Tyrone families hit out at Remembrance Day attendance

A statement signed by family members of those who died at the hands of British Crown Forces and collusion in County Tyrone in protest at the attendance of Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill at a Remembrance Day commemoration in Belfast.

As a proud Tyrone person, I feel a duty to put my views on record in response to the shameful news that Michelle O’Neill is to attend events with British and unionist politicians and their military leaders next Sunday, where she will also lay a wreath honouring British soldiers and RUC members killed during the conflict. The same forces that murdered men, women, children, and priests with impunity.

For many families throughout our county, and beyond, this will be devastating.

It is heartbreaking when we consider that Michelle O’Neill and Mary Lou McDonald determined several years ago that rather than offend the sensitivities of their unionist and British colleagues, and media, they would not attend key republican commemorations.

Such reactionary populism has spread through Sinn Féin like a virus suffocating the last vestiges of principal and integrity that might have lingered. And that’s being extremely generous.

Sinn Féin have turned political somersaults into an Olympic sport, and for what? “A First Minister for all?”

What about our patriot dead?

Not much thought for them when you decided not to attend Easter commemorations.

What about all the civilian victims of British state murder, and those uninvolved relatives targeted because their relatives where activists in the movement?

I like many good people of Tyrone witnessed our family members and friends lying dead, dying on our own ground in our own country.

They were murdered in their own country by a foreign force that had no right to be here. Yet on Sunday you’ll honour them, whilst you stayed away from republican commemorations.

It is beyond belief that any so-called Tyrone republican would wish to lay a wreath in honour of these forces who caused mayhem and murder on hamlets, hills, villages, and towns - the killing grounds of Tyrone where the cries for truth and justice about collusion, state murder, and counterinsurgency haunt the entire county and hundreds of families.

Have you all totally lost the run of yourselves or is it really power at any cost?

Because when you get to the pinnacle of wherever it is you want to be you’ll have compromised so much, you’ll be no different from the staters and Blueshirts that executed republicans and hounded those who held dear to the words and sacrifices of Tone, Connolly, Pearse, Sands, and Hurson.

Signed:

Sean Agnew, Paddy O’Neill, Kevin McElvogue, Brian Kilpatrick, Margaret Hughes, Roisin Gormley, Nial Shields, Gerry Carty, Mary Devlin, Bernie Grimley, Ann Vincent, Marian Vincent, Roisin Harte, Colm Harte, Anthony Barnard, Eddie Barnard, Kevin Hughes, Eileen Hughes, Siobhan Hughes, Tracey Lappin, Ciara Dillon, Danny Cunningham, Shane Loughran, Dermot Loughran, Cormac Loughran, John Loughran, Donna Doris, Colm Lynagh, Mickey Armstong Dympna Armstrong, Michael Armstrong, Suzanne Kelly, Catherine Maynes, Alexandra Patterson, Peter Anderson, Caoimhin Quinn, Conall Quinn, Ceallach Quinn, Cormac O’Donnell, Seana McKearney, Cathal McKearney, Padraigin McKearney, Paul McKearney, Margaret McKearney, Tommy McKearney, Angela McKearney, Caoimhe Donaghy, Sean Lynch, Liam Lynch, Seana O’Donnell-Quinn, Briege O’Donnell, Brian O’Donnell, Mary O’Donnell, Paddy Fox, Anthony Fox, Bernie McKearney, Sean Arthurs, Paul Arthurs, Brian Arthurs, Paula Arthurs, Chloe Arthurs, Mia Arthurs, Mellisa McLarnon, Dominic Arthurs, Jackie Arthurs, Adam Arthurs, Aaron Arthurs, John McCorry, Anthony McCorry, Frankie Quinn, Jackie Keenan, Pauline Quinn Peter McCaughey, Martin Mallon, Siobhan Nugent, Catriona McAleer, Brian Nugent, Mark Nugent, Francis Nugent, Henry McNally, Peter Francis McNally, Kevin McNally, Damien McNally, Gerry McNally, Declan McNally, Sinead McNally, Marese O’Neill, Benny Martin, Brendan Farmer, Paul Farmer, Majella McCauley, Caroline D’eath, Sadie McCauley, Kevin Connolly, Neill Lafferty, Gerard Lafferty, Joe Lafferty, John Lafferty, Paul Lafferty, Kay Lafferty, Patricia Kearney, Claire Gribben, Theresa Fox, Tina Dillon, Triona Kelly, Padraig Kelly, Roisin Kelly, Siobhan O’Donnell, Paula McElduff, Mary McGlinchey, Lettie Donnelly, Dominic McGeown, Shane McGeown, Colm Mangion, Brian Mangion, Brian Falls, Denise Mullen, Mickey Hurson, Colette Casey, Brigid Hughes, Orlaith Dillon, Faoiltiarna Keenan. Family of Kevin Barry O’Donnell

Urgent Appeal