News Letter bomb: There has been no justice, accountability or truth over the atrocity in Donegall Street in 1972

The Donegall street bomb attack which claimed the lives of seven innocents, including two RUC GC Officers, a UDR soldier and four civilians is yet another heinous atrocity which has been all but airbrushed from our history.

Provisional IRA terrorists had no concern for who the casualties were, they will claim that they had primary targets but the realities are these, none of those whose lives were stolen were legitimate targets for their campaign of ethnic and sectarian motivated hatred.

No justice, truth or accountability has even been forthcoming in this horrific case, little focus or concern has ever been granted to the families of the innocents slaughtered.

Ten days ago we were glad to at least offer one of the seven families (Ernest McAllister) a sense of acknowledgement via a special service held in St Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry/Derry held to mark the worst year of the terrorist campaign (from a loss of human life perspective).

The McAllister family were in attendance.

Across 1972 there were almost 500 deaths, we remember all those innocents who died and we also take no glee through terrorists also having died — all life is sacred.

Ernest McAllister and Bernard O’Neill were murdered side by side, two police officers united in a common cause of defending the community, their individual religious denominational backgrounds were of no consequence to each other — one being Protestant and the other Roman Catholic.

How different their value system was from the terrorists who carried out that heinous attack in the middle of a built up area where there was a high likelihood of mass numbers of deaths.

SEFF’s thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by that day of brutality, which was followed in the coming months with Bloody Friday, Claudy and so many other cases in-between and beyond, continuing for the best part of three decades.

Let all of us show concern for innocents across the community and show a willingness to stand together in common solidarity; there was never justification for the use of criminal violence in the furtherance of or defence of a political objective.

Kenny Donaldson, South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), Director of Services

News Letter marks 50th anniversary of attack on its office building that claimed seven lives

Editorial: A 1972 terrorist attack which failed to silence this newspaper

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

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 lockdowns having had 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