‘Paramilitaries are grown men: they should get no incentive to go away’

Read our full report on the IRC’s findings here:

New body should be set up to coax terrorists into giving up power, says major new report

Dr Farry said today’s IRC report showed the “sobering reality of the ongoing threat to society from paramilitaries”.

He added: “But if they want to stop, then they just stop. These are grown men, with their own agency.

“They don’t need a new process, a negotiation, or financial incentives to cease criminality.

“Investment in communities, invest in education and employability, break down barriers. Don’t need to invest in paramilitaries.”

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly, himself a former IRA man, said it showed “the need for strong political leadership to tackle the risks posed to society by the continuing existence of paramilitary structures”.

He added: “A key recommendation from the report is the creation of a transition process for paramilitary groups ... We look forward to engaging with the other parties and the commission on this and other outstanding issues in a shared desire to finally remove the scourge of paramilitarism.”

Jim Allister of the TUV noted that the entire 123-page report does not make reference to a single terror group – be it the IRA, INLA, UVF or UDA – and wondered why this might be.

From 1969 to 2001, according to the Ulster University’s CAIN project, there were 3,532 killings during the Troubles – though the true number will of course by higher, once those murdered in the last two decades are taken into account.

The biggest single groups of victims were civilians (1,785), the British Army and UDR (738) and RUC and ex-RUC officers (319).

Paramilitaries killed about 90% of all Troubles victims.

Click here: Watch out for spinning ‘drunken’ swans as bird flu grips public parks across Northern Ireland

Click here: PSNI call for common sense as car spotted taking up four parking spaces

For more news and opinion, return to the News Letter’s homepage >>> here <<<

——— ———

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