I welcome the Taoiseach to the House.
Omagh Tragedy: Statements.
It is now more than two weeks since we witnessed the callous and vicious attack which cruelly shattered the heart of Omagh. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, while families went about the everyday business of life, buying school uniforms and enjoying the carnival atmosphere, there was a massacre. We were all deeply affected by the horrific images which filled our television screens. We were numbed by the terrible suffering of the victims and the sadness and grief of their families and friends. In seconds, the lives and dreams of so many were changed forever. Those who responded so bravely and with such humanity at the scene will always remember those terrible scenes.
As I stood in Omagh a week later, the depth of the scars and trauma which this atrocity has left on everyone was visible. Years from now, survivors may still be recovering from their injuries and will be reminded on a daily basis of what they have survived; the friends and loved ones of the bereaved will still mourn and will live with their shattered dreams of what might have been; and many will be haunted by the horrific scenes of human suffering and devastation which they witnessed. Many people will depend on the help and understanding of their families, friends and caring professionals to help them through the difficult times ahead.
We were all united by our feelings of sorrow and grief. This Government and people in every corner of the island expressed their sympathy through words, prayers and the dignified silence which was observed throughout the island a week after this evil act. It is important that we, the elected representatives of the people, express and record our feelings here in this House. As I did in Dáil Eireann yesterday, I express our deepest and sincerest sympathy to all those who have been injured or bereaved as a result of the bombing in Omagh. A terrible wrong was done to the people of Omagh. We grieve for your terrible loss and suffering; our hearts and prayers go out to you.
The bombing of Omagh was a reckless attack on a community, on a people. Those who died were Catholic, Protestant, young and old, men and women who came from North, South and abroad. The bombing of Omagh was also intended as an attack on the British-Irish Agreement, an attack on democracy and the will of the people. The British-Irish Agreement has the support of the Irish and British Governments. It has the support of the largest Nationalist, Unionist, loyalist and republican parties with one or two prominent exceptions, some of whom may yet come to accept it. It has the support of the United States and the international community. The Agreement is about the right of the people on this island to decide the kind of future they want and how they want to achieve it. The people chose a society built on respect and tolerance when they voted in such overwhelming numbers in favour of the British-Irish Agreement. This vicious attack was intended to undermine the right of the people to decide on their own future.
The Government is sending a clear message to those responsible for this atrocity. You will not succeed and you will not defeat the will of the people. If you continue to choose to ignore the will of the people of Ireland and continue on the path of violence, fear and intimidation, be in no doubt that this Government will crush you. We will do everything we can to bring you to justice. We are determined that the people of this island, North and South, will have peace and we are determined that the victims of Omagh will have justice.
The so-called Real IRA cannot hope to take on the people of Ireland and win. It has already disgraced itself and the name which it has misappropriated. There is no community in Ireland that wishes to have that organisation operating in its midst. The INLA acknowledged in its ceasefire statement, which I welcome, that the new conditions created by the British-Irish Agreement demand a ceasefire, and that the onus on all is to ensure that the democratic wishes of the Irish people are upheld.
This House expects and demands that all remaining groups follow suit forthwith, or they will face the consequences. These people are about to learn a lesson that will teach them to respect the strength of Irish democracy. The time for sophistry that provides a cover for murderous attacks on fellow Irish men and women is over. We would also say to any young people who might be involved or thinking of becoming involved in violence to listen to the voice of the people. Violence does not and never will pay. We have seen too many victims and too much suffering. Those who persist with violence will not be remembered as the heroes of the future, they will be remembered for what they are — cold and callous murderers.
Last May, the people in every corner of this island voted in overwhelming numbers in favour of the British-Irish Agreement because they wanted to see an end to such atrocities. The Government is determined to uphold the choice they made. When the Government met in the aftermath of the Omagh tragedy, we decided on a security and legislative response to this atrocity. A response which is extremely tough, even draconian, and which we felt reflected the will of the majority of people on this island. Neither I nor the Garda ever underestimated the potential threat posed by this new organisation formed last December. Every effort was made through a tough security counter-strategy to dissuade them from continuing and to frustrate their operations, in so far as possible on this side of the Border.
