Republican News · Thursday 25 July 2002

British must stand up to loyalist threat - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP and party colleague North Belfast Assembly member Gerry Kelly met the British Secretary of State John Reid on Tuesday morning. Speaking following the meeting, Adams said:

"The reality is that Catholics are being killed in Belfast. There is a planned, organised campaign by loyalists against Catholics. The unionist response to this is to seek the exclusion of Sinn Féin from our rightful place on the Executive and tomorrow the British Prime Minister is making remarks aimed at republicans at the behest of the UUP and the securocrats within their own system.

"This is disgraceful. It is totally and absolutely unacceptable. We have told Downing Street that. We told Dr Reid that this morning. We have also told the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that.

"What is required is confidence building measures by pro-Agreement parties, by the Executive and led by the First Minister, which make it clear that sectarianism is wrong and which uphold the primacy of the political institutions as the place to sort out these problems. What is required is that the British system faces up to the reality that the threat against this process at this time comes from the loyalist killing campaign.

"Rather than tolerating this campaign they must stand up against the groups who are involved in it. Day time drug pushers - night time sectarian killers."