Republican News · Thursday 4 April 2002

South Down memorials destroyed

Sinn Féin members and relatives pose last weekend at the rebuilt memorial to Volunter Colm Marks that was destroyed again on Tuesday night. (Below) Ballycastle band members at the Easter commomoration in Downpatrick at the weekend during which the new memorial was officially unveiled.

Sinn Féin is accusing the Crown forces and members of a local loyalist family of attacking and destroying two republican memorials in Castlewellan and Downpatrick, respectively, some time on Tuesday night 2 April.

Both memorials had just been rededicated at Easter, having been destroyed in previous attacks.

Assembly member for South Down, Mick Murphy, told An Phoblacht that "the people who committed these attacks have no respect for the dead and are simply mindless sectarian morons. The very fact that the two memorials were attacked on the same night, coming so soon after an attack at the grave of Volunteer Paul Magorrian, indicates that these were carefully planned and orchestrated."

Murphy pointed out that a number of RUC personnel who were in Castlewellan during Sunday's Easter commemoration warned republicans that the monuments would be wrecked within two days.

"There has been a history in South Down of active collusion between loyalists and the British forces," said Murphy. "We have had the murders of Loughlin Maginn, Francis Rice, Peter McCormack and now the attacks on these Republican memorials.

"Those politicians that have sought to make political gain out of these memorials have to bear responsibility for these attacks."

Murphy said he had been in contact with the local commemoration committees who are responsible for the upkeep of the memorials and says they are committed to rebuilding the memorials bigger and better.