Republican News · Thursday 4 July 2002

Derry remembers republican dead

Despite terrible weather, hundreds of Derry republicans turned out for last Sunday's annual commemoration march for the dead Volunteers of Derry Brigade, Oglaigh na hÉireann.

The march went from the Creggan Shops to the Republican plot in the City Cemetery, where Sinn Féin National Chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin spoke.

"Irish republicans will continue to exert their influence in every possible manner to ensure the success of their peace and political strategy," he said.

The Foyle Assembly member stressed that republicans "are willing to reach out to unionists in any way we can without compromising our political beliefs and aspirations".

However, he went on to accuse unionist leaders David Trimble, Jeffrey Donaldson and Peter Robinson of clinging onto every leak, no matter how unfounded or spurious, from faceless securocrats to blame republicans for all the problems in the peace process.

"Republicans should not be unsettled by this posturing," said McLaughlin and he pointed out that the crisis in the peace process "has more to do with the crisis in unionism". He urged "thinking unionists" to "participate in the debate about what kind of new Ireland we will build and their role in it".