Thousands of people have gathered in the town of Omagh, County Tyrone, to mark the death of police officer Ronan Kerr, who was murdered by dissident Irish republicans on 2nd April. The march comes on the 13th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Constable Kerr was the victim of a car bomb - a favourite method of murder by Irish republican terrorists - which was planted on his car which was parked outside his home in the town. He was getting into the vehicle to drive to the police station at Enniskillen.
Constable Kerr, serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which was known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) until 2001, was a Catholic and it's thought that Irish republican terrorists want to deter Catholics from joining the police force.
The people taking part in the rally are wanting to send a message to those who want a return to Northern Ireland's violent and bloody past.
Sinead O'Kane, Ronan Kerr's cousin, attended the rally. She said she wanted dissident republicans to end their campaign (which is to get NI out of the UK and make it a part of the Republic of Ireland, against the wishes of the majority of the NI people).
She added: "It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain. And hopefully the people who are out there will be listening and it will strike a chord with someone and they'll come forward and help in the murder investigation."
The town of Omagh was also the scene of Northern Ireland's worst ever terrorist attack in August 1998, when 29 people - including two unborn babies - were killed by a car bomb planted by the Real IRA.
The bombing came just months after the British and Irish governments signed the Good Friday Agreement, on the 10th April 1998, which marked a deescalation of violence in The Troubles - though, as we've seen recently, not a complete end. On 23 May 1998 the Agreement was endorsed by the voters of Northern Ireland in a referendum. On the same day, voters in the Republic of Ireland voted separately to change their constitution in line with the Agreement.
In signing up to the Agreement, the Republic of Ireland relinquished any claim to Northern Ireland, agreeing that Northern Ireland will remain a part of the UK in accordance to the wishes of the majority of the Northern Irish people.
Earlier this week, the PSNI managed to foil a major atrocity. A 500lb bomb was found stored inside a wheelie bin in a van in an underpass under the main Belfast to Dublin road near to the border with the Republic that cops believe was destined to be detonated in a Northern Irish town centre.
Ronan Kerr murder: Omagh rally a 'message for peace'
BBC News
10 April 2011
Thousands of people filed through the centre of Omagh this afternoon to protest against republican terrorism
Hundreds of people took part in the march in Omagh. Photograph: Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images
Thousands of people have gathered in Omagh to mark the death of Northern Ireland police officer Ronan Kerr.
The organisers have said they want to send a message to those who want to return NI to a violent past.
Those attending, including family and friends of Constable Kerr, held a minute's silence in his memory.
The 25-year-old Catholic officer died when a booby-trap car bomb exploded outside his home in the town last Saturday.
Sinead O'Kane, Ronan Kerr's cousin, attended the rally. She said she wanted dissident republicans to end their campaign.
She added: "It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain. And hopefully the people who are out there will be listening and it will strike a chord with someone and they'll come forward and help in the murder investigation."
'Major setbacks'
25-year-old Catholic police officer Constable Ronan Kerr was murdered by republican terrorists on 2nd April
Organiser Gareth McElduff used Facebook to gain support for the rally.
He said: "Everybody seems happy to come out today to show their support, first of all for the Kerr family and to show overall their support for the peace process.
"And although these are major, major setbacks in the peace process, hopefully the amount of people that is going to come out today is going to show everybody that we want peace in Ireland again and we don't want to go back to the Troubles."
Recent bombings and attempted attacks have been widely condemned in Northern Ireland.
The discovery of a 500lb bomb in Newry on Thursday has reinforced police claims that the condemnations have had no effect on the dissidents responsible.
Organiser Gareth McElduff said the rally would represent the desire for peace among the majority of people in Northern Ireland.
PSNI Ch Supt Alasdair Robinson said the Newry device was "sophisticated and substantial", and could have caused huge devastation and loss of life.
The 500lb bomb was stored inside a wheelie bin in a van under the main Belfast to Dublin road.
Terror: The van, found near the border with the Republic of Ireland, contained a 500 lb bomb and could have been destined for an attack on a town centre, police said
Police believe the van containing the bomb was abandoned in the underpass because of increased police activity following the murder of Constable Kerr.
