25th anniversary of the killings of John Davey, Pat Finucane and Tony Fusco

Each killing in its own way showed a different aspect of loyalist terror tactics which have the collusion of the British military in the North

From An Phoblacht/Republican News, Thursday 16 February 1989

JOHN DAVEY, a veteran republican of 30 years standing and an elected representative of his people on Magharafelt District Council, was shot dead on Tuesday night, February 14th. He was the third nationalist to die this week in a renewed onslaught of sectarian murders.

The killing of the Sinn Fein councillor came just two days after the death of leading civil rights lawyer Pat Finucane and the slaying the previous Thursday (9th February) of Belfast Catholic Tony Fusco.

Each killing in its own way showed a different aspect of loyalist terror tactics which have the collusion of the British military in the North. Together they represent the systematic intimidation of an entire community – a purpose completely at one with British military strategy in the Six Counties which seeks to keep nationalists under a constant state of siege.

Tony Fusco was assassinated by loyalists because he was a Catholic and because his killers knew the way he travelled to work every day. Loyalist paramilitaries have never needed any other pretext than, that a person was a Catholic, to murder them. Tony Fusco was the third Catholic in 1989 to die in this way.

Pat Finucane was gunned down because of his prominence as a leading solicitor who acted successfully in many political cases. He defended many people who found themselves at the receiving end of Britain’s repressive regime in the Six Counties. As such, he was seen by loyalists as representing the successful assertion by nationalists of their human and civil rights.

John Davey was shot because he was a fearless republican representative who clearly exposed the sectarian nature of the Six-County state and the British presence. He voiced the political beliefs of a community which refused to be intimidated into dropping their just demands.

• Tony Fusco, Pat Finucane and John Davey

COLLUSION

In the cases of both Finucane and Davey, loyalists had a clear public lead and active covert collusion from the British for their action. Tory Cabinet Minister Douglas Hogg had given the signal that put Pat Finucane’s life on the line when he attacked the political sympathies of lawyers in the North, alleging that those defending republicans were IRA supporters. His remarks went and still go unchecked by the Thatcher Cabinet.

When loyalists killed John Davey they were bringing the British Government’s long-term strategy of attempting to smash Sinn Féin to its logical conclusion. Loyalist assassination attempts are as much part of that strategy as the rigging of the electoral laws, the censorship of broadcasting, and constant harassment by the crown forces. Just as they share members with the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Ulster Constabulary, the loyalist terror gangs share the aim of keeping the nationalist community down.

STRATEGY

Ever since the nationalist community asserted its civil and national rights 20 years ago, the forces of loyalism (in and out of British uniforms) have attempted by killing and the threat of killing to make that community return to its status of second-class citizenship. The latest killings show that clearly and also show the strategy of the British Government lies behind this.

All the more reason for nationalists to be vigilant. That means being mindful of their own safety at all times. It also means refusing to be intimidated and asserting their just aspirations to see the root cause of sectarian terror removed.

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