Blair extends use of plastic bullets
By Padraig MacDabhaid
NEW LAWS by Tony Blair's British government allowing the use of plastic bullets in England and Wales have been described by Sinn Féin's Mary Nellis as ``an insult to those who have been killed, injured and bereaved by these lethal weapons''.
The new regulations no longer allow the lethal weapons to be used to protect property.
nouncing the new regulations, British Home Secretary Jack Straw seemed more concerned with the effects the new rules would have on voters in England and Wales when he said, ``Misuse could lead to serious injury or worse.''
Straw is obviously not too concerned with the lives of the 17 people killed and the hundreds injured by plastic bullets in the Six Counties since 1972. The European Union wants their use banned.
Jim McCabe, spokesman for the Relatives for Justice, was scathing in his attack on the new rules.
``None of the relatives of those killed will be taken in by this blatant PR stunt by the British government. This is just an exercise to make the use of plastic bullets more acceptable. We have seen in the past that the rules set down for these deadly weapons have been ignored; it will be no different this time.''
He pointed out that plastic bullets have never been used to protect either life or property:
``All 17 people who died as a result of injuries sustained by plastic bullets were totally innocent people going about their daily business. This was proved in all their inquests.
``Innocent people have lost their lives because of these deadly weapons. The bullets were often shot at a range of less than the recommended distance laid out in the rules, sometimes even at point-blank range, in totally innocent non-riot situations.''
He added:
``We know from experience here that, often, these bullets have been doctored by those using them, mainly the RUC and the British army, who added nails, coins, batteries and razor blades to make them more dangerous.
``In the end it's not the plastic bullet that matters it's in whose hands these ruinous objects are put''.
All of these sentiments were echoed by Sinn Féin Assembly member Mary Nelis, who pointed out that the new regulations ignore the misuse of plastic bullets by the RUC and British army.
Nelis went further, however, and highlighted the wider political implications of the new regulations:
``This minimalist gesture also raises questions as to the British government's commitment to deliver on its demilitarisation programme, which should have been published nine months ago under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.''
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