The Examiner (formerly The Crossmaglen Examiner), 5 August 2003:

Victims' families demand truth about collusion

Newry/Armagh Sinn Fein Spokesperson, Conor Murphy has called on people to support the demand from victims’ families that the truth is told about collusion.

Mr Murphy said: "Since the creation of the Six County statelet here in the north of Ireland a campaign of state-sponsored murder and collusion with Unionist paramilitaries has existed at the highest levels of the British military and political establishment. During the last 30 years of conflict Unionist paramilitaries have been supplied with information and their actions directed and controlled by Special Branch and British Intelligence Services.

"From the mid-eighties onwards British Intelligence Agencies effectively controlled all Loyalist paramilitary activity through the use of agents and informers. This included the murders of Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson and many other Nationalists and Republicans.

"An RUC Chief Superintendent who investigated the bombing of Donnelly’s Bar, Silverbridge in south Armagh in 1975 told the Pat Finucane Centre that he believed this was carried out by Loyalists from the Portadown area and included 1 RUC Reservist and 2 members of the UDR. He also claimed that members of the RUC and UDR were involved in other attacks such as the Dublin/Monaghan bombings, Kay’s Tavern in Dundalk, the murder of 2 GAA supporters at Tullyvallen, the Reavey brothers and Seamus Ludlow. Further investigations revealed the possibility that the same group were involved in many more attacks on Nationalists and Republicans in this area.

"In a sworn affidavit an RUC Sergeant John Weir alleged that a farmhouse owned by an RUC reservist was used as a base to mount bomb attacks in Newry/Armagh and cross-border areas resulting in the murder of at least 87 people and hundreds injured. The group responsible for these attacks was comprised of members of UVF in Portadown, the 8^th and 11^th Battalions of the UDR and members of the RUC Special Patrol Group and British Intelligence agencies.

"No member of the Special Branch or British military Intelligence has ever been charged and convicted for these crimes. The members of the RUC Special Branch transferred en-bloc and remain today in control of the PSNI.

"Sinn Fein has organised a march and rally to Belfast City Hall at 3.00pm on 10^th August. We urge people to support the demand from the families of the victims of collusion that the truth be told."

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Please visit our other Justice for Seamus Ludlow Websites:
http://www.seamusludlow.com/index.html
http://freespace.virgin.net/m.donegan/index.htm

and an associated site for a campaign that has our support:
 - a new web address - http://www.michael.donegan.care4free.net/dundalk_bombing/index.htm

Also visit:
Relatives for Justice at http://www.relativesforjustice.com/
Pat Finucane Centre at http://www.serve.com/pfc/ 
British Irish Rights Watch at http://www.birw.org/
Irish Council for Civil Liberties at http://www.iccl.ie/
Celtic League at http://www.manxman.co.im/cleague/index.html
Justice for the Forgotten at http://www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org/