NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Trevor Ringland, has welcomed Gerry Adams’ apology for the killing of members of the Republic’s security forces, but he called upon the Sinn Féin President to go further and apologise to the families of all police officers whom the IRA murdered in Northern Ireland.
“It’s only right and proper that Mr Adams should say sorry on behalf of the Provisional republican movement for the death of Jerry Garda McCabe and others”, Trevor observed. “However the IRA also killed over 1,000 members of the security forces in Northern Ireland and he should acknowledge that those murders were wrong too.”
“Indeed, if Gerry Adams is interested in reconciliation, he should make it clear that the whole IRA campaign was wrong, unjustified and unjustifiable. That’s the lesson which, as a society, we need to teach to our children. It also holds true for the deeds of loyalist paramilitaries and for the actions of members of the security forces, where they acted outside the law; something which is acknowledged by the Police Federation.”
“We need to lay down a clear marker to young people, saying that these things were wrong and we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. It’s the responsibility of protagonists, like Gerry Adams, to take the lead, acknowledge their responsibilities and start the healing process.”