Challenge issued after Craigavon PSNI attack

John O'Dowd

Speaking after a device was fired at Brownlow PSNI station on Saturday evening, local Sinn Féin Assembly member John O’Dowd said:  “It is presumed that one of the small militarist factions carried out this attempted attack on the PSNI station. Local people will obviously be relieved that no injuries have been caused.    
“This attack was wrong and should not have been carried out. I would challenge those who claim to speak politically for these factions to tell the republican and nationalist community exactly how these sorts of activities, or indeed the recent murder in Derry advance the cause of a united Ireland one iota. The fact is they don’t. A peaceful and democratic path to Irish unity exists and it is the path that the vast majority of republicans are now on.    
“The sad reality is that these people who claim to be republican now share exactly the same political objectives as the rejectionist unionists The people who carried out this attack want to see an end to the political process, they want to see an end to a process which as we speak is moving more and more powers away from Westminster and into Irish politicians hands, they want to see the British army on Irish streets and they want control over our daily lives in the hands of British Direct Rule ministers. That is an outcome which we are determined will not be delivered.”