Several of those remembered in south Armagh were serial killers responsible for many murders: SEFF

A number of last-minute pleas were made for the Sinn Fein MP to reconsider his endorsement of the ‘South Armagh Volunteers Commemoration’ at Mullaghbawn on Sunday.

IRA members from the area committed some of the worst sectarian atrocities of the Troubles, including the murder of ten Protestant workmen at Kingsmills and the murder of five men at Tullyvallen Orange Hall.

Kenny Donaldson of SEFF said Mr Finucane, whose own father was murdered by loyalist terrorists, should have chosen to support the victims of the IRA.

During his address, Mr Finucane said he stood in solidarity with the families gathered to remember their loved ones and their "sacrifices and contributions”.He said: "Remembrance is a time of mixed emotions for us all, especially for those who knew and loved the very people who are being remembered."It raises feelings of sadness and loss, as well as pride and joy at the lives that were lived and lost."Such basic and understandable human reactions to loss are no different here in south Armagh than in north Belfast, or indeed anywhere else."He went on to say that he has made it clear, repeatedly, "that truth and justice is something which every person who has been impacted by our conflict deserves and is entitled to irrespective of whether those that inflicted the harm were loyalists, the British state or republicans".Mr Donaldson responded, saying: “The pitiful justification Connolly House prepared for John Finucane to deliver on Sunday is an extension of the deluded remarks that have been made in the run up to the south Armagh event, and many other commemorative events prior to this point.“Sinn Fein are attempting to present this issue as being about equality and parity of esteem suggesting that all have the right to remember ‘their dead.’

"They have sought to compare dead Provisional IRA terrorists with UDR soldiers, the regular army and police.“But here’s the critical difference; no-one who joined the Provisional IRA did so to deal with crowd control, to detect bombs or other weaponry thus preserving life, nor were they required to operate to lawful standards, their faces were concealed and covered and their targets more often than not picked off akin to assassins”.Mr Donaldson added: “Several of those remembered in south Armagh were serial killers responsible for many murders, that’s the truth in all of this and has gotten lost in the debate”.

Alliance MLA Sorcha Eastwood has also said she is disappointed that Mr Finucane did not heed the calls to stay away from Sunday’s commemoration.

“It is disappointing John Finucane went ahead with addressing this event,” she said.

“Everyone in our society has a right to remember their dead in a respectful manner, no matter who they are and who they were a victim of.

"However, there is a difference between remembering and paying tribute to individuals, and commemorating terrorist organisations, including the IRA and its South Armagh ‘brigade’, particularly without reference to its many victims.”

The Lagan Valley representative added: “Whether it is commemorations to terrorists or the display of flags and emblems of illegal terrorist organisations, we must strive for a society based on the rule of law and avoid one where the use of violence, whether in the past or present, is legitimised or normalised.

“There was always an alternative to terrorist violence here, which was demonstrated by the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland not engaging in it.

"That makes events that go beyond commemoration and instead glorify terrorism all the more galling, and even more hurtful for victims.”

Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy has said the Mullaghbawn event in question has been taking place for more than a decade with little controversy.Ahead of the commemoration, Sinn Féin told the News Letter said: “Everyone has the right to remember their dead with dignity and respect. We will continue to stand with families who have lost loved ones in the conflict.”