Republicanism remains unchanged – Allister
06 March 2009
Responding to Joint First Minister Martin McGuinness’s claim that HRH Special Forces are “as much a danger to the community as any other group” TUV leader Jim Allister said:
“Just one day after DUP Euro candidate Dianne Dodds foolishly welcomed Ted Kennedy’s knighthood as a sign that Republicans have changed Joint First Minister Martin McGuinness has – once again – shown that they have not changed in the slightest.
“Most people in Northern Ireland will welcome the fact that special forces could be deployed to root out so-called “dissident” Republicans. Not so McGuinness. Peter Robinson’s partner leaps to their defence by attacking the armed forces. This, added to the fact that Provisional IRA Semtex has been employed by allegedly breakaway Republican groups will raise questions in the minds of many about the true nature of the relationship between the Provos and other Republican groups.
“It should not come as a surprise that McGuinness would have a problem with the special forces. After all, they had great success in combating the group of murdering gangsters, the IRA, of which he was a member. However, to describe them as a “danger to the community” is simply outrageous. The special forces went out to take on gunmen and bombers. The IRA went out to murder innocent civilians and off duty police officers.
“These remarks expose the foolishness of those who claim that Republicans have somehow changed and have now accepted British rule in Ireland. They have not and, as McGuinness has shown, they still defend those who are prepared to kill to achieve that objective”.
