsible and had caused serious damage to the political process. Last week, the Irish justice minister Michael McDowell detailed what he described as the IRA’s lengthy track record of deny ing bombings and deadly bank robberies before later admitting they were responsible.

Mr Ward said: “[The media] don’t say it directly but there is an insinuation that because I am a west Belfast Catholic that I must have been part of the robbery. These stories have been deeply upsetting.”

Northern Bank confirmed yesterday that all 40 staff at the Belfast cash centre would be transferred to other branches. The staff were being relocated for their own safety and security, not because they were suspected of any involvement.

Northern Bank denied a claim by Mr Ward that substantially more than £26.5m was taken from the bank. At least £10m of the haul is now known to be untraceable. No money has been recovered and no arrests have been made.

The Northern Ireland secretary, Paul Murphy, and the Irish foreign affairs minister, Dermot Ahern, this week ruled out any immediate political sanctions against Sinn Féin but said sanctions could be considered after the Independent Monitoring Commission, which looks into paramilitary activity, had published its next report.

Newshound

It had to go right or they would kill someone

(Barry McCaffrey, Irish News)

In his first interview since being forced to take part in December’s £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery, bank supervisor Chris Ward describes his nightmare ordeal to Barry McCaffrey.

Chris Ward had been watching football in his west Belfast home when a knock came at the door shortly before 10pm on December 19.

An official in a local Celtic supporters’ club, the 23-year-old had no cause for suspicion when the caller asked to come inside to talk about the team.

But what would follow over the next 24 hours would involve Mr Ward’s family being taken hostage by an armed gang while he was kidnapped and forced to take part in one of the world’s biggest bank robberies.

Speaking for the first time since the raid, the Northern Bank supervisor described how the robbers had tricked their way into his Colinmill home in Poleglass.

“My father Gerry and I were watching Spanish football on the television when there was a knock at the door,” he said.

“My dad would normally answer the door but he was lying on the couch so I said I’d get it.

“When I opened the door there was a guy standing there who said he wanted to speak to me about Celtic.

“I am the assistant treasurer of the Erin Go Brea club, so that kind of thing happens a lot.

“He asked could he speak to me in the kitchen, but when I turned round another guy had come in behind him.”

The two men, who were wearing hats and had their coat collars pulled up over their faces, then bustled the 23-year-old into the kitchen.

“They said ‘Look Chris, we know everything about you and your family.

“We are going to take you away for 24 hours and if you co-operate everything will be okay.

“If you don’t, you and your family are dead.”

The bank supervisor was taken into the family’s living room, where a third member of the gang was already there.

“I told my dad not to panic but my mum, who was upstairs, heard the commotion and came downstairs,” he said.

“Like the rest of us she went into shock and was crying and shaking.

“My brother Gerard and his girlfriend Ursula were upstairs and they were called down into the living room.”

As the Ward family grew more panicked, the leader of the gang forcefully told them to calm down.

“We were all made to swear that we would co-operate with the gang.

“I was told to go upstairs and get my work uniform as I was going to be taken away.”

Mr Ward said he could hear his mother crying in the living room as he was led by one of the gang to a waiting car.

“It was a three-door car and I was told to get into the back and lie on the floor.”

He was then confronted by the driver, who pointed a gun into his face.

“He told me that I was going to be in the car for 45 minutes and to think of my family and their safety.”

The bank employee said the car eventually drove onto waste ground, where he was ordered to change cars and sit in the front passenger seat.

“The driver of that car told me not to look around and to stare straight ahead at all times,” he said.

It was only some time later that the 23-year-old realised a second member of the gang was hidden in the back seat.

“The driver said ‘Man in back, you know what you have to do when you get to the house. You know there are sensors’.

“The only thing the guy in the back said was ‘Yep’.”

Mr Ward said that while he had not been told he was being brought to the home of his work colleague Kevin McMullan, he realised what was happening when he saw a signpost for the village of Loughinisland.

“I had never been to Kevin’s house, but I knew he lived in Loughinisland and knew there were only nine people in the bank with security keys to the vault.”

He was then bundled into Mr McMullan’s home, where a masked man grabbed his arm and led him into a kitchen.

“The house was in complete darkness. The only light was from the fridge which they had left open.”

Mr Ward was tied up and made to stare at the kitchen wall for what he believed was around 90 minutes.

“I was just in shock. I was crying and panicking about my family,” he said.

“From time to time one of them would walk in and shout at me.”

After some time, the 23-year-old was led into a boxroom where he was confronted with Mr McMullan.

“I was told to sit down and lie on a mattress where Kevin was also tied,” he said.

“I was in such a state one of the gang kicked me. He told Kevin to calm me down or someone would get hurt.”

