IRA say it was a war and so they should face war crimes trials

We live in such a troubled society that it is difficult not to get angry when we hear that yet another case is reopened with allegations of impropriety in the past by members of the security forces.

It seems to me that it is immaterial if there is no basis to the allegations, the accusation of ‘collusive behaviour’ — whatever that might mean — appears to be sufficient to secure an investigation against the RUC.

Meanwhile no-one else who suffered in the Troubles, the vast majority of whom did so at the hands of terrorists, has any chance of finding out what happened to their loved ones, and prosecutions seem simply not to happen.

Since the Belfast Agreement almost 25 years ago, as far as I can see not one member of the Provisional movement who supports their current strategy has been prosecuted.

Those of us who make that observation are accused of whataboutery but it is a natural response when most of us are forgotten about.

The Provisional movement demand that we respect their views yet they fail to reciprocate in any form.

They continue to honour their dead without thinking of how that may affect the victims of their terror, and they simply don’t care.

The irony in their comments on the invasion of Ukraine is lost on them, they do not recognise that they are the same as the fascists that are attacking Ukraine.

The Russians are being accused of war crimes yet it was the Provos who shot their neighbours in the back of the head, left no warning bombs in hotels, at the war memorials and in the supermarkets.

The IRA insist it was a war, so is it not time we put these war criminals in front of a court in The Hague?

Ken Funston, Armagh (brother Ronnie was murdered while he fed his cattle on the border in 1984, 38 years ago last week)

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