Ulster Unionist Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC, MLA, has described Gerry Adams’ latest comments on terrorism as evidence of a man who has tried so hard to rewrite history, that he has lost touch with reality.
Doug Beattie MLA said:
“Gerry Adams’ latest comments prove just how timely his decision was to step aside as President of Sinn Fein.
“Standing outside Downing Street on Tuesday he said
‘I also … want to refute the use of this term ‘terrorism’
‘Pejorative terms like that, which are about the sons and daughters of families, husbands and wives of families, who happened to serve in the Irish Republican Army and who died in the conflict.
'I don’t use those terms. So let’s have a wee bit of sense about this.’
“These comments demonstrate clearly a man who has lost touch with reality.
“This is the latest Republican attempt to promote a fantasy narrative that the IRA were in some way a civil rights orientated organisation – they were not – the IRA were terrorists and we must challenge this perverse narrative at every turn. They were an illegal organisation who used violence against the innocent citizens of Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, Great Britain and mainland Europe in a bid to destabilise and isolate the United Kingdom.
“Bloody Friday was an act of terrorism. As was Claudy. As was La Mon and Enniskillen. What other word could be used to describe the murder of two children in a bomb in Warrington? Does he really think the IRA murder of soldiers, prison officers and police officers on both sides of the border was anything other than terrorism? How would he prefer to describe the murder of RAF Corporal Mick Islania and his six-month old baby daughter if not as the act of terrorists?
“On the day that Ratko Mladic is sentenced to life in prison for his crimes in the Bosnian War, Gerry Adams should be thankful that the Republican leadership is not filling the dock in The Hague charged with crimes including ethnic cleansing and the deliberate and systematic targeting of civilians.
“It is Gerry Adams who needs to ‘have a bit of sense.’ as the majority of decent law abiding people can see right through his shallow facade.’”