Derry remembers Cllr John Davey: There must be full disclosure on collusion - de Brún

Magherafelt District Councillor Seán McPeake, Bairbre de Brun and Mary Davey are pictured at the Cllr. John Davey 15th Anniversary Commemoration in Lavey

Sinn Féin candidate in the forthcoming European elections, Bairbre de Brún, was the guest speaker at last Sunday's republican commemoration in honour of assassinated Sinn Féin Councillor John Davey at St Mary's Churchyard, Lavey.

Councillor Davey (61) was shot by the UVF on 14 February 1989 as he drove his car into the driveway of his home at Gulladuff.

The former Health Minister in the Six-County Executive described John Davey as "a giant of a man whose contribution to republican politics cannot be underestimated and who provided inspiration to a whole new generation of republicans who were impressed by his courage, his strength and commitment".

Addressing the large gathering of republicans from throughout South Derry and North Antrim, de Brun said that Davey's killing "came at a time when political assassination was the favourite weapon of those who sought to stop the development of Sinn Féin, and particularly of the Sinn Féin Peace Process. It came at a time when unionist political representatives had personal firearms for their protection, the support of the RUC and British Army and the use of the Key Persons Protection Scheme to provide modern surveillance and other security devices in their homes and businesses.

"Sinn Féin, on the other hand, were not given personal protection firearms, were denied access to the Key Persons Protection Scheme and faced the hostility of the British Army and RUC as well as the active policy of collusion between them and unionist paramilitaries.

"John was shot dead as he returned from a council meeting. He was in his own laneway, just 50 yards from home. The fact that his car was stationary at the time of the shooting fuelled suspicions of collusion. These suspicions were further fuelled when the family was told his inquest papers were destroyed.

"The murder of citizens through collusion with unionist death squads has and remains a British state policy in Ireland. Collusion — the control, resourcing and direction of unionist death squads by British state agencies — was sanctioned at the highest level.

"It resulted in the deaths of hundreds of republicans, nationalists and Catholics. Members of Sinn Féin, including elected representatives, were among those killed in a vicious campaign of political terror.

"This is a human rights scandal which anywhere else would have brought down governments. Not so with British state terror in Ireland. Is it any wonder that Margaret Thatcher and General Pinochet of Chile are such close friends? They shared the same violent policy towards their political opponents.

"The British politicians who sanctioned the policy of collusion have never been held accountable, and collusion has not ended. The British apparatus, which operates the policy of collusion, continues in existence.

"The policy of collusion must be ended, its structures must be disowned and dismantled and there must be full disclosure of the truth about Britain's war in Ireland."