FAIR Condemns Memorial Attack
A MARKETHILL-based victims’ group has condemned the vandalism of memorial poppy wreaths at the Narrow Water site where 16 Paratroopers and two Queen’s Own Highlanders were murdered by the IRA in 1979.
Each year, Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) organises a memorial service at the site which enables victims and ex-service to pay tribute to the great loss of life and to ensure the soldiers’ families on mainland Britain know that “we remember them”.
FAIR project manager, Molly Carson MBE, said” it was a heavy loss of life of brave soldiers whilst carrying out a peace keeping mission to oppose violence in Northern Ireland”.
“The IRA carried out this atrocity in their usual cowardly fashion, laying their bombs at darkness whilst taking up positions in the South of Ireland, which has always protected them from trial in the North,” she said.
It is clear to see that those who carried out the damage to the memorial wreaths still have hatred and evil in their hearts.
“Their propaganda machine tries to tell the British Government they want a united Ireland and it will be a shared space? I think their actions speak volumes and any decent man or woman in this country should condemn the behaviour which occurred last weekend.
“A mother of a young soldier, placed her wreath securely on that fence whilst she remembered him growing up, when he left home, the last time they spoke, that lady was heartbroken with pain for the loss of her dear son.
“How will this lady feel when she hears that someone filled with hate, who did not even know her son, had destroyed her tribute of remembrance on her first visit to the Province?
“What will be the lasting memory of this family and others present at the Memorial Service?
“FAIR have replaced their wreath of Remembrance and thank-you to those who replaced the others.
“I hope that the Police Service of Northern Ireland will bring those responsible to justice and would ask if anyone saw anything or the registration of a vehicle at the scene late at night to contact the police.
“We will remember them.”
UN International Victims of Terrorism Day
International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, 21 August 2022
The fifth International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was commemorated on 21 August 2022. It took place as the world struggles to transition out of the public health emergency triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and confronted the social transformations it has created or accelerated. At the same time, victims of terrorism continued to experience uncertainty and anxiety as armed conflicts, violent attacks, and terrorist acts around the world continued to make headlines and perhaps exacerbate or trigger their traumas.
Remembrance of and paying tribute to victims of terrorism plays a central role in demonstrating that their status as victims is respected and recognized. The International Day serves to commemorate and uphold the dignity of victims and highlights the importance of global solidarity in ensuring that victims are not forgotten.
The theme was “Memories” and was selected following consultation with victims and victims’ associations. Memories bind us together as if connected by a red thread, a fil rouge: a thread that signifies our common humanity and solidarity with those who have suffered irreparable losses in the most heinous of circumstances.
To mark the fifth commemoration of the International Day, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized a high-level pre-recorded event entitled ‘Surviving Terrorism: The Power of Memories’ to be broadcast on Sunday, 21 August 2022, on UN Web TV. The pre-recorded event was opened by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, and featured the participation of the co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism, the Republic of Iraq, and the Kingdom of Spain, testimonies from four victims of terrorism, and closing remarks by Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, Mr. Vladimir Voronkov.
The cornerstone of 2022's virtual observance was the “Memories”Opens a new window campaign, launched by UNOCT’s United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) earlier this year. Through film, photography, and carefully crafted captions, the “Memories” campaign tells the stories of victims of terrorism from across the globe who share their memories, emotions and the meaning that they attach to a personal object.
FAIR Memorial Quilts Display
Memorial Attacked
FAIR Chairman Harry Bell MBE spoke out after the most recent attack on a victims memorial in South Armagh. The latest memorial on the Ballymoyer Road marks the spot where his brother Johnny Bell was murdered by the PIRA in 1975.
Police in Newtownhamilton are appealing for information after damage was caused to a memorial plaque in south Armagh. A PSNI spokesperson said the criminal damage happened during the early hours of yesterday, Sunday, May 10, on the Ballymoyer Road at the junction of Ballymoyer Lane.
The memorial had been erected to UDR Lance Corporal David John Bell, who was murdered by the IRA 40 years ago.
Newry and Armagh Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy condemned those responsible.
He expressed his disgust at “an act of vandalism on a memorial erected for an off duty soldier murdered by IRA terrorists in South Armagh in 1975”.
Mr Kennedy said: “This act of wanton vandalism is another disgraceful attack against innocent victims of terrorism in South Armagh.
“It is very upsetting for Mr Harry Bell MBE , the only surviving family member and brother of Johnny Bell, who was shot and murdered driving home from his place of work by the IRA on 6 November 1975.
“It seems that 40 years later, there is an element of society which cannot bear to be reminded of the murderous past of republicans in this part of Northern Ireland. They will not succeed.
“The memorial to Ulster Defence Regiment L/Corporal David John Bell will be repaired. We will remember with gratitude brave men like Johnny Bell, and the sacrifice they made to keep the entire community safe and free.”
