Past Events and Contemporary Cover Ups
Each week Ciarán Quinn delivers a Letter from Ireland as part of the Friends of Sinn Féin Newsletter. Never miss an update, free and delivered straight to your inbox every Friday morning. Sign up for free here.
A Letter from Ireland
Past Events and Contemporary Cover Ups
a Chara,
There have been some remarkable developments this week relating to justice, legacy, and court cases.
The first was the awarding of $2 million compensation to the survivors and families of those killed in the Miami Showband Massacre.
The Miami Showband was traveling home to Dublin from a gig when they were stopped at a checkpoint outside Newry County Down in July 1975.
The checkpoint was made by a gang of British soldiers and members of the illegal unionist paramilitary group the UVF. A bomb was placed on the bus that exploded prematurely killing the bombers. The remaining gang members opened fire on the band, killing three and leaving two others for dead who miraculously survived.
One of the gang members was a notorious sectarian killer and special branch agent Robin 'The Jackal' Jackson. In a clear case of collusion between unionist paramilitaries, the British Army, and police, all charges against Jackson were dropped and a cover-up operation was put in place that continues to this day.
In court, the British Government paid compensation but refused to accept liability or fully disclose the extent of collusion and cover-up involved in the case.
The second case involved the “Hooded Men”. Arrested in August 1971, as part of a round of 350 Irish Nationalist men, 14 were selected for “intensive interrogation”. The court this week found that their experiences constituted British government-sponsored torture which the police have refused to investigate. The ruling now opens the case for a full and independent investigation.
These cases happened in the past, but they are not a historical matter. The refusal to investigate and the continual cover-up make them contemporary matters. Justice delayed is justice denied today.
The British Government's proposals to end investigations and block civil actions would prevent these cases from ever getting to court. Their plans are for a continued coverup.
The Miami Showband Survivors and the remaining Hooded men serve as an inspiration. Against this brutal background and in the face of years of obstructions, they endure. Justice and truth will prevail.
Is mise
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America