by Gareth Cross
A Derry councillor has accused the IRA of murdering his brother.
Independent councillor Warren Robinson made the accusation at a full meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council in the Guildhall last week.
Cllr Robinson's brother Mark was 22-years-old when he was killed in the Galliagh area of Derry in April 2001 (crime scene pictured).
His comments came as councillors were discussing the recent increase in shootings in Derry.
During the same discussion Sinn Fein councillor Paul Fleming said that the INLA were behind recent shootings in Derry.
SDLP councillor Brian Tierney brought forward a motion calling on the council to engage with police and other partners to stop the attacks.
Cllr Tierney said that shootings in Derry have trebled in the last two years and that 'no amount of condemnation' would stop the attacks.
He said the problem was 'two-fold' that people are involved in criminal activity and anti-social behaviour and that others take justice into their own hands.
Cllr Tierney told the meeting there was a need to "address the scourge of drugs, criminality and anti-social behaviour" on society.
He said that many people know how are carrying out both the crimes and the punishment attacked and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Summing up Cllr Tierney said that ‘bullets never worked, it won’t now’.
The motion was seconded by his party colleague Tina Gardiner.
Cllr Robinson said that everyone wanted to see an end to these kind of attacks.
He told the meeting that 16 years ago his brother was killed by in the IRA in a ‘so-called punishment attack’.
Cllr Robinson said if he believed the motion would help he would support it but countered that 'populism will not tackle this issue'.
Independent councillor Paul Gallagher said that there was 'nothing new' in Cllr Tierney's motion and that it was the 'same old rhetoric'.
He told the meeting that the only way to tackle the issue was through talking and dialogue with the groups involved.
Sinn Fein councillor Paul Fleming said this his party supported the motion.
Not stupid
He told the meeting that the community was ‘not stupid’, and that they knew who was behind the recent shootings and that they were carried out by the INLA.
Cllr Fleming said that there was a need to work with communities and the PSNI to tackle the issue.
DUP councillor Drew Thompson said he would support the motion and that it was interesting to hear people say condemnation doesn't work.
Alderman Thompson said he was on record as saying he didn't believe dissident republicans or loyalists exist.
He told the meeting attacks were carried out by members or ex-members of organisations.
Alderman Thompson said there was no room for any attacks of this type on anyone from any community.
Independent councillor Gary Donnelly said that these issues were nothing new and the problems had existed for decades.
Cllr Donnelly said that the issues were social and that to him, the PSNI were part of the problem.
He noted that the PSNI had raided the homes of two elderly residents in Creggan recently.
Cllr Donnelly told the meeting that the PSNI operated a child-informer policy and regularly carried out stop and searches.
He said that he had visited a number of shooting victims and had been told by a victim of an instance when an SDLP member pulled up to their home, 'straightened his tie' conducted a television interview and left without talking to the victim.
Cllr Donnelly said that to him, the motion was another example of 'tie-straightening'.
Independent unionist councillor Maurice Devenney said that the groups behind the attacks should be 'brought in out of the cold'.
Cllr Devenney said they should engage with politics as other similar groups had done in the past.
He told the meeting that the recent ceasefire from Óglaigh na hÉireann (ONH) should be welcomed and that council must pledge their support to the PSNI.
Responding, Cllr Tierney said that he visited every victim of a shooting in his council area or a family member within 24 hours.
He said he would be happy to meet the PSNI with Cllr Donnelly to discuss home raids if he wished.
Cllr Tierney said he was glad it appeared the motion would pass, because not supporting it offered 'no hope'.
The motion was passed with Cllrs Robinson and Donnelly voting against.
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