The gang then continuously questioned Mr McMullan, an assistant manager, about the bank’s security codes.

Only at around 3am were the two bank employees were brought into a bedroom and told to try to sleep.

“They told us we had a big day ahead of us and we had to make sure everything went right or someone would be killed.”

Mr Ward revealed that before the gang left the house at around 6am, they gave the two bank employees mobile phones and detailed instructions about what they were to do when they arrived for work at its Wellington Street headquarters in Belfast city centre.

But while the men were now alone, they were reminded that their families were still being held by the gang and would be killed if anything went wrong.

“By then Kevin had told me the gang had taken his wife Karen away,” Mr Ward said.

“We sat in the kitchen dumbfounded and just asked ourselves how we had been put into this nightmare.

“That gang knew absolutely everything there was to know about us.

“We were told to drive to work as normal at noon and for me to get out on to the Dublin Road.

“We were ordered that throughout the day we should phone the gang on the mobile phones to tell them that everything was okay.”

Mr Ward said he had been deeply concerned that his work colleagues would not notice his agitated state.

Mr McMullan had been ordered to send a messenger and the three other staff in the bank’s cash centre home before 6pm, leaving just himself and Mr Ward remaining.

“Kevin told the other staff that myself and him had to do a count-up of money and that they should go home,” Mr Ward said.

By 6pm, only the assistant manager and the bank supervisor remained in the cash centre.

The pair were then ordered to fill Mr Ward’s sports hold-all with £100 and £50 notes, which was to be brought out of the bank and handed to a waiting gang member as part of a dummy run before the main robbery.

“Kevin was originally supposed to carry the bag out of the bank, but he told them the security staff would be alerted if an assistant manager was leaving with a hold-all.

“Initially they only wanted £100 notes, but Kevin told them there wasn’t that many £100 notes so they said to pack it with £50 notes as well.”

Mr Ward was ordered to carry the money out of the bank shortly after 6pm.

He said it was not unusual that he wasn’t stopped by security staff as he left.

“There are hundreds of staff going in and out of the bank every day and it would be impossible to search everyone,” he said.

He was ordered on leaving the bank to contact the gang by the mobile phone.

“I was told to walk to a bus stop at opper Queen Street and wait there until a guy came up to speak to me.”

Minutes later, as Mr Ward stood at the bus stop, a man in a trench coat and hat approached him.

“He came up to me and said ‘All right Chris, have you got something for me for Christmas?’.

“I just gave him the bag and he walked off.

Once back inside the bank, the two employees began to load 24 green boxes of new money onto trolleys to bring them up to the bank’s loading bay.

“We had been ordered to phone the security staff to tell them that we were bringing rubbish to be collected by a delivery service company.

“We had to cover the boxes up with rubbish and broken chairs.

“Myself and Kevin were panicking that the security staff would think there was something out of the ordinary with us carrying so many boxes up to be dumped, because that would mean our families were dead.”

Mr Ward said the robbers’ van arrived at around 6.45pm, but at no time did the robbers enter the bank.

“They drove the van to the dispatch doors and we had to bring the boxes out and load them onto the van.

“When the van arrived we were shocked when two of the gang got out dressed in the delivery service uniforms and fleeces. They were wearing hats and wigs.”

When the van was filled, the two men were told that the robbers would return.

“We were told we had 15 minutes to load £20 notes into trolleys and were given black plastic sheeting to wrap around the trolleys so the security staff could not see it was stuffed with money.

“Myself and Kevin were in total panic because we were sure security would think this was highly unusual and would know something was wrong.

“We got even more panicky when the van was late returning.

“Eventually, security phoned to say the van was back and we brought the remaining trolleys up and loaded the money.”

The two men were then ordered to return to the cash centre and to lock up as normal.

They were told to drive to Mr Ward’s home when they left work after 9pm, where they were met by three gang members.

“When my mother saw me she burst into tears,” Mr Ward said.

“After some time the gang told us that Kevin’s wife was safe and they were leaving.

“We were again warned that they knew everything about us and were told not to contact the police until 11pm.”

However, nearly one month on, Mr Ward said his family was still struggling to come to terms with the hostage ordeal.

“The bank have been very good to us and have provided trauma counselling and support,” he said.

“But you still jump when anyone calls to the door.

Mr Ward added that his family had also been deeply upset by media reports insinuating that he may have been involved in the robbery.

“There have been stories saying that I am a Celtic supporter and that I am from west Belfast,” he said.

“They don’t say it directly, but there is an insinuation that because I am a west Belfast Catholic that I must have been part of the robbery.

“My family has been deeply traumatised by what we were put through. Those stories have just made things worse.

“Would anyone put their loved ones through such an ordeal?

