11 December 1997 Edition

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Nationalist unity against Britain's military agenda

By Peadar Whelan

Over 2,000 people who attended last Sunday's Anti-Watchtower rally in South Armagh heard a cross-section of nationalist opinion criticise the securocrats in the British establishment for pursuing a military agenda.

Organised by the South Armagh Farmers and Residents Committee (SAFRC) the rally was held near the village of Creggan, not far from Crossmaglen, after the crowd marched to the British army installation at Glassdrummond.

People from Dublin attended, as did a busload of farmers and residents from South Fermanagh who announced the formation of their own anti-watchtower group and who intend holding a demonstration at the Wattle Bridge British army checkpoint on 1 January.

A star studded cast of speakers included the MP for the area Seamus Mallon of the SDLP, Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein's chief negotiator and Rory O'Hanlon of Fianna Fail. Caitriona Ruane (representing the newly formed Cearta Group) and Robert Ballagh (on behalf of the Irish National Congress) also spoke.

This cross section of nationalist opinion is testament to the organisation and determination of the people of South Armagh to oppose the militarisation of their area, a process that has increased dramatically in spite of an IRA cessation.

While all the speakers criticised the fact that the ``Securocrats in the British establishment'', as Martin McGuinness called them, were intent on pursuing a military agenda, it was in a message read from the platform from Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín O'Caoláin TD, who could not attend the rally, that struck the most relevant chord.

O'Caolain said that the problem arose not out of the conflict that has raged in our country for the past 30 years but went back 75 years to 6 December 1922 when partition was imposed on our country.

In his address Seamus Mallon described the towers as ``blights on the landscape''.

Martin McGuinness told the crowd that he would talk to British Prime Minister Tony Blair about the situation in South Armagh when he goes to Downing Street on Thursday 11 December. He accused the `securocrats' of running this `statelet' since partition and called on Tony Blair and Direct Ruler Mowlam to challenge them.

Meanwhile the SAFRC have expressed their dissatisfaction at the attitude of the British government to their demands for the demilitarisation of the South Armagh countryside.

However, British military intentions were underlined when those leaving the area after the march witnessed over 15 helicopter flights as British soldiers who were flown in to reinforce the base during the rally were airlifted out.

Speaking to An Phoblacht on Tuesday 9 December Toni Carragher, committee secretary, said the committee is not happy with the British response.

Ms Carragher was speaking as members of the committee staged a protest at the Cloughogue checkpoint on the main Belfast to Dublin Road during which they accused the British government of dragging their heels.

The NIO announced at the weekend that the checkpoint would be dismantled. However, this dismantling only entails the removal of road barriers and a search depot that are situated on the road, it does not include the two massive watchtowers and billet that are in place above the road.

``As far as we know the main reason for the removal of the barriers and search bay is to facilitate the DOE road building in the area,'' Ms Carragher said. ``What is happening here is a publicity stunt.''

And workmen who were on site, dismantling the barriers, admitted they were DoE employees and that the MoD had not moved in to remove any section of the checkpoint.

As for a meeting the committee held with Direct Ruler Mowlam in Newry on Monday 8 December, SAFRC chair Declan Fearon stated that Dr Mowlam did not seem to understand the depth of feeling that exists in the area over the degree of military activity. This was especially true when she cited the fact that the British soldiers in the area are now wearing berets and not helmets as a concession.

Meanwhile the committee is still awaiting a reply to a letter they sent to Tony Blair on 17 November.

 

Airborne terrorists



One woman's terrifying experience




Patricia Turley from The Fews area in South Armagh, describes what happened when a British Army helicopter swooped down on her and three small children as they drove home.

On Saturday 22 November at approximately 4pm, myself and two of my children collected one of their friends from his house on Upper Sturgan Road. While we were driving home along Kesh Road we were aware of two helicopters flying around, but passed no remarks until we approached the crossroads. There, one of the two helicopters (a big carrier) was right in front of us in the corner of Peter McKeown's field with his sheep scattering in all directions.

The helicopter did not touch the ground as no one got in or out. We could see the pilot and all the soldiers with the one who opens the door standing in the doorway. At this stage they were aware I was a woman with three young children.

We drove on down the Carrowbane Road wondering would the blades of the helicopter catch the car, but we kept on going slowly with the helicopter level with us until we got to Drumilly School when the helicopter went on up to Mervin McCullough's and landed behind his house. Meanwhile his sheep had gone everywhere.

We thought the helicopter was gone then excitedly the children started shouting, ``Mammy, it's coming again''. By this time we were on the Lisseraw Road and the helicopter was level with us once again, only this time it went on in front of us but still very low.

When I came around the corner I saw that the helicopter was going to land again. By this time the children's excitement had turned to fear. The helicopter once again came down right in the corner of John McKeown's field, only this time soldiers did disembark with leaves and debris flying everywhere. I passed them by because there was no checkpoint. In my mirror I saw the the soldiers had run out into the middle of the road as if they were trying to stop me.

I then drove over to my husband's farm to tell him about the behaviour of the soldiers but he wasn't there. My brother was, though, and as the boys and myself explained, he had seen all the activity of the helicopter unaware that it was us they were terrorising.

Just at that the helicopter came again circling round and round, so we in the yard agreed to go over to the house when the larger of the two helicopters came right down in front of us while we were standing in the yard.

When we saw it coming down I decided to move the car as the stones and debris would fly up and damage it. By this time the three wee boys were petrified in the car shouting and screaming as the youngest (three and a half years old) thought they were going to take us all away.

My brother stood in the yard and I got back out of the car and told the children to stay there while I went to standing with my brother, by this time the helicopter had landed and about eight or ten army personnel had taken up positions around the yard. We were confronted by one soldier, but we could not hear him because of the helicopter lifter up out of the field only to hover on top of the wire to block the lane thinking I was going to go back down it.

Eventually the helicopter took off leaving us in the yard with gunmen with no caps and their uniforms not properly buttoned up and guns swinging, to be questioned by nothing short of an ill-mannered Brit in a uniform who would think nothing of terrorising a woman and three innocent children who by this stage were frantic in the car.

The soldiers who got no satisfaction from the stunt they had just pulled signalled to the helicopter who had been circling round and round to land again and taken them away which they did, leaving me with three very distraught children for the whole weekend.


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