CATHOLICS CAN BE BIGOTS TOO!

OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS WE HAVE HAD AN IGNORAMUS, CLAIMING TO BE FROM WEST BELFAST, ON THE BLOG COMPLAINING THAT I WAS WRONG TO SUPPORT A UDR (THE CONTROVERSIAL ULSTER DEFENCE REGIMENT) MEMBER WHO SUFFERED AN INJUSTICE.

Obviously the bigot thinks that I should only help Catholics, Nationalists and Republicans who suffer injustices.

He probably thinks that Protestants and Unionists deserve every injustice they get?

As MMM very ably  pointed out that this is part of the problem of “them and us” in Northern Ireland.

Just as there is no difference between Catholic and Protestant tears and blood  – there is no difference between a Catholic and a Protestant injustice.

Injustice is injustice! Period!

As a regiment I regard the general behaviour of the UDR as despicable. They tortured my parishioners in Kilkeel in County Down and I fought with them everyday. Daly moved me from Kilkeel to Larne as a punishment for fighting with the UDR on behalf of my parishioners, especially the young ones.

The UDR did plenty of injustices to the Catholic and National community. Shame on them for that.

But does that mean that we should delight in an injustice done to an individual man? Of course not. Two wrong never make a right.

The UDR man I have tried to help was called Neil Latimer. With three other UDR men he was found guilty of the murder on Adrian Carroll RIP.

The convictions of the other three have already been overturned by theappeal court.

Latimer’s conviction was not as a result of a lady called Witness A who claimed in a police statement that she saw him at the murder scene.

However I went to Witness A’s home and had a lengthy conversation with her about her statement.

He told me she made the statement under duress from the police who threatened to arrest and imprison her son.

She also told me she went to Father Denis Faul to tell him that she wished to withdraw her statement but Father Faul convinced her not to!!!

She told me she knew Neil Latimer for a long time, liked him, and was convinced he was incapable of murder.

Early Day Motion (House of Commons) Wikipedia
On 21 October 1992 Peter Robinson moved an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom that said:
That this House urges the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to consider a further referral to the Court of Appeal of the case of Neil Latimer; acknowledges that the recent judgement in the UDR 4 case relied heavily upon the evidence of witness A in refusing Neil Latimer’s release; is now deeply concerned about the safety of that judgement in light of an affidavit signed by a Roman Catholic priest, Pat Buckley, alleging he met the women known as witness A who informed him she was not certain that Neil Latimer was the man she saw in Lonsdale Street in November 1983 and that she believed Neil Latimer is an innocent man; and seeks an investigation into claims, in the same affidavit, that witness A, her family and friends have received favours from the police in exchange for witness A not retracting her statement.

So, in my opinion Neil Latimer has experienced a very serious in justice – an injustice that must be put right.

Having studied Irish Studies to master’s level in Queen’s University I am well aware of the horrific injustices suffered by the Catholic/Nationalist community in Northern Ireland at the hands of Unionists, Unionist politicians, the RUC the B SPECIALS etc.

For God sake I saw it happening before my very eyes from 1978 to 1983 when I worked on the Falls Road. During those years I tackled the police and army on a daily basi

I also saw it as I ministered to the Hunger Strikers as they died in prison.

The Catholic/Nationalist community also suffered severe discrimination in housing and unemployment.

But Protestants and Unionists suffering injustices does nothing to help what we suffered.

When ONE suffers an injustice WE ALL suffer injustice.

The ignoramus from West Belfast is a small narrow minded little creature who does not have the intelligence to rise above his brainwashing and hatred.

Its people like him/her who diminish us all.

They want to keep us living in hatred and strife – hating the British but eager to get to the dole office every week to collect the Queen’s shilling.