Shankill Road bombing 1993

Commemoration  ‘provocative, insensitive and an affront to human decency’

The Workers Party has described as “deliberately provocative, insensitive and an affront to human decency” the commemoration and unveiling of a plaque to Shankill bomber Thomas Begley.

“There can never be a justification for the public commemoration of such an act of barbarism as the blowing up of men, women and children in a local shop on a Saturday afternoon.  There was no justification for this act of mass murder at the time and there is certainly no justification now for the commemoration of those who carried it out”, the Party said.

Sectarian triumphalism

“Today’s commemoration was deliberately provocative, insensitive and an affront to human decency. Those who organised, supported and attend it have caused additional pain and suffering to the families of the bomb’s victims and have clearly signalled that they believe the atrocity to have been a legitimate part of their self-styled ‘freedom struggle’ “.

“It is now the responsibility of everyone who opposes this type of tribal, sectarian triumphalism to state that unambiguously and to isolate those who seek to continue to divide Northern Ireland society”, the statement concluded.