Republicans finally admit murdering 9 year old Gordon Gallagher

[Trout]

I don't think you'd find too many who wouldn't condemn what happened and the way it was subsequently dealt with. What else is there to say.
I didn't see this thread until this morning and didn't have any plans to contribute to it when I saw how the discussion had followed. It has really shown certain people up.

Obviously you will bring the same standards to every troubles related thread? Of course. When the next HET finding comes out about some "volunteer" shot by the Brits you will bring the same even handed approach. Or the next time a finding reports that an innocent Catholic was killed you will not be apoplectic and want answers? I was half expecting some poems from Glens Abu on this thread or maybe a Sinn Fein statement from their website. He must be busy.

Was it a war? Just when it suits seemingly.

[Ulick]

excellent post ,Aoise and I would say to the person who started this thread to at least change the title to something less provocative and to cease the cheap point scoring in the name of a 9 year old child.

Why? Is it cheap point scoring or does it make some folk on here feel uncomfortable that their heroes murdered an innocent child. If it was a Brit, a peeler, UDR man or one of the many sundry "legitimate targets" they wouldn't be apologising, therefore his age is entirely relevant to the story.

Mens rea

[Nally Stand]

What a reply trout, well done on once again showing us all that your only motivation behind discussing the circumstances of this childs death is merely to stir shite. Go ahead though, keep showing yourself up for the absolute lowlife that you are.

[gallsman]

What percentage of board members do you think are genuine Republicans?

What's a "genuine" Republican?

[ziggysego]

What percentage of board members do you think are genuine Republicans?

What's a "genuine" Republican?

An anti-monarch?

[Myles Na G.]

I have to say that this thread has made me somewhat nauseous.  When I saw the title I was for coming on here to give a reasoned response to that news yesterday but when I have read what a 9 year old childs murder has been used for it makes me sick.

Firstly, I am a republican.  The reasons for that are many and I am certainly not going to get into justifying why that is with people who are diametrically opposed to my viewpoint, suffice to say, I respect your opinions, but I'm damned if I will let you degrade mine and using an innocent childs murder to do so.

Do you want to get into every single death in the troubles to analyse what happened whilst totally decontextualising it?  Or do you just want to focus on the ones where you think you are morally superior?  Because by choosing only certain deaths you are doing a great disservice to all the other innocent people who lost their lives in what was, contrary to your protestations, a war.

I heard that man speak yesterday and my heart broke for him.  Do you think just because I am a republican that I am an ignorant monster devoid of emotion?  I felt for him as though it were my own child. Can I justify that child's killing? - absolutely not!  Am I sorry that things like this happened? - undoubtedly.  I can look back now from the safety of a different situation and say that there were many wrong things done.  I have no reservations about saying that.  The disappeared, car bombs i.e bloody Friday, Enniskillen.  Absolutely should never have happened.  Children killed, should never have happened.  But in saying this, do I think that a physical response to the British and Unionist domination of my people was necessary?  Absolutely.

There are so many people who wish to make this a black and white issue, when it is no such thing.  I think that everyone who has lived in this society has some amount of the shackles still hanging over it .  There are some who were involved, feel sorry and want to do something about it for the better.  There are some who are so dogmatic to never analyse what has happened and continue an ideology that is flawed.  There are some who wish to pretend it never happened and never discuss it, and then there are those who wish to selectively use children's deaths to make them feel a little better about their own morality.  Well to the latter I say, I hope to God, you are never in a situation like the 1960's and 1970's in the North of Ireland because your morality may not keep you as warm as you think.

It isn't enough to wring your hands and say that stuff shouldn't have happened, if you then go ahead and give your approval to those whose actions will ensure that the same kind of stuff keeps happening. It's like saying that drink-driving's an awful thing, causes all kinds of tragedies, before handing over a bottle of spirits to someone you know is going to drive home. The IRA's campaign of shooting and bombings in built up urban areas was always going to result in the death of innocent men, women and children. They continued to wage their war, even as the bodies piled up. For these fanatics, and their cheerleaders, the achievement of their political objectives overrode any other considerations.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

The IRA's campaign of shooting and bombings in built up urban areas was always going to result in the death of innocent men, women and children...

Brilliant. They should have restricted their theatre of war operations to the Sahara Desert, or given the relative population density therein, the South Pole. What genius! 

[Myles Na G.]

The IRA's campaign of shooting and bombings in built up urban areas was always going to result in the death of innocent men, women and children...

Brilliant. They should have restricted their theatre of war operations to the Sahara Desert, or given the relative population density therein, the South Pole. What genius! 

Or even better, they could've called off their 'war' about 25 years sooner than they did. You know, like vast the majority of people on the island wanted them to do.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Or even better, they could've called off their 'war' about 25 years sooner than they did. You know, like vast the majority of people on the island wanted them to do.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

[Nally Stand]

Do you want to get into every single death in the troubles to analyse what happened whilst totally decontextualising it...

Exhibit A:

The IRA's campaign of shooting and bombings in built up urban areas was always going to result in the death of innocent men, women and children. They continued to wage their war, even as the bodies piled up. For these fanatics, and their cheerleaders, the achievement of their political objectives overrode any other considerations.