The Garda had considerable successes and intercepted them on six occasions. The Garda have made and will continue to make every possible effort to help the British authorities to bring those responsible for this crime to justice and additional resources are being provided for this purpose. On a legislative level, following these statements, the Seanad will consider the Bill presented by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that contains our legislative proposals. These new legislative proposals will be additional to existing stringent provisions of the law. The Government believes that, together, these provisions will significantly improve the capacity of the Garda Síochána to deal decisively and effectively with those who carried out the merciless attack in Omagh.
The measures being brought forward are targeted solely at those who engage in continued violence. They are time limited and will lapse when we are sure they are no longer necessary. We will monitor closely their implementation, with the safeguards, checks and balances in the British-Irish Agreement also coming into effect.
In the aftermath of the Omagh tragedy, many people have asked why the measures which are now being introduced were not put in place in the past and that is an understandable reaction. No pure security response could ever resolve the complex political problem that has caused such deep rooted division. Every democratic society when confronted with the type of threat faced on this island has difficult decisions to make and must balance these decisions with the long-term implications for society and the freedom it enjoys. Our primary objective has always been to take the most effective security response, conscious that particular responses could, in the long term, have exacerbated the situation and ultimately caused more lives to be lost than would otherwise be the case.
The British-Irish Agreement has changed the situation fundamentally. There is now for the first time a broad democratic consensus on the way forward. The extremists have no legitimacy, no authority, no basis of support in international law. They act for no one but themselves and have condemned themselves to total isolation. There have been many tragedies and atrocities over the past 30 years. This year we have had truly appalling outrages. This House has not yet had the opportunity to offer sympathy to the family and friends of the Quinn boys, Richard, Paul and Jason. I wish to do so again now, as I did yesterday. We must all do what we can to end the bitter sectarianism and division which led to their deaths. A terrible price has been paid for an unwillingness to find accommodation.
In remembering the victims of Omagh and Ballymoney, I know that all the other victims over the past 30 years and their relatives will have been recalling their own tragedies and heartbreak. They have not been forgotten. The work of the Victims Commission has begun. The former Tánaiste, Mr. John Wilson, will be consulting with victims and their families about their needs. We will continue to focus our efforts on creating a society where there will be no more victims and tragedies.
We are moving into a new chapter in the life of this island. If we have learnt one lesson from our history, it is that the infliction of pain and suffering is never the answer and benefits no one. This year, as we commemorate the anniversary of 1798, we are discovering once again the true non-sectarian vision of the United Irishmen. It drew its strength from North and South and from Catholic, Protestant and dissenter. It was a popular movement that aspired to a unity of people. This is also the year when the people in every corner of this island voted together in favour of the British-Irish Agreement for a society built on the principles of democracy, pluralism and equality which respects everyone.
The heroes of today, the visionaries who will be commemorated by generations in the future will not be those who engage in violence. They will be those with the courage and vision to work together to break down the bitter divisions of the past, those who help build an Ireland that all of us will want to live in. That is the best tribute that we can give to the victims of the Omagh bombing and other tragedies.
Following the attack on Omagh, I have had an intensive, sustained level of meetings with many of the political parties involved. These meetings and contacts were geared towards responding to the Omagh atrocity. As well as focusing on security matters they focused in detail on the importance of implementing the Agreement in all its aspects. We are all fully agreed on the critical need to maintain political momentum. The Irish and British Governments are working closely together. We are at one on what is required. We will continue all our efforts, working closely with all of the parties involved to see this process through and to build a better future for everyone on these islands. We will keep going until we succeed. I thank you, a Chathaoirleach, and all Senators for attending this week to assist in the passage of this legislation.
I welcome the Taoiseach to the House. The first and most obvious thing to do today is to express our grief, sympathy, sorrow and revulsion to the people of Omagh, especially those who lost loved ones, those who were maimed and the healthy people who are now condemned to lead shattered, painful lives as a result of this foul, malevolent and sinful act. Everybody cried during those awful days as we saw pictures of smiling, innocent children cut down with such brutality, of caring, loving mothers whose love, generosity and selflessness was rewarded with barbarity; pictures of young men and women full of hope, promise and the joys of life, all of which was blasted away; pictures of older people who should have been free to enjoy the serenity of old age which a lifetime of work had earned for them, but had even this modest ambition so cruelly taken from them. We think also today of the people who will live the rest of their lives in pain and agony, people whose lives henceforth are about survival, not fulfilment, about constant pain and dependence on others. In some cases the ultimate sacrifice might have been more merciful.
However, we should be clear about this.
