This was one of the most notorious and most overtly sectarian mass killings of the Troubles, referenced in agonising detail by Heaney in his Nobel speech; Longley wrote ‘The Linen Workers’ about it.

It’s well known who authorised it.
Long past time for truth.

Good luck in this vitally important role Mukesh

To be expected to ‘forgive’ people who have killed with malice, and who show NO REGRET is silly; indeed it comes close to justifying murder, by implying that taking a life is of no consequence.

Human decency demands that we call out killing.
There is right, and there is wrong.

Ann Travers has been a shining light of courage and moral integrity over the last 40 years in standing up for basic human decency. She abhors violence from ANY source. She is an example to all of us, and among the finest of Irish women.

There was no moral or political difference between the IRA murder of 29 year old Joanne Mathers in Derry in 1981, and the IRA murder of 29 year old Lyra Mc Kee in Derry in 2019.
No difference; both killings were equally disgraceful

Is this the end of Israel? - UnHerd

Israel is the only democracy in the region, where the human rights of women and gays are fully respected.
However by electing Netanyahu for 25+ years Israelis seem to have a morbid compulsion towards self destruction unherd.com/2024/04/is-thi…

If a Minister brings in a law making a new crime , it is ENTIRELY THEIR responsibility to tell the public in clear language what is now a crime, and what is not. Should be easy
To refuse to do this and land all responsibility on the police is abject cowardice and incompetence.

Absolutely right Sian.

This is no aberration; it is in the long tradition of physical force nationalism and is in a direct line from 1972 when Mc Guinness showed off his gun to pre teens, and the rioting by youths setting up the killing of Lyra Mc Kee in 2019.

SNP hate crime law

SNP Minister doesn’t know what now constitutes a crime; but it’s her party’s ‘essential’ law!
To light the fuse and then leave it to the police to work out the practical consequences is cowardly and an insult to democracy.

bbc.com/news/uk-scotla…

Joanna,
Could the Scot Gov/ Police Scotland publish 3 sets of three examples of speech on exactly the same theme:

3 examples of ‘hate crime’
3 examples of NHCI
3 examples neither of the above.

This should be simple, and would enlighten the debate and (maybe) reassure people.

Ann,
The key point is that for more than 50 years practically every IRA member has had a tricolour over their coffin; having it on Pearse Mc Auley’s is nothing new. Many who had killed many more than he had the tricolour too. I’m rather surprised by the reaction of Simon Harris

Khan review: Teacher in blasphemy row ‘utterly failed’

I’m from N Ireland. Once you give in to threats and intimidation you are lost. They come back for more.

The police don’t see him as a victim of crime!!

His school don’t regret their cowardice. schoolsweek.co.uk/khan-review-te…

Natural justice demands that you know exactly what you have been accused of so you can have a chance to defend yourself.

Also, what are the Police doing with this information? Can it be used to stop someone getting a job in eg health/ education?

Scotland’s progressive authoritarians have debased public life

A simple way for the Scots Gov to reassure people is to publish 5 examples of speech that will be criminal, and 5 examples of strong speech on the same theme that will not be criminal. Easy!

thetimes.co.uk/article/957784…

A notoriously disgusting murder ; as well as being blatantly sectarian, to replace his briefcase with a bomb and killing two rescuers plumbed the depths of depravity.
Reportedly Mc Guinness watched it all from a nearby vantage point.

The pure poison of political violence

Elaine,
To be fair to the IRA, this is nothing new; they have almost always put the tricolour over the coffins of their dead members over the last 50 years and more.

This was an odd programme. It notes rightly N.I. wasn’t a great place for gay people then.
However for much of it you would almost think Darren was killed by anti gay Christians. He wasn’t; he was murdered by republicans ( like Lyra Mc Kee).
Put the blame where it lies

Fergus,
You write of Ireland’s ‘good leaders, with vision’, contrasting them with some (fairly awful) Tory politicians.

Given that one Irish party regards the killing of 1770 people - including a Senator - as ‘justified’ , are you so sure of genuine democratic superiority ?

Side by side in today’s Bel Telegraph, one article noting the excellence of ‘Blue Lights’ which had a harrowing episode on the shooting of a child…..
and another on the popular success of a band which is specifically named after the shooting of children and young adults…

My article in today’s News Letter app.newsletter.co.uk/story/full_pag…