Republican News · Thursday 28 November 2002

'Real' IRA must stand down

West Tyrone Sinn Féin MP Pat Doherty, responding to last Thursday night's arson attack on popular nightspot Katy Daly's in Strabane, said that the 'Real' IRA should take the advice of its own leadership in Portlaoise Jail and stand down.

"This despicable arson attack, which has put the jobs of approximately 70 people at risk in the mouth of Christmas, is further evidence of the accurateness of the assessment of the 'Real' IRA from its own imprisoned leadership," he said, "namely that the group is so riddled with criminal elements and so heavily infiltrated by British Intelligence that it has lost all credibility and should stand down immediately.

"The reality is that the 'Real' IRA represent no one but themselves. They have absolutely no support from within the broad nationalist and republican community and are completely devoid of either a political or military strategy.

"The squalid activities of what remains of this group, as exemplified by the attack on Katy Daly's and its workers, is an affront to the name of republicanism.

"The only benificiaries of these activities are those unionist politicians vehemently opposed to the Peace Process and those elements of British Intelligence who have heavily infiltrated this group to attempt to block the establishment of a new political dispensation based on equality, justice and peace."