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Irish Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Post
Who owns the legacy of the Troubles?
MY FRIEND Lyra McKee died from a gunshot wound and became a symbol of a post-Troubles generation. She was a young lesbian and a freelance journalist starting to establish a reputation. One night in April 2019 she stood watching a riot in Derry. Dissident republicans who had rejected the peace deal of 1998 were throwing stones and petrol bombs at police officers who had come into the Creggan estate to make arrests. Riots of this kind were common during the period of the Troubles, generated by both republican and loyalist communities, often with the police as the main target. I watched many riots as a young journalist as Lyra did that night, standing behind police or army lines or occasionally on the sidelines for a clearer view, depending on how safe I felt there. On that night in Derry a man came forward with a pistol and fired at the police. One of his bullets struck Lyra in the head. She then became a symbol of change because this was not supposed to happen. The violence was meant to be behind us. Most of those who had led the violence of the past agreed on that. And Lyra was seen as part of a post conflict generation. She would have been watching that riot perhaps because she had never or rarely seen such a thing. She would have regarded it as a throwback to an awful time. British prime Minister Theresa May applauds with Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and mourners as the hearse leaves the church after the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast (Pic: Rolling News) Her symbolic importance was such that her funeral at St Anne's cathedral in Belfast was attended by the then Prime Minister Theresa May and several dignitaries including the Northern Irish First Minister, Arlene Foster. Her writings were republished, and one particular piece was seen as speaking for her whole generation. As a lesbian writing to her younger self she had said: 'It won't always be like this. It's going to get better.' The tragic irony of how she had died was that it seemed to affirm that the awfulness continued despite her hopes and confidence. And the starkness of that seemed to reinforce a determination that her vision would be fulfilled, that her death could not be pointless, that there had to be a Northern Ireland free of violence and prejudice in which a new generation had put the past behind them. Young people today in Northern Ireland seem divided between those who regard themselves as a fruitful new generation untainted by the past and those who retain the anger and suffer inherited trauma. Both often seem naive to me, as inevitably young people will when trying to respond to events that took place before they were born. Some say they are not like the generation of their parents which made a mess of things. Some carry grief for what their families suffered and struggle to understand a society that has moved on. Take Liadan Ní Chuinn who has just published an extraordinary collection of short stories that the critics are raving about. Liadan is a pseudonym and there is no public disclosure over who she or he is. The name is female. The Irish Times has said of Every One Still Here that it deserves to be considered 'among the best Irish books of the 21st century'. That's one hell of an endorsement. The stories are largely about generational trauma, featuring young characters who agonise over the legacy of the Troubles and relate the deaths of older relations to the stress and violence of those days. The book is brilliantly written. An energetic imagination relates characters and situations vividly and movingly. There is a coherent and authentic young voice throughout. In the closing story a character Rowan confronts an older person, Shane who doesn't want to dwell on the past and tells him he'll get over it. Rowan is furious and the older character is saying that the past is behind us and best left there. This presents us with a counter to the image of Lyra McKee who is taken to symbolise the generation that has moved on. There can be no question that Liadan is a major artist, an impressively evocative writer but there is naïveté and warped perspective here too. That last story ends the book with a passionate litany of many of those who were killed by British soldiers during the Troubles, many of the soldiers being defended by their own officers and by government ministers; few were charged and convicted of murder. The scandal of murders by soldiers is well recorded yet few have ever been held accountable. But Ní Chuinn's vision of the cause of conflict presents the British army as the main source of grief. And this book is not alone in thinking like that. The First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, who has said that there was no alternative to the IRA campaign, has recently spoken of how she and those around her were moved by the horror of young men being killed by soldiers. That conviction that the primary evil, the most damnable source of grief and grievance was the British army may be reality for some but what is missing here is context. Most of the killing was done by the IRA and by loyalist paramilitary groups. How can that simply be forgotten or discounted as irrelevant? There is danger in that blindness for that simplistic account of our past is what drives the dissident republicans still, the ones who couldn't compromise for peace, the ones who shot Lyra McKee. See More: Lyra McKee, Northern Ireland, Troubles
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Irish Times
Two men charged with attempted murder of Northern Ireland detective John Caldwell
Two men have been charged with the attempted murder of Police Service of Northern Ireland Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell. DCI Caldwell (48) was shot nine times in front of his son while putting footballs into the back of a car following a training session at a youth sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone in 2023. He suffered life-changing injuries and subsequently took early retirement on medical grounds. He was known for his role investigating major cases such as the murder of fellow police officer Ronan Kerr and the fatal shooting of journalist Lyra McKee. READ MORE This week's charges follow the arrests of the two men and subsequent detention under the Terrorism Act on Monday. One of the men is 45 and was arrested in the Stewartstown area. The other man, a 25-year-old, was arrested in West Belfast. . They are due to appear at Dungannon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning. As is usual procedure, the charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.