Exhibit B:

Or even better, they could've called off their 'war' about 25 years sooner than they did. You know, like vast the majority of people on the island wanted them to do.

[Evil Genius]

I know, you would never see a political thread on this board.

Well considering the incident happened 40 years ago it started as a historical thread, bit like discussing WWII in the 80s, but 'Hi-ho Silver' there is trying to make it political. Ironic thing is that if he'd left it there might have been some sensible debate, but the pathetic point scoring over a death condemns it to Gaaboard Zoo.

No, it's nothing like "discussing WWII in the 80's", since there is no debate or disagreement over who did what etc during that conflict.

Whereas until now, the IRA have continued to deny involvement in countless atrocities going back over a period of 40 years or more, such as the murder of this young boy, unless or until it is forced from them.

[Evil Genius]

I have to say that this thread has made me somewhat nauseous.  When I saw the title I was for coming on here to give a reasoned response to that news yesterday but when I have read what a 9 year old childs murder has been used for it makes me sick.

Firstly, I am a republican.  The reasons for that are many and I am certainly not going to get into justifying why that is with people who are diametrically opposed to my viewpoint, suffice to say, I respect your opinions, but I'm damned if I will let you degrade mine and using an innocent childs murder to do so.

Do you want to get into every single death in the troubles to analyse what happened whilst totally decontextualising it?  Or do you just want to focus on the ones where you think you are morally superior?  Because by choosing only certain deaths you are doing a great disservice to all the other innocent people who lost their lives in what was, contrary to your protestations, a war.

I heard that man speak yesterday and my heart broke for him.  Do you think just because I am a republican that I am an ignorant monster devoid of emotion?  I felt for him as though it were my own child. Can I justify that child's killing? - absolutely not!  Am I sorry that things like this happened? - undoubtedly.  I can look back now from the safety of a different situation and say that there were many wrong things done.  I have no reservations about saying that.  The disappeared, car bombs i.e bloody Friday, Enniskillen.  Absolutely should never have happened.  Children killed, should never have happened.  But in saying this, do I think that a physical response to the British and Unionist domination of my people was necessary?  Absolutely.

There are so many people who wish to make this a black and white issue, when it is no such thing.  I think that everyone who has lived in this society has some amount of the shackles still hanging over it .  There are some who were involved, feel sorry and want to do something about it for the better.  There are some who are so dogmatic to never analyse what has happened and continue an ideology that is flawed.  There are some who wish to pretend it never happened and never discuss it, and then there are those who wish to selectively use children's deaths to make them feel a little better about their own morality.  Well to the latter I say, I hope to God, you are never in a situation like the 1960's and 1970's in the North of Ireland because your morality may not keep you as warm as you think.

Aoise, your customary style of response whenever someone points to some atrocity or other committed by Republicans has already become stale and predictable.

So to save you the bother next time, we get it: "Terrible thing, heart bleeds, awful, sympathy blah, blah, blah", eventually followed by: "Nothing ever black or white, need to understand context, understandable reaction to persecution blah, blah, blah...".

P.S. Just so you don't misunderstand my viewpoint, and that of other posters who aren't irredeemably taken in by SF/IRA revisionism etc, NOTHING could be plainer than that the callous murder of an entirely innocent 9 year old boy, the subsequent denial of responsibility, and the litany of lies told to his heartbroken parents etc represents the very darkest shade of Black. 

[Evil Genius]

excellent post ,Aoise and I would say to the person who started this thread to at least change the title to something less provocative and to cease the cheap point scoring in the name of a 9 year old child.

Why? Is it cheap point scoring or does it make some folk on here feel uncomfortable that their heroes murdered an innocent child. If it was a Brit, a peeler, UDR man or one of the many sundry "legitimate targets" they wouldn't be apologising, therefore his age is entirely relevant to the story.

Mens rea

"Mens Rea" is it? Well I suppose that is a defence in the twisted world which you inhabit, since there was no intent to murder a 9 year old boy, just to murder some 19 year old squaddie or 29 year old peeler. And if instead it ended up killing a young lad, well how were the Provos to anticipate that he (youngster) might decide to go out and play in the garden of the family home where he lived?

P.S. Any idea what Mens Rea  was directing the actions of the callous c***ts who subsequently went round to the grieving parents and lied to their face as to how it happened?

[lynchbhoy]

Yet more bs from ya evil myles
Ya cant allow people to have an opinion if it isn't the same as your sectarian one !!
...and all you have is an opinion and far from fact !

Can I pedantically point out that while this poor child was killed and a family lost an innocent kid, it wasnt 'murder' - as this child's death wasn't Premeditated - he wasn't the target.
That may sound callous - but I think a couple of the usual nut jobs are about to lose the run of themselves here it seems !

[Evil Genius]

And whilst we're on the subject, am I the only one to wonder at the timing of the apology by (unnamed) "Republicans" for this atrocious act?

I mean, immediately after the HET confirmed that the Provos had murdered his son, Mr. Gallagher publicly asked Martin McGuinness to use his influence, knowledge and position etc to find out exactly who was responsible for killing his boy.

Because if I were of a cynical disposition, I might wonder whether this Republican statement, issued so promptly after the HET report, wasn't specifically designed to take the heat off the Bogside Butcher Deputy First Minister...