A MOVING MEMORIAL...
Did you see that the memorial stone to the 31 victims of the Irish republican bomb attack on Omagh back in 1998 has been removed by the Council from the towns' garden of remembrance? Some of the next of kin of those so cruelly slaughtered that day are outraged at this move. The Council has set up what is called an "independent facilitation team" to determine the future of the exiting memorial stone and the wording on a new memorial centre-piece.
I believe that this is all part of the sanitisation of the past and the truth is that it is the views of those who lost loved ones, and only them, that should prevail. This cannot be about showing sensitivity towards the terrorist scum that planted the bombs that caused so much loss of life that dreadful day. Best of all, bringing the murderers to justice might also be a good idea - though I do realise that here in peace process land that seems a hard-line comment.
David Vance
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Is this all to do with Sinn Fein objections to the mention of 'Republican' on the inscription?
Yip. Remember - no republican can be involved in criminality, according to Mr Adams.
A sad state of affairs
I would like to see other councils on both sides of the border creating memorials to the Omagh victimes based on the one that has been censored.
David,
Just a quick note. There's a typo in your post. It reads "1988" and should read 1998.
Cheers Alan..will fix.
Don't know what the reason behid the removal of the memorial is. I've heard speculation that SF opposed some of the wording format but I've ever seen anything credible to corrobarate this.
It should also be noted that some of the berieved were against this kind of memorial.
Mr Rush said he was opposed to any sort of shrine.
"I don't want to be confronted with the death of my wife, I don't see there is anything to be gained from that," he said.
"There are other things that the money could be spent on, a bursary or a scholarship that would be of benefit to the children of the future rather than a monument.I have my monument, my monument is my three children and grandchildren and in the cemetery. If we put one in Omagh it could be vandalised."
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3110636.ece
I personally think that the monument should stay untouched.
Here's another one:
Anger at replacement of tribute to Enniskillen bombing victims