The Five Demands

Grande dimostrazione popolare contro i recenti attacchi dissidenti culminati con l’omicidio dell’agente della PSNI Ronan Kerr, nella cittadina già famoso per il sanguinario attentato del 1998 in cui morirono 29 persone

Ieri 10 aprile, sono scesi a migliaia per le strade di Omagh manifestando il proprio dissenso contro la recrudescenza dalla violenza dissidente, a solo una settimana di distanza dall’attentato in cui a trovato la morte il 25enne Ronan Kerr, agente della PSNI da sole 3 settimane.
Omagh è dal 1998 una città simbolo del dolore, dopo la tragedia che la colpì il 15 agosto agosto in reazione alla firma del Good Friday Agreement. Ventinove le vittime di un’autobomba del Real IRA.
La manifestazione popolare segue la notizia della richiesta da parte delle forze di polizia, della proroga di 5 cinque giorni negli interrogatori dei sospetti arrestati per la morte del giovane Kerr.

(Include immagini tratte da Getty Images)

Articoli Correlati

• Omagh, Co Tyrone: Thousands Take Part In ‘Walk For Peace’ Rally (lostchildreninthewilderness.wordpress.com)
• Peace rally held in Omagh after Ronan Kerr murder (guardian.co.uk)
• Thousands march for peace in Omagh (mirror.co.uk)
• PC Kerr Peace Rally As Cops Quiz Bomb Suspects (news.sky.com)
• Police foil plot to stage ‘new Omagh massacre’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Omagh bomb: police chief pays tribute to slain officer (guardian.co.uk)
• Omagh bomb: police chief pays tribute to slain officer – The Guardian (news.google.com)
• Thousands march for peace in Omagh (telegraph.co.uk)
• Beragh, Co Tyrone: Political Leaders To Attend Funeral Of Murdered PSNI Officer Ronan Kerr (lostchildreninthewilderness.wordpress.com)
• Murder in Northern Ireland: No going back (economist.com)
• Newry could’ve been next Omagh – Belfast Telegraph (news.google.com)
• Bombers planned new Omagh atrocity (mirror.co.uk)
• Omagh booby-trap bomb kills policeman – The Guardian (news.google.com)
• Omagh, Co Tyrone: CRIMESTOPPERS Offer £50k Reward For Information About The Murder Of PSNI Officer Ronan Kerr (lostchildreninthewilderness.wordpress.com)
• Bomb explodes under car in Omagh (independent.co.uk)
• Device explodes under car in Omagh (sluggerotoole.com)
• “Omagh Car Bomb Kills Catholic Northern Ireland Officer” and related posts (news.lalate.com)

Thousands march for peace in Omagh (Belfast Telegraph)
Thousands of people have marched for peace in Omagh one week after the murder of constable Ronan Kerr in the Co Tyrone town.
The mass rally was a powerful demonstration against violence in a community which suffered the infamous 1998 bombing by dissident republicans that killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.
The peace march came as police investigating the murder of the 25-year-old Catholic officer continued to question three men in connection with the killing. Detectives, who on Friday were granted an extra five days to question a 26-year-old and a 40-year-old detained over the attack, were also allowed a further five days to quiz a 33-year-old arrested by investigators.
Dissident republicans opposed to the peace process were blamed for the booby trap device that exploded under the policeman’s car on April 2. The same extremists are believed to be behind a 500lb van bomb police discovered near the border town of Newry on Thursday.
The Omagh rally attracted support from across the community and was attended by friends and relatives of the murdered officer. And while the march was not party political, organisers said it was intended to send a message of support in the peace process.
Gareth McElduff used Facebook to co-ordinate the rally and said it demonstrated the widespread support for the Kerr family. He added: “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.”
Many in the crowd held posters carrying a picture of Pc Kerr’s face, with the words: “Not In My Name.”
The officer’s cousin Sinead O’Kane said she hoped the people responsible for the murder would see the groundswell of support for peace. “It has to stop now, and let his death not have been in vain,” she said.
In a separate development, Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness also spoke out in opposition to the violent factions and called for communities to “hold steady” in the face of the threat. His comments came after his party leader, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, warned people against offering any shelter to breakaway gangs.
Mr McGuinness said of the groups: “Over the course of recent years it appears that they do have a limited capability, but you can’t rule out anything. I think the greatest danger from these groups is to the local community. If you look at the people that have been killed by these groups they are mostly from the nationalist/republican community.”