BreakingNews.ie
03-06-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
More than 70 attacks or death threats against journalists in North recorded
There have been more than 70 attacks and death threats against journalists in the North over the last six years, a report by Amnesty International has found. The region has been described as the most dangerous place in Ireland and Britain to be a reporter following the report which includes accounts from journalists under threat. Advertisement Occupational Hazard? Threats And Violence Against Journalists In Northern Ireland reveals that reporters have been told they will be shot or stabbed, threatened with bombs under their car and given 48-hour ultimatums to leave. Lyra McKee was killed in 2019 (Family handout/PA) Two journalists, Martin O'Hagan and Lyra McKee, were killed in 2001 and 2019 respectively, while others have been physically attacked, had equipment damaged and cars battered with poles laced with nails. Many journalists have taken safety measures in their homes with bulletproof windows and doors with alarms linked up to police stations. The report has added up more than 70 incidents of threats or attacks on journalists in Northern Ireland since the start of 2019. Advertisement Most of the threats have come from a range of proscribed paramilitary groups – loyalist and republican – as well as from armed organised crime groups, some with links to paramilitaries. The report also finds that most threats against journalists go unpunished, and there have been no prosecutions for any threats from paramilitary groups. Some journalists interviewed by Amnesty for the report said they feel the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has failed to effectively investigate attacks and threats against them. Since June 2022, there have been only two successful prosecutions for threats against journalists. Advertisement The report additionally finds that with journalists excluded from the Government's home protection scheme, which funds the installation of security measures, many have been left feeling at risk. The report makes a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a new media safety group by Justice Minister Naomi Long, with representatives from the PSNI, Public Prosecution Service (PPS), media organisations and the NUJ, to deliver a new journalist safety strategy. It also calls for the PSNI to review its procedural response to threats and attacks against journalists and conduct investigations capable of leading to successful prosecutions, and to produce new guidance and training for officers on the protection of journalists during public disorder. The Northern Ireland Office and Department of Justice have been urged to ensure at-risk journalists can access the home protection scheme. Advertisement The UK government has also been urged to establish an independent public inquiry into the 2001 murder of Martin O'Hagan if the expected Police Ombudsman's investigation finds serious failings or wrongdoing by the police. Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists (Liam McBurney/PA) Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK's Northern Ireland director, said Northern Ireland is the most dangerous place in the UK for journalists. 'They are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence,' he said. 'This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Advertisement 'Yet there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups. This sense of impunity only emboldens those behind the threats. 'When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack. The state must create a safe environment where journalists can work freely and report without fear of reprisals. It is currently failing to do so.' National Union of Journalists assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley added: 'In what is supposed to be normalised society, post the peace process, journalists are living in fear and behind high-security measures. 'That really is not the sign of a normal functioning democracy.' Responding, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson, who acts as the PSNI lead for journalist safety, said police have received the Amnesty report and 'will take time to consider the contents and recommendations'. 'The Police Service of Northern Ireland takes the safety of journalists very seriously and has been very much involved in developing both national and local plans to tackle this issue over the last couple of years,' he said. 'As a result, we have developed a joint strategy and joint plan with NUJ and with local editors. 'We have appointed two Journalist Safety Officers, established an internal Journalist Safety Group, implemented screening arrangements within our contact management centre and ensured that reports of threats and crimes by journalists are investigated by detectives. 'The Police Service has also arranged a number online seminars for local media around internet and personal safety. 'Journalists do not have to tolerate threats and crimes as part of their role. That has been our recent, consistent message. If any journalist needs advice in relation to an incident, threat or crime which is connected to your role as a journalist, please contact 101 and report the matter. 'I would also encourage journalists to speak with one of the Journalist Safety Officers in our Strategic Communications and Engagement Department.'