Sharing the Dragon's Teeth
RAND Study Finds Terrorist Groups Teach Each Other Deadly Skills
A Report by the internationally respected Rand Corporation a think tank which specialises in conflict research has supported the findings of a FAIR Report into the links between FARC and the PIRA. We exposed the international web of terrorist organisations which trade in terrorism technology and techniques in exchange for drug money.
Terrorist groups around the world with different ideologies and from different religious and ethnic backgrounds have improved their effectiveness by teaching each other deadly skills such as bomb-making and guerilla warfare techniques, according to a RAND Corporation report issued today.
“Terrorist groups that have little in common and with very different goals are sharing knowledge for their mutual benefit, and that's bad news,” said Brian A. Jackson, one of the authors of the report and the associate director of the RAND Homeland Security Research Program.
Groups from regions as varied as the Middle East, Colombia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom have traded destructive technologies, researchers found. Both the student and the teacher usually receive some benefit, according to the study by RAND, a nonprofit research organization.
Technology sharing among terrorist groups has not received a great deal of attention. But studying the exchanges provides a new means of understanding the behavior of terrorist groups and highlights another part of the complex threat posed by terrorism, according to researchers.
Researchers examined 11 terrorist groups that operate in the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia. Examples of the sharing of technological knowledge among terrorist groups include:
- In Mindanao in the Philippines, the Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiyah trained Filipino terrorists. New technologies transferred included remote detonation, improvised explosive devices, and pressure-activated switches designed to detonate bombs should security forces attempt to deactivate them. These exchanges improved the operational effectiveness and helped increase the number of attacks by militant groups in the Philippines from 2003 to 2005. For Jemaah Islamiyah, the effort provided its members safe havens.
- In the former demilitarized zone in southwest Colombia, the Provisional Irish Republican Army trained terrorists in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly referred to as FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia). New technologies and knowledge included remote-detonation technologies and Mark 18 “barracks-buster” mortars, as well as guerrilla warfare tactics. These skills helped FARC improve its urban warfare capabilities in 2001. The IRA reportedly benefited by using the freedom of the demilitarized zone to experiment with its own weapons and received cash from FARC.
“In most of the instances we studied, both groups experience some type of operational benefit from the effort,” Jackson said. “It's that shared benefit that that usually drives the relationship, not just shared philosophies or goals.”
Researchers say their findings suggest that analysts seeking to understand terrorist group behaviors and assess the level of threat they pose should broaden their view of the risks posed by skilled terrorists.
For example, given concern about terrorist interest in unconventional weapons, individuals with skills involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear technology are frequently a central focus of counterterrorism analysts.
But the RAND study shows the importance of individuals with expertise in conventional explosive technologies as well. Understanding the factors that shape individuals who transfer such knowledge from one organization to another can lead to a better understanding of how the terrorist threat will evolve in the future.
The report, “Sharing the Dragon's Teeth: Terrorist Groups and the Exchange of New Technologies,” is available at www.rand.org.
The RAND study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Other authors of the report are Kim Cragin, Peter Chalk and Sara A. Daly of RAND.
The study was produced by the Homeland Security Program in the RAND Infrastructure, Safety and Environment Division. The Homeland Security Program provides research and analysis to Congress, along with federal, state and local government agencies and private sector clients charged with preventing and mitigating the effects of terrorist activity within U.S. borders.
FAIR Looks Back - Paisley Visit
Dr Paisley visits FAIR April 2005
Today at 2:15 pm Dr Ian Paisley paid a visit to the victims of terrorism in south Armagh. We were grateful to be able to welcome the DUP leader to our Markethill office to spend time with a number of our members. Dr Paisley has been a keen supporter and follower of our work over the years.
He was given a brief tour around the office and shown the various features of our centre such as the memorial stone and our office facilities. He also saw our recently launched memorial quilt that commemorates the lives of those that suffered at the hands of terrorists and the tragic events perpetrated by in our area, a poignant reminder of the suffering and pain felt by so many.
Members of the group were able to highlight issues of concern to the DUP leader, including the security threat that has been constantly ignored by the government in their pursuit of appeasement demilitarisation. The issue of smuggling was also raised and the financial support this provides to the IRA. Dr Paisley reminded us of action he has taking in parliament regarding this and of his desire to see those issues addressed.
Accompanying Dr Paisley were local DUP councillors Heather Black and Freda Donnelly, and assemblyman Paul Berry MLA. The victims of terrorism from the group who came to speak to Dr Paisley were greatly encouraged by his words and his assurances of continued support and endorsement of the work of the group. His visit, in taking time out from a busy schedule, was greatly appreciated by all.
Dr Paisley with some of the talented members that made the quilt
DUP representatives at the FAIR memorial stone
A most welcome and positive visit from oldest and youngest DUP MLAs
A happy day!