Human Rights Organization for Justice, Unity, Peace, and Solidarity
McCord
Raymond McCord’s Letter to Fr. Sean McManus and Irish National Caucus
Friday, February 4, 2022
Sean, on behalf of our cross-community group, The Truth and Justice Movement, I would like to thank you. We are grateful and appreciate all your support, and that of the Irish National Caucus as well. We see you, as we say in Belfast, "One of our own.” Now, we encourage both Irish-American politicians and all other American politicians to be "One of our own."
Victims from both communities here in Northern Ireland need the massive support and influence of those who sit in Washington from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party along with any independent politicians. The British government is intent on betraying victims and their families by their amnesty proposals. Women raped and murdered, children shot dead or blown up by bombs or killed by rubber bullets, men shot dead or murdered by bombs, all carried out by paramilitaries from both communities or by the state's security forces, agencies, and agents. Thousands of innocent victims.
These proposals are unheard of in any democratic country or society. With these proposals, the British government in one move would remove all aspects of truth and justice for victims and their families. Could anyone imagine if their son, daughter, grandchild, father, or mother, were murdered and the police told you that there will be no investigation into the murder, no inquest, no civil action, no prosecution, and by taking these actions put into law by the British government it will help you move on and bring reconciliation?
RECONCILIATION WITH WHOM, THE MURDERERS?
This is how the British government intends to cover up its involvement in countless murders. I take this opportunity to call upon President Biden to not only take action to help us stop all these proposals but to meet with me and show solidarity with all victims. The Irish government under Taoiseach Micheal Martin did that yesterday; and I, as someone from the Unionist community, see victims as one community and the Taoiseach as a friend alongside the likes of Father Sean Mc Manus, Senator Mark Daly, Senator Emer Currie, Simon Coveney and every politician in Ireland and the UK supporting us. Someday soon I hope and pray President Biden will meet with me on behalf of our group of cross-community victims and what a message that would send to the British government!
Victims from both communities here in Northern Ireland need the massive support and influence of those who sit in Washington from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party along with any independent politicians. The British government is intent on betraying victims and their families by their amnesty proposals. Women raped and murdered, children shot dead or blown up by bombs or killed by rubber bullets, men shot dead or murdered by bombs, all carried out by paramilitaries from both communities or by the state's security forces, agencies, and agents. Thousands of innocent victims.
These proposals are unheard of in any democratic country or society. With these proposals, the British government in one move would remove all aspects of truth and justice for victims and their families. Could anyone imagine if their son, daughter, grandchild, father, or mother, were murdered and the police told you that there will be no investigation into the murder, no inquest, no civil action, no prosecution, and by taking these actions put into law by the British government it will help you move on and bring reconciliation?
RECONCILIATION WITH WHOM, THE MURDERERS?
This is how the British government intends to cover up its involvement in countless murders. I take this opportunity to call upon President Biden to not only take action to help us stop all these proposals but to meet with me and show solidarity with all victims. The Irish government under Taoiseach Micheal Martin did that yesterday; and I, as someone from the Unionist community, see victims as one community and the Taoiseach as a friend alongside the likes of Father Sean Mc Manus, Senator Mark Daly, Senator Emer Currie, Simon Coveney and every politician in Ireland and the UK supporting us. Someday soon I hope and pray President Biden will meet with me on behalf of our group of cross-community victims and what a message that would send to the British government!