In the wake of the find, politicians have said they feared the device could have caused similar devastation to the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people, including the mother of unborn twins, in 1998.
news.bbc.co.uk
Constable Kerr was the victim of a car bomb - a favourite method of murder by Irish republican terrorists - which was planted on his car which was parked outside his home in the town. He was getting into the vehicle to drive to the police station at Enniskillen.
Constable Kerr, serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which was known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) until 2001, was a Catholic and it's thought that Irish republican terrorists want to deter Catholics from joining the police force.
The people taking part in the rally are wanting to send a message to those who want a return to Northern Ireland's violent and bloody past.
Sinead O'Kane, Ronan Kerr's cousin, attended the rally. She said she wanted dissident republicans to end their campaign (which is to get NI out of the UK and make it a part of the Republic of Ireland, against the wishes of the majority of the NI people).
She added: "It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain. And hopefully the people who are out there will be listening and it will strike a chord with someone and they'll come forward and help in the murder investigation."
The town of Omagh was also the scene of Northern Ireland's worst ever terrorist attack in August 1998, when 29 people - including two unborn babies - were killed by a car bomb planted by the Real IRA.
The bombing came just months after the British and Irish governments signed the Good Friday Agreement, on the 10th April 1998, which marked a deescalation of violence in The Troubles - though, as we've seen recently, not a complete end. On 23 May 1998 the Agreement was endorsed by the voters of Northern Ireland in a referendum. On the same day, voters in the Republic of Ireland voted separately to change their constitution in line with the Agreement.
In signing up to the Agreement, the Republic of Ireland relinquished any claim to Northern Ireland, agreeing that Northern Ireland will remain a part of the UK in accordance to the wishes of the majority of the Northern Irish people.
Earlier this week, the PSNI managed to foil a major atrocity. A 500lb bomb was found stored inside a wheelie bin in a van in an underpass under the main Belfast to Dublin road near to the border with the Republic that cops believe was destined to be detonated in a Northern Irish town centre.
Ronan Kerr murder: Omagh rally a 'message for peace'
BBC News
10 April 2011
Thousands of people filed through the centre of Omagh this afternoon to protest against republican terrorism
Hundreds of people took part in the march in Omagh. Photograph: Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images
Thousands of people have gathered in Omagh to mark the death of Northern Ireland police officer Ronan Kerr.
The organisers have said they want to send a message to those who want to return NI to a violent past.
Those attending, including family and friends of Constable Kerr, held a minute's silence in his memory.
The 25-year-old Catholic officer died when a booby-trap car bomb exploded outside his home in the town last Saturday.
Sinead O'Kane, Ronan Kerr's cousin, attended the rally. She said she wanted dissident republicans to end their campaign.
She added: "It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain. And hopefully the people who are out there will be listening and it will strike a chord with someone and they'll come forward and help in the murder investigation."
'Major setbacks'
25-year-old Catholic police officer Constable Ronan Kerr was murdered by republican terrorists on 2nd April
Organiser Gareth McElduff used Facebook to gain support for the rally.
He said: "Everybody seems happy to come out today to show their support, first of all for the Kerr family and to show overall their support for the peace process.
"And although these are major, major setbacks in the peace process, hopefully the amount of people that is going to come out today is going to show everybody that we want peace in Ireland again and we don't want to go back to the Troubles."
Recent bombings and attempted attacks have been widely condemned in Northern Ireland.
The discovery of a 500lb bomb in Newry on Thursday has reinforced police claims that the condemnations have had no effect on the dissidents responsible.
Organiser Gareth McElduff said the rally would represent the desire for peace among the majority of people in Northern Ireland.
PSNI Ch Supt Alasdair Robinson said the Newry device was "sophisticated and substantial", and could have caused huge devastation and loss of life.
The 500lb bomb was stored inside a wheelie bin in a van under the main Belfast to Dublin road.
Terror: The van, found near the border with the Republic of Ireland, contained a 500 lb bomb and could have been destined for an attack on a town centre, police said
Police believe the van containing the bomb was abandoned in the underpass because of increased police activity following the murder of Constable Kerr.
In the wake of the find, politicians have said they feared the device could have caused similar devastation to the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people, including the mother of unborn twins, in 1998.
news.bbc.co.uk
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