The ‘Irish News’ carried the following headline in today’s (31st May) edition.
Sinn Féin’s John Finucane accused of ‘glorifying terrorists’ over plans to attend republican commemoration event
The advertised event is due to take place next month
The ‘Irish News’ report includes the following statements.
“SINN Féin’s John Finucane has been accused of ‘glorifying terrorists’ by plans to attend a republican commemoration event in Co Armagh next month.
He is listed as the main speaker at the South Armagh Volunteers Commemoration, which is due to be held at the Mullaghbawn Community Centre on June 11.
An advert for the event is featured beside a ‘Roll of Honour – South Armagh Brigade’, which lists more than 20 names.
But former DUP leader Arlene Foster, who shared the image of the advert for the event on social media, has criticised Mr Finucane’s plans to attend. ‘For all those fawning over Sinn Fein, here is one of their MPs glorifying terrorists and making it sound like a fun day out for all the family.’ She said the Sinn Féin MP would be ‘glorifying terrorists’ by speaking at the event.”
Part of the Terrorism Act, 2006 says this:
(3) For the purposes of this section, the statements that are likely to be understood by [a reasonable person] as indirectly encouraging the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism or Convention offences include every statement which—
(a) glorifies the commission or preparation (whether in the past, in the future or generally) of such acts or offences;
and
(b) is a statement from which members of the public could reasonably be expected to infer that what is being glorified is being glorified as conduct that should be emulated by them in existing circumstances.
The event which is planned for June 11th in South Armagh and at which the Sinn Fein MP is advertised as the main speaker is most assuredly an event which glorifies the IRA terrorists of the ‘South Armagh Brigade’, whose murderous ’exploits’ they are ‘honouring’!
Among the ‘exploits’ that Finucane and the Sinn Feiners who will gather to glorify is ‘The Kingsmill Massacre’.
It was a mass shooting that took place on 5 January 1976 near the village of Whitecross in south County Armagh. IRA Gunmen stopped a minibus carrying eleven Protestant workmen, lined them up alongside it and shot them. Only one victim survived, despite having been shot 18 times.
A Roman Catholic man on the minibus was allowed to go free.
(See this Wikipedia article on the Kingsmill Massacre).
At the time there were reports of a degree of ‘discomfort’ amongst Irish Republican ranks because of the adverse publicity that the massacre created and it was said that Gerry Adams, in an IRA ‘Army Council’ meeting, declared ‘there’ll never again be another Kingsmill’.
It is clear from the ‘celebration’ planned for June 11th that any ‘discomfort’ felt within Irish Republican ranks back in 1976 was short lived and today it is generally felt that there should have been more attacks like those of Kingsmill!
The nature of this celebration of murder and terror and the setting of it forth as a ‘family event’, with John Finucane participating, indicates that terrorism is part and parcel of the Irish Republican psyche.
Children are made part of this evil spectacle where cowardly murderers are set forth as the paragon of Irish manhood! This concept then receives the endorsement of a senior Sinn Feiner, indicating that such is the thinking of the organisation which seeks to be accepted as a bastion of democracy and political decorum and the people that support it!
Only the most self-deceived hypocrites and phoneys could carry off this parody with the persistence and aplomb as that which we have witnessed in the numerous appearances in the media of the Sinn Fein dissemblers.
It is to the shame of the two Unionist parties who aid this evil charade by their willingness to enter into a power-sharing arrangement with Sinn Fein/IRA, not to mention the British political hierarchy which pushed for such an arrangement at Stormont.
I am at a loss as to what to adequately say of those ‘churches’ which support the ’Stormont Sham’ while professing to be upholders of ‘Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life’!
In truth their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus is as false as was the kiss of Judas and his calling the Saviour ‘Master’ on that night of consummate shame! (Matthew 26:49).
It is widely reported amongst Irish Republicans that John Finucane’s father, Pat, as well as several of his close relatives on his father side were members of the IRA.
His celebration of murder and terror and his glorifying of the terrorists, is therefore hardly surprising.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)