20 August 1998 Edition
Anti-political action
Twenty eight people are dead. Over two hundred are injured. Republicans, unionists, nationalists and people of no politics - ordinary people. And the heart-breaking words of their relatives have spread the terrible grief throughout the country.
The bomb was placed in Omagh by a tiny group which claims to be revolutionary but there is nothing revolutionary about its politics nor about its actions.
The group has wilfully ignored political realities in Ireland at this time. They have no popular support and can gain no popular support by their actions. The most simple analysis of Irish politics would reveal that. Without a popular mandate no struggle can be revolutionary.
The group also wilfully ignored a full debate within the Republican Movement which charted a united way forward.
It is clear that this small group's actions were an attack on the peace process. Their actions were the working out of pure militarism - a philosophy that is deeply anti-political and anti-people. They ignored the political objective for which they claimed to be struggling and raised military actions to an end in itself.
The group has now suspended their campaign. It was the right decision in the face of the enormity of what happened in Omagh. They should move quickly to end their campaign completely. This is not 1970. Political realities are different and their internal debate must take account of that.
The decision to introduce draconian legal measures is a wrong one. It is a mistake to think that repression is the solution. State repression will simply sow the seeds of future injustice. The way forward is to push the peace process forward with all urgency.
The bomb was placed in Omagh by a tiny group which claims to be revolutionary but there is nothing revolutionary about its politics nor about its actions.
The group has wilfully ignored political realities in Ireland at this time. They have no popular support and can gain no popular support by their actions. The most simple analysis of Irish politics would reveal that. Without a popular mandate no struggle can be revolutionary.
The group also wilfully ignored a full debate within the Republican Movement which charted a united way forward.
It is clear that this small group's actions were an attack on the peace process. Their actions were the working out of pure militarism - a philosophy that is deeply anti-political and anti-people. They ignored the political objective for which they claimed to be struggling and raised military actions to an end in itself.
The group has now suspended their campaign. It was the right decision in the face of the enormity of what happened in Omagh. They should move quickly to end their campaign completely. This is not 1970. Political realities are different and their internal debate must take account of that.
The decision to introduce draconian legal measures is a wrong one. It is a mistake to think that repression is the solution. State repression will simply sow the seeds of future injustice. The way forward is to push the peace process forward with all urgency.