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Report highlights more than 70 threats or attacks on journalists
There have been 71 attacks or threats on journalists in Northern Ireland since 2019, a report by Amnesty International has found. The report features 26 interviews, including 22 with journalists in which they recounted their experiences of being told they will be shot or stabbed, and threatened with bombs under their also said that many journalists no longer report threats due to "time consuming processes and lack of action or positive outcome".Patrick Corrigan, the human rights organisation's Northern Ireland director, said Northern Ireland is the most dangerous place in the UK for journalists. The report is dedicated to Martin O'Hagan and Lyra McKee, two journalists who were killed in 2001 and 2019 O'Hagan, who was a journalist for the Sunday World newspaper, was shot dead by the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) in Lurgan, County Armagh, in McKee died after being struck by a bullet while observing rioting in Creggan in Londonderry in 2019. Lack of prosecutions The report said petrol bombs had been thrown at journalists' cars, and pipe bombs left close to their homes. It added that "several journalists report that they are receiving more threats in recent years than ever before".These threats were said to be primarily from armed paramilitaries, as well as organised crime journalists told the organisation they had "lost count" of the threats they have report said since June 2022, only two people have been successfully prosecuted for threats against journalists, none of which were made by paramilitary groups. It also reported that one media company has spent tens of thousands of pounds on ensuring journalists' homes are protected. Mr Corrigan said threats created "a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history"."When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack," he added. National Union of Journalists (NUJ) assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley said that in "what is supposed to be normalised society, post the peace process, journalists are living in fear and behind high-security measures."That really is not the sign of a normal functioning democracy."Among the journalists interviewed, was Belfast Telegraph crime correspondent Allison Morris, who police visited on nine occasions between December 2023 and October 2024 to deliver threats from paramilitary or criminal Morris told the report: "I'm convinced someone's going to kill me at some point. "Most of the time, I pretend that the threats don't annoy me, but clearly, they do. Sunday World Northern Editor Richard Sullivan said threats included being "given 48 hours to get out of the country or I'd be shot".Photographer Kevin Scott, from the Belfast Telegraph, said he has three cars and alternates his use of them for safety Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have been asked for a response to the report. Report recommendations The report makes a number of recommendations including:asking the justice minister to establish and chair a new Media Safety Group, with representatives from the PSNI, Public Prosecution Service, media organisations and the NUJ, to deliver a new journalist safety strategysaying the PSNI must review its procedural response to threats and attacks against journalists and conduct investigations capable of leading to successful prosecutionscalling on the PSNI to produce new guidance and training for officers on the protection of journalists during public disordersaying the Northern Ireland Office and Department of Justice should ensure at-risk journalists can access the Home Protection Schemecalling on the UK government to establish an independent public inquiry into the murder of Martin O'Hagan "if the expected Police Ombudsman's investigation finds serious failings or wrongdoing by the police"
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
More than 70 attacks or death threats against journalists in NI recorded
There have been more than 70 attacks and death threats against journalists in Northern Ireland over the last six years, a report by Amnesty International has found. The region has been described as the most dangerous place in the UK to be a reporter following the report which includes accounts from journalists under threat. Occupational Hazard? Threats And Violence Against Journalists In Northern Ireland reveals that reporters have been told they will be shot or stabbed, threatened with bombs under their car and given 48-hour ultimatums to leave. Two journalists, Martin O'Hagan and Lyra McKee, were killed in 2001 and 2019 respectively, while others have been physically attacked, had equipment damaged and cars battered with poles laced with nails. Many journalists have taken safety measures in their homes with bulletproof windows and doors with alarms linked up to police stations. The report has added up more than 70 incidents of threats or attacks on journalists in Northern Ireland since the start of 2019. Most of the threats have come from a range of proscribed paramilitary groups – loyalist and republican – as well as from armed organised crime groups, some with links to paramilitaries. The report also finds that most threats against journalists go unpunished, and there have been no prosecutions for any threats from paramilitary groups. Some journalists interviewed by Amnesty for the report said they feel the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has failed to effectively investigate attacks and threats against them. Since June 2022, there have been only two successful prosecutions for threats against journalists. The report additionally finds that with journalists excluded from the Government's home protection scheme, which funds the installation of security measures, many have been left feeling at risk. The report makes a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a new media safety group by Justice Minister Naomi Long, with representatives from the PSNI, Public Prosecution Service (PPS), media organisations and the NUJ, to deliver a new journalist safety strategy. It also calls for the PSNI to review its procedural response to threats and attacks against journalists and conduct investigations capable of leading to successful prosecutions, and to produce new guidance and training for officers on the protection of journalists during public disorder. The Northern Ireland Office and Department of Justice have been urged to ensure at-risk journalists can access the home protection scheme. The UK government has also been urged to establish an independent public inquiry into the 2001 murder of Martin O'Hagan if the expected Police Ombudsman's investigation finds serious failings or wrongdoing by the police. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK's Northern Ireland director, said Northern Ireland is the most dangerous place in the UK for journalists. 'They are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence,' he said. 'This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. 'Yet there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups. This sense of impunity only emboldens those behind the threats. 'When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack. The state must create a safe environment where journalists can work freely and report without fear of reprisals. It is currently failing to do so.' National Union of Journalists assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley added: 'In what is supposed to be normalised society, post the peace process, journalists are living in fear and behind high-security measures. 'That really is not the sign of a normal functioning democracy.' Responding, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson, who acts as the PSNI lead for journalist safety, said police have received the Amnesty report and 'will take time to consider the contents and recommendations'. 'The Police Service of Northern Ireland takes the safety of journalists very seriously and has been very much involved in developing both national and local plans to tackle this issue over the last couple of years,' he said. 'As a result, we have developed a joint strategy and joint plan with NUJ and with local editors. 'We have appointed two Journalist Safety Officers, established an internal Journalist Safety Group, implemented screening arrangements within our contact management centre and ensured that reports of threats and crimes by journalists are investigated by detectives. 'The Police Service has also arranged a number online seminars for local media around internet and personal safety. 'Journalists do not have to tolerate threats and crimes as part of their role. That has been our recent, consistent message. If any journalist needs advice in relation to an incident, threat or crime which is connected to your role as a journalist, please contact 101 and report the matter. 'I would also encourage journalists to speak with one of the Journalist Safety Officers in our Strategic Communications and Engagement Department.'