Omagh was not about abstract laws of history, ideology or politics, it was about people who decided that their view of the world took precedence over all others. Compared with their rights ordinary people had none. It was about evil, arrogance and the brutal use of power. It was fascist in the deepest sense of the word. It was done by people who despise democracy, who spurn the constitutional and, indeed, human rights of others, who do not believe in compromise and who reject the voice of the democratically elected people. These are the people against whom this State, in defence of democracy, must show ruthlessness and determination. That is why the Taoiseach's strong words today must be given flesh and put into effect with immediacy and totality.
Sadly, however, we know only too well how easy it is to forget. We have stood here on many other occasions and condemned brutal and terrible atrocities, which may not have been as awful as Omagh, yet it is easy to forget. Life rolls on, memories fade and other priorities appear. We must never forget Omagh. Even the successful conclusion of the peace process, for which we all devoutly wish, should not diminish or lessen the horror of that awful day. We must never forget the evil done in our name or that these perverted people claim to speak in the name of the sovereign Irish people and were so claiming when they perpetrated this terrible act. We must never lose sight of the human dimension of what that evil did to good and innocent people. Those who did it must be made answer and that is why the Taoiseach's strong words are encouraging but must also be given reality.
On the part of my party and group let me do the simple thing by saying to the people of Omagh how we grieved and mourned with them, how we suffered with them. Let us hope we will never forget the evil done on that day.
On behalf of the House it is my sad duty to convey the condolences and sympathy of the House to relatives of the dead, the maimed, the traumatised, the bereaved and all those who have suffered in the town of Omagh. This was the work of people who were satanically callous and indiscriminate in their mass murder and mayhem, the worst in the history of modern Ireland. As well as conveying our condolences and sympathies to the relatives of the dead, the injured and the traumatised we also offer our support and thanks to all the doctors, nurses, members of security forces, members of the public, people from Omagh and the adjoining areas who came to the assistance of those dying and in extreme agony and performed what can only be regarded as heroic, charitable and neighbourly acts which helped in no small way to alleviate to some extent the terrible events of that dreadful day. The sense of outrage felt by the people of every political opinion at the bombing of Omagh is fuelled by the sheer cruelty of the act, the dreadful suffering it has inflicted and the deliberate flouting of the will of the people. To plant a bomb where people might pass is evil and irresponsible. To place an instrument of mass destruction where people are gathered in large numbers to work, shop, enjoy themselves and meet their friends indicates a depth of deliberate and planned cruelty.
The suffering in Omagh is a replica of the suffering inflicted on many innocent victims in this country and in Britain over the past 30 years. We have been shocked before and have hoped that each atrocity would be the last. The sheer scale of the dead and injured in this instance has appalled us and left us feeling numb and overwhelmed by their suffering. The Omagh bombing is a deliberate rejection of the will of the people which has been expressed in a free ballot throughout the island. The choice of venue, a town with an enviable record of good community relations, and the timing were designed to cause maximum damage, not only to the people in the town or from wherever they came but also to the British-Irish Agreement. This atrocity was planned to flout the will of the Irish people and to generate as much terror as possible throughout the whole community. It was destined to destroy not only the Agreement but our hopes for peace.
The reaction of the elected representatives, therefore, must be to protect the right of the people to live in peace which they endorsed so overwhelmingly in the referendum. To do that we, as legislators, have to strengthen the powers of the State to identify and bring to trial those responsible for these murders. I must emphasise that the legislation we introduce here today must not be conceived as a backlash to tragedy but carefully drafted and subject to strict review within a stated and relatively short timeframe.
The rule of law on which our democracy is founded must not be jeopardised by our reaction to those who seek to undermine both democracy and its standards of justice. The only rational explanation of the bombing of Omagh is that the perpetrators want to spread so much terror and despair that they will be in a position to maim, rob and destroy with impunity.
The people who know who these perpetrators are and who have the knowledge that would bring them to justice should reflect on the shame they will experience should there be another atrocity or another terrible defiance of the will of the Irish people to live together in peace and harmony.
I thank the Taoiseach for coming into the House today and, with Senator Manning, I welcome the sentiments he expressed and the Government's approach that has followed this terrible atrocity in Omagh.
On behalf of the Independent group I would like to be associated with the comments made by other speakers and to indicate our own views on this matter. It is important for all democratically elected people to show a united response to this atrocity.
