‘Fascists’ in the frame for wrecking poppy wreath at IRA multiple murder memorial

A poppy wreath at a memorial for dead UDR soldiers has been torn apart.
By Adam Kula
Published 15th Jun 2020, 19:44 BST
Updated 15th Jun 2020, 21:26 BST

Nearby to the site of the Co Tyrone memorial on July 13, 1983, the IRA detonated a massive landmine which killed Ronnie Alexander, Thomas Harron, John Roxborough, and Oswald Neely.

Kenny Donaldson, director of services for the South East Fermanagh Foundation, believed that the shredding of the wreath was the work of a person (rather than foul weather or animals), saying that it looked as if “someone had to use a stick or something of that nature in order to dislodge the wreath and to pull it through the surrounding fence”.

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Assuming it was a human, he described the act as a “desecration”, and those responsible as “fascists”.

He said: “This incident will be upsetting to the families of the four UDR soldiers remembered, four young men whose lives were extinguished by Provisional IRA terrorists.

“The wreath will be replaced. We have reported the incident as a hate crime to the PSNI as a hate crime and we call upon the local community to come forward with information which could lead to the identification and prosecution of those responsible.”

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