“I knew I certainly wouldn’t and neither would Kevin McMullan.”

January 19, 2005
________________

This article appeared first in the January 18, 2005 edition of the Irish News.

Indymedia Ireland

New Website - Aontacht.net

by Alan - Aontacht - Unity Wednesday, Jan 19 2005, 4:08pm

Aontacht

Aontacht.net is a new Republican website created by a group of young Irish Republicans with the intention of debating the future direction of Irish Republicanism and its relevance to modern society. It was felt that there needed to be a more detailed examination of the problems facing the ideology than has been carried out before but that there was no exisiting forum for this to be done in an impartial manner away from party political lines. The main area of debate will be the discussion forum which will become the nucleus of a much bigger website in time. The moderators have been handpicked for their political experience, knowledge and political diversity. Aontacht.net is an ambitous project to bring agreement from people of divided political backgrounds and to create better understandings of respective positions. Please read the mission statement below and join if you agree with its stated aims.

Getting Republicans into the community
&
Getting the community into Republicanism.

———————————————————————–

Aontacht.Net’s underlining purpose for being set up is to…

..Promote respect and revival for Irish history, language and culture.
..Provide a non-partisan analysis of Republicanism and the current position of the possibility of unification.
..Evolve a contempory definition of Republicanism and set out it’s relevance to the people of Ireland.
..Set out the current problems facing those who support unification and create solutions for these.
..Encourage community awareness and participation in Republican politics and history.
..Provide an online focal point for those who believe in the unification of Ireland.
..Discuss the challenges that would arise from unification.
..To encourage people to focus their individual skills for the benefit of the cause of unification, be they academic, web design, artistic, oratorical or musical.

——————————————————————————–

Supporting..

..Secularism in politics and government.
..Co-operation and understanding between different cultural groups in Ireland.
..Co-operation between different political groups in Ireland toward unification.

——————————————————————————–

Opposing..

..The partition of Ireland and the British Government’s occupation of Irish national territory.
..An elitist approach to Republicanism.
..Racism and Religious Sectarianism.
..The alienation and disregard for the weaker sections of our society including the disabled, homeless, drug addicted and immigrants.
..Censorship and revisionism.
..The destruction of Irish heritage and historical sites in Ireland.

——————————————————————————–

Recognising..

..The right of the island of Ireland to act as a single unit.
..That the basic aim of Republicanism is unification of the national territory and, equally, unity and understanding among it’s inhabitants.
..How the above cannot and will not be achieved through the Good Friday Agreement.
..The current crisis within Ireland insofar as unification is concerned.
..The devision between republican groups in Ireland.
..How the above is counter-productive to even the most basic of Republicanism’s objectives.
..The concerns of Unionism.
..The right of Unionism as a political entity to exist. However it does not accept the right of Unionism, as a national minority, to subvert unification.
..That true Republicanism comes from the people and, as such, without their support, no plan for unification can hope to succeed.
..That the Irish people have misconceptions of Republicanism that must be changed.
..That the people are the only reliable foundation of any state.
..That support from the people must be earned through community-level work of a wide and varying nature.

——————————————————————————–

Seeing that..

..Modern Republicanism is an amalgamation of diverse idealogies set around the fundamental position that the island of Ireland is entitled to complete seperation from Britain.
..[Taking the above into consideration] ..All Republicans are able to find basic common ground with one another to co-operate.
..Because the Irish people hold diverse political views, so too, do Republicans and though at times these views may conflict, the basic tenet of unification holds true.
..In order for the people to become firmly commited to the belief of unification, Republicans must be educated, credible, patient and polite in their approach.
..Republicans must have a coherent, though evolving, stand on all issues of relevance to the people.
..Republicans must set aside party allegiances in lieu of National allegiance.
..The people are the only power that can establish or dismantle a state.
..Those opposed to unification are entitled to their views and that those views should be aired to create understanding and interpretation.
..As the world is constantly evolving and creating new challenges, so too should Republicanism be evolving and creating new ways to meet these challenges.

——————————————————————————–

Aontacht.Net is not the website for a political party, nor is it affiliated with any organisation in Ireland. While Aontacht.Net is aimed at those who believe in unification, it also welcomes those who are opposed to it to take part in mature and constructive discussion on the topic in our forum. It is intended that Aontacht.net will compliment exisiting websites and it is not an attempt to surplant other established forums.

http://aontacht.net

BBC

New appeal in £26m bank robbery

The footage shows a bank employee leaving with a bag

A fresh appeal has been made by police investigating the £26.5m Northern Bank robbery in Belfast.

CCTV footage has been released of a staff member who was held hostage leaving the bank with a bag of money on 20 December.