Le tríocha bliain anuas táimid ag féachaint ar na sochraidí agus ag éisteacht leis na buamaí; ag léamh miontuairiscí a bhaineann le tragóid i ndiaidh tragóide ach thar aon cheann eile, ba é seo uafás na n-uafás.
It is difficult to see beyond this point. There is a hope, and one wonders if it is a hope we can live with, that this will be uafás na n-uafás and that the people of this island will never again experience such a tragedy.
It is right that we extend our sympathies to the people of Omagh, Buncrana and the other villages which suffered so grievously. We offer our condolences to the families and extended families of the injured and the bereaved. We offer our support to the maimed and the hospitalised in their struggle towards recovery and normality, in the new definition of normality for them. We want to express our understanding to the school-children of Buncrana, Omagh and Ballymoney also. I was delighted that the Taoiseach mentioned Ballymoney in his contribution because it is important that the suffering experienced by the Quinn family is recalled.
We must also express our regret and embarrassment that the will of all the people on the island, as democratically articulated to us, was attacked with such contempt and terror. Those terrorists sought to blast the democratic process into smithereens. Like everybody else, we found it impossible to accommodate the horrific images emerging from our television screens into our sitting rooms. It became too much to take in. In terms of statistics we were given a number and one tried to wonder what the number meant. These people were going about their normal Saturday afternoon tasks. It was almost banal, people going shopping. Then the horrific human tragedy began to unfold and to hit home for a second time. There was the response of the relatives, and it began to hit home again. There were the funerals. It never really achieved finality. The impact it has left on all of us seems to have just increased. Regrettable as it is to say, those bombers managed to scar forever the image of Irish democracy. It is our duty and responsibility to pick up the pieces and to move on from there.
It is important to make the connected point that these people set out to bomb their way into a united Ireland. They had one significant victory because we did see a united people at the end of it. We saw Protestant, Catholic, republican, Unionist, Nationalist, culturally British, culturally Irish, politically British, politically Irish all united in horror, in revulsion and in rejection of the violence which has been visited on us without a mandate from anybody. As one commentator said, when Unionist and Nationalist tears ran together there was no difference. We were united in our horror and rejection of what had been done and in our absolute certainty that this was not the way forward.
It is important to thank all the public representatives, the Taoiseach, the Government, the heads of the political parties and representatives North and South for the tremendously dignified way in which they responded to an appalling tragedy and the way it has been sensitively dealt with, if the word "sensitive" can live with the kind of violence we have seen. Inasmuch as there was a way to respond sensitively, that was done. It certainly made one feel this country knew where it was going on the issue, and that is something that extended to Government and Opposition parties, Independents and others.
Let me say to the Omagh, Buncranna, and Ballymoney pupils, to the hospitalised and the injured, to families who are scarred and scarred forever and to the communities in those places, that we on the Independent benches offer our sincere sympathy.
I too welcome the Taoiseach to the House and applaud his efforts since he became Taoiseach in seeking to achieve peace on this island. It is now 18 to 19 days since the horrific attack in Omagh. The carnage unleashed that day by a small group of people was not only an attack on innocent people but an attack on democracy. The human tragedy resulting from the bombing of Omagh has been alluded to this morning in this House and yesterday in Dáil Éireann. The pain, the anguish, the grief of the victims of that bombing cannot be ameliorated by words or speeches. This pain and grief will stay with the victims for the rest of their days. However, I hope the victims of Omagh can take some solace from the genuine sympathy expressed by all Members of the Oireachtas over these two days. Likewise I offer our sympathy to the family of the three Quinn children who were also tragically killed. It is an appropriate time for us to remember the other atrocities and other victims over the past 30 years, not forgetting our former colleague, Gordon Wilson, who was a survivor of one such terrible atrocity.
The slaughter at Omagh also necessitates a response, and part of that response comes in the form of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Bill that will be discussed in this House later today. As a public representative with a record of involvement in civil liberties and in campaigning for victims of miscarriage of justice, I do not relish the passage of legislation of this nature. Nevertheless, strong and effective action must be taken against the killers who detonated the bomb at Omagh and my party has indicated that we support the action proposed by the Government. However, the proposed legislation and the resultant security clampdown by the Garda Síochána are not the only responses needed at this critical time. We also need a political response. This response must underpin that progress on this island over the past four years. It must take its lead from the popular revulsion of violence expressed by the people of Ireland over the past fortnight. It must build on this public feeling and ensure that the emerging political structures in Northern Ireland remain at centre stage in the coming weeks and months and that the twisted agenda of fanatical dissidents does not become the momentum that drives the political agenda.
