Enniskillen Cenotaph hate crime: Woman whose parents both killed by IRA bomb at location says poster is ‘so disrespectful that it is beyond words’

A woman whose parents both died in the IRA attack at the Enniskillen Cenotaph has described a republican poster erected on the Cenotaph as “so disrespectful that it is beyond words”.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 12th Nov 2021, 04:00 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Twelve people were killed and almost 70 others injured in the IRA bombing of a Remembrance Sunday commemoration at Enniskillen Cenotaph on 8 November 1987. The poster is understood to have been erected two days after the anniversary, on Wednesday night – the eve of Armistice Day.

A PSNI spokesperson said they were aware of posters being erected in the area on Wednesday evening, including one at the Cenotaph.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Due to the sensitivities around Armistice Day, a decision was taken to remove and seize the poster at the cenotaph,” they said. “This is being treated as a hate incident and an investigation is under way.”

Margaret Veitch, whose parents William and Agnes Mullan, died in the Poppy Day bomb attack in 1987.Margaret Veitch, whose parents William and Agnes Mullan, died in the Poppy Day bomb attack in 1987.
Margaret Veitch, whose parents William and Agnes Mullan, died in the Poppy Day bomb attack in 1987.

Margaret Veitch, whose parents Agnes and William Mullan were killed in the bombing, said the action was “so disrespectful that it is beyond words”.

She added: “If these people who are so anti-British just realised the sacrifice that their fellow countrymen from north and south made to fight the Nazis and protect the freedoms they now enjoy,” she said.

“The level of hurt that has been sent through our families and the wider community by the bomb is still incredibly deep.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said the actions took “a special kind of twisted nature” and that those responsible should “front up and explain their need to be so insensitive and offensive”.

A republican poster was erected at Enniskillen Cenotaph two days after the anniversary of the Poppy Day bombing at the location, and on the eve of Armistice Day. Photo: Deborah Erskine MLA.A republican poster was erected at Enniskillen Cenotaph two days after the anniversary of the Poppy Day bombing at the location, and on the eve of Armistice Day. Photo: Deborah Erskine MLA.
A republican poster was erected at Enniskillen Cenotaph two days after the anniversary of the Poppy Day bombing at the location, and on the eve of Armistice Day. Photo: Deborah Erskine MLA.

She posted the above photo on social media on Wednesday night after which a substantial number of republicans defended its location.

UUP MLA Rosemary Barton said that the actions in Armistice week were “nothing but a hideous attempt to stoke up tensions once again” leaving people “both disgusted and outraged”.

Fermanagh and South Tyrone TUV spokesperson Alex Elliott has written to the chief constable about the matter, saying the actions are seen by unionists and victims as “a calculated poke in the eye”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

SDLP councillor Adam Gannon agreed, describing it as “a deliberate attempt to offend one side of our community and raise tensions”. A Sinn Fein spokesperson said the cenotaph is an “important and valued memorial” and that “no one should do anything to disrespect a place where people remember their dead”.

Kenny Donaldson of SEFF, which supports many of the bombing victims, said the poster amounted to “ethnically motivated hatred and must be treated as a hate crime by the PSNI”.

Asked if they had contacted the organisation named on the poster, the PSNI said an investigation is under way.

The organisation itself has not responded to the News Letter.

MORE NEWS

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

PSNI treating republican poster on Enniskillen Cenotaph as hate incident

PUP Deputy Leader Dr John Kyle: Both sides have sabotaged centenary celebrations for Northern Ireland - unionists should broadcast our successes

NI Vet speaks from hospital bed to remind others Covid-19 is not over

NI High Street Voucher Scheme: How to check balance on spend local card and what to do if you need a refund

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Editor