Omagh bombing: Gavin Robinson attacks Irish government for 'blocking public inquiry'

Since the end of January, a UK inquiry has heard devastating testimony from the families of the 1998 Real IRA bombing’s victims.

But despite a judge ruling that new investigations should be carried out on both sides of the Irish border, authorities in the Republic haven’t launched equivalent proceedings checking into what intelligence its authorities may have possessed before the atrocity.

During a DUP policy conference this weekend, MP Gavin Robinson lashed out at that stance, stating that it is “utterly unacceptable that Dublin continues to block a public inquiry into the Omagh bomb”.

"They demand transparency when it suits their politics,” he said, “but when it comes to Republican terrorism, they slam the door shut.

"That double standard is why our job is essential because this country needs us to stand up and go against the grain. We must never be afraid to swim against the tide.

"We will never allow innocent victims to be placed on the same footing as the men who planted bombs or pulled triggers.”

Twenty-nine people, including a woman expecting twins, were murdered in the Real IRA attack in August 1998.

Over the course of February, the ongoing UK inquiry heard commemorative and personal statements from relatives of the dead and those who were injured by or witnessed the bombing.

The hearings have been set up in part to establish if security forces could have disrupted dissident Republican activities in the run-up to the bombing.

In 2021, a judge ruled that investigations were necessary in both the UK and Ireland to check what advance intelligence the respective countries may have possessed.

Although the Republic has agreed to hand over some material, it has yet to match the UK in setting up a full public inquiry.

During this weekend’s DUP conference, Mr Robinson also attacked a recent verdict that the SAS weren’t justified in using lethal force on IRA members minutes after a machine-gun attack on a police station in 1992.

The East Belfast MP described that verdict and other similar rulings on Troubles legacy issues as “a challenge”.

“The idea that the men and women who put on a uniform to serve our community are treated with suspicion, while republican terrorists are handed cash, is offensive to every decent person in Northern Ireland,” he said.

He also accused Nationalist parties of overhyping support for Irish unity while trying to turn Unionists into “bogeymen”.

“Unionism faces challenges, but don’t believe the hype that everything is rosy on the other side,” he said. “Despite all the noise from Republicans, the total number voting for nationalist parties has barely moved in two decades.

"Republicans still peddle the same tired lie that Irish unity is inevitable, that victory is around the corner. They said it in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and they’re still saying it today.

“The truth is, they want to keep their supporters distracted. They don’t want their own people asking difficult questions about healthcare, housing, or education, because their only answer is blaming everyone else.

"That’s why they need to create Unionist bogeymen – they need a scapegoat to keep their own house in order.”