Police want anyone who saw the green Umbro bag or the man to contact them.

They also want to hear from the driver of a car which nearly collided with a female taken hostage during the raid at the Northern Bank head office.

Hugh Constable Hugh Orde has blamed the IRA for the robbery. The IRA has denied involvement.

Detective Superintendent Andy Sproule, who is leading the investigation, said that the female hostage, the wife of a second bank official, was one of those most traumatised by the raid.

Karen McMullan was held hostage for at least 23 hours before being released wearing a blue boiler suit near a forest in Castlewellan, County Down.

She was almost hit by a car as she stumbled onto the Drumnacoyle Road at about 2200 GMT.

Mr Sproule urged the driver or any passengers of the car to come forward.

The senior detective also asked anyone who saw the man with the Umbro bag to come forward.

“The bank official was told to take the bag of money round the corner to the bus stop,” he said.

“So he was sitting on the seat in the bus shelter, and he was joined by another man. He took this distinctive Umbro bag and took it away and walked down towards Wellington Place.”

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy has said the raid was a violation of the Good Friday Agreement.

He was speaking earlier on Wednesday during Northern Ireland Questions in the House of Commons.

Mr Murphy said: “In order for an executive to be formed there has to be the trust among parties for that to happen… unless we tackle the criminality we won’t get the trust for parties to get together.”

He said the International Monitoring Commission would be requested to report before it is due to in April.

Paul Murphy said the political process was ‘deeply damaged’

“The raid on that bank has had grave consequences for the political and peace process in Northern Ireland.”

Prime Minister Tony Blair referred to those committing either terrorist or criminal activity.

“There can be no place for that. Unless and until it is absolutely clear that things have changed fundamentally, then it is difficult to see the way forward on that inclusive basis,” he said.

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said he would be challenging remarks Taoiseach Bertie Ahern made about republican involvement in the robbery when they met.

“What the taoiseach has accused me and Martin McGuinness of doing, is being involved in a conspiracy to be involved in the prior knowledge of the largest bank robbery in the history of these islands. I find that highly offensive,” he said.

There was “nothing to back it up - it is totally wrong”, said Mr Adams.

On Monday, the Northern Ireland secretary and the Irish foreign minister said they were 100% convinced the IRA was involved in the robbery - the UK’s biggest cash raid.

In a statement issued on Tuesday signed by P O’Neill, the IRA repeated its denial of involvement.

IRA2

White House might stop Sinn Fein fundraising in US

19 Jan 2005
Irish Independent

THE WHITE House is threatening to freeze Sinn Fein’s
permit to raise funds in the United States and is also
considering withdrawing visas from Gerry Adams and
other leaders of the party.

Sources close to President Bush have indicated that
his administration shares the concern of the Irish and
British governments that the Sinn Fein leadership knew
about last month’s Northern Bank raid.

“We are deeply concerned about allegations of
Provisional IRA and Sinn Fein involvement in the bank
robbery,” said a senior administration official. “We
are watching the situation closely.”

President Bush is understood to feel personally
betrayed by the bank raid.

The consequences could hit the Sinn Fein coffers. The
White House could deny the party the right to raise
funds and its leaders the visas they need to visit.

“Gerry Adams does not have a permanent visa to come
here and fundraise,” the administration official said.

Sinn Fein took in about €700,000 in one six-month
period from its US fundraising in 2003.

Irish officials in Washington said the controversy
does not affect plans for the Taoiseach to go for his
annual White House visit on St Patrick’s Day. “The
only party the White House is thinking about is the
Inauguration - they’re certainly not worrying about
who’s going to the St Patrick’s Day party,” one
official said.

“The truth is that we firmly expect the shamrock
ceremony to be normal, though obviously they [the
White House] could amend the arrangements for the rest
of the celebration based on developments in the
North.”

The White House and the State Department do want to
offer some continuity to the US involvement in the
peace process.

Dr Mitchell Reiss is likely to step down in the next
two weeks as head of policy planning at the State
Department and it is understood that newly-appointed
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will bring her own
head of policy planning to the department. “Mitch
Reiss is being asked to stay on Northern Ireland as
special envoy,” a State Department official said.

Dr Reiss’s suggestion that arms decommissioning be
photographed was not accepted by Sinn Fein in the
final round of talks in December, but many involved in
the process thought the compromise helped inch the
parties closer to an agreement. President Bush even
phoned the parties tasking them o accept the Reiss
photo plan over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Irish and British officials agree that it would be
helpful if Reiss remained as envoy and the White House
concurs.

“We believe it is important to reach a lasting
settlement for peace in Northern Ireland and we will
continue to work with the governments to achieve
that,” a White House official insisted.

Susan Garraty
in Washington