In that context I welcome the statement made by Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, on Tuesday last. It is a welcome development that should assist the political process currently underway. The timing of the statement is crucial and while I and others would prefer a more forthright use of language, this is not the time to become involved in a squabble over semantics. I also warmly welcome that following on from the Sinn Féin statement, the First Minister designate has arranged a meeting for all party leaders. This emergence of real and substantial dialogue is to be warmly welcomed as it is so critical to building a just and lasting settlement between the peoples of this island. I also welcome the decision by Sinn Féin to appoint Martin McGuinness to the decommissioning body. It is a significant step forward.
The intention of those who bombed Omagh was to destroy the peace process. In doing so they showed their utter rejection of democracy. On 22 May last the people of this island, on both sides of the Border, expressed their democratic support for the British-Irish Agreement. If anything, the carnage perpetrated at Omagh has strengthened the resolve of the ordinary people of this island to ensure that the potential of the British-Irish Agreement is realised.
It is clear that the violence of the Real IRA is utterly senseless. They adhere to views and analysis that have no currency among the electorate. They reside in an historical cul-de-sac utterly removed from the real experience of the public. They have no mandate, no support and no justification for their campaign of murder. After the horror perpetrated on 15 August they must recognise the total revulsion with which they are held in this country and call a complete and total end to their campaign of terror.
The tragedy of Omagh is the senseless destruction of so many innocent lives, mainly of women and children. The lesson of Omagh is that it must never happen again. Terrorism and the use of violence must never undermine the democratic will of the people. It is our duty as politicians to ensure that this never happens. After Omagh we must all redouble our efforts to fight against the men of violence and to ensure that a new future for all the people of this island emerges from the British-Irish Agreement.
Yet again the Members of Seanad Éireann have assembled dumbfounded and sorrowful because of a mindless terrorist atrocity which swept away innocent lives and happiness. Many times over the past 30 years the House has struggled to find words to express our sorrow at the loss of life and sympathy for those injured and bereaved and to show our undiminished support for peace and democracy. Over the years we have been consistent in our condemnation of the evil people responsible for so much death and destruction. The catalogue is grim — Teebane, Enniskillen, Loughinisland, Greysteele, the Shankill, Warrington and recently the children in Ballymoney. There have been so many over the years that we almost begin to forget some of them.
More recently, as the flame of peace began to flicker and burn more brightly, we came to hope that each atrocity would be the last. Our hope became stronger and more confident as we saw the signing of the British-Irish Agreement on Good Friday and when the people of the island gave it such overwhelming support in the ballot box. However, the hope was cruelly extinguished at 3.10 p.m. on 15 August 1998.
We struggle for words today which can bring some comfort to the families of the 28 dead, the many injured and their families and the community of Omagh. We struggle too for words which can adequately convey our utter rejection of mindless and diabolical violence as a means of perverted political ends. We have also assembled to do our duty. Our duty is to the families of the dead and wounded in Omagh, Buncrana and Spain. Our duty is to do everything in our power to ensure, once and for all, the bombs and bullets fall permanently silent and that those who seek to destroy peace are crushed. Our duty extends to letting the self-styled murderous Real IRA which planted the Omagh bomb know that there will be no hiding place and that the full force and power of the law will be unleashed upon it. The Taoiseach underlined this duty forcefully.
Later today we will be asked to enact the toughest anti-terrorist legislation in decades. With many others in the House, I will vote for the law, not because I am unaware of its implications for civil liberties but because it is right and necessary. It was said in the Dáil yesterday that the Bill might infringe on fundamental rights. That may be the case but there is a more fundamental right, the right of each citizen to life and a future. It is in that context that it is correct to enact the legislation.
The democratic will of the people has been overwhelmingly expressed through the ballot box and it must be vindicated. The State must resist and reject fascism. True republicanism must be proclaimed and not diminished or debased. The people are the sole source of authority and they have spoken overwhelmingly and forcefully.
We assemble to remember in pain and sorrow those who died but determined to ensure their memory is vindicated and that, in true Christian spirit, out of great suffering can spring redemption. Only then will their loss be a little more bearable and in the carnage we will have rediscovered our hope. In that never to be forgotten day in Omagh Catholic, Protestant and dissenter were united in death. It is up to the living to unite in building an enduring peace on this island so that there can be no more atrocities.
Members rose.