Watchdog’s ‘pressure’ on Kingsmills relatives
THE Parades Commission is putting “enormous” pressure on the families of 10 Protestant textile workers who were gunned down by the IRA in south Armagh, a Stormont minister has said.
Newry and Armagh UUP MLA Danny Kennedy was speaking last night after the commission decided against relaxing restrictions on the numbers of victims allowed to walk the complete last journey of the workers gunned down by the IRA in 1976 at Kingsmills.
The march aims to raise the issue that nobody has ever been arrested for the murders, but the commission is only allowing a maximum of 23 people to walk the entire three-mile route, this Saturday (February 25).
Ulster Unionist Mr Kennedy said last night: “This is a very disappointing response from the Parades Commission, and, in my view it is putting enormous and very unfair pressure on the organiser and Kingsmills relatives.
“I will be consulting with them over the next couple of days but the Parades Commission and certain nationalist and republican representatives have put them in an impossible and invidious position.”
Republicans often cite the UVF’s shooting of three Reavey brothers the day before the Kingsmills massacre as justification for the murders.
But the Historical Enquiries Team was adamant that the IRA had planned the Kingsmills attack – which HET termed “sectarian savagery” – a long time in advance.
The march application, lodged by south Armagh victims’ campaigner Willie Frazer of victims’ group Fair, had requested permission for many local IRA victims to take part in the march. However the SDLP and Sinn Fein strongly objected to the parade going through the nationalist village of Whitecross.
The Parades Commission issued a determination last week that the only Kingsmills victims who could walk through Whitecross were Alan Black, the sole survivor of the attack, and two relatives of each of the 10 murdered men.
However Fair chaplain Pastor Barrie Halliday said they had asked for a review of the restrictions, saying it would be difficult for the Kingsmills families to choose only two relatives each to take part.
The PSNI has told him that a death threat had been issued against him, should the march go through Whitecross. Last week he offered to shake hands with the Whitecross priest and members of the Reavey family if a larger parade of IRA victims was allowed to pass through the village. However the Parades Commission revealed last night that it had turned down his request.
“After considering the review request the commission was of the view that all substantive points had been considered by the commission prior to its original determination,” a commission spokesman said.
“Therefore the commission has decided not to review its final decision and the original determination remains in effect.”
Sinn Fein councillor Jimmy McCreesh said concerns were being raised with the commission and PSNI about who the parade marshalls would be and how the main parade would disperse on the outskirts of Whitecross.
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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