ENGLISH OCCUPIERS NEED TO LEAVE THEIR FIRST AND LAST COLONY IN PEACE

Gerry Adams defends response to murder of soldiers

Sinn Féin leader says it is important to understand the
history of Northern Ireland before criticising the nature
of his party's reaction to the killing of two sappers on
Saturday

guardian.co.uk
Monday 9 March 2009

Gerry Adams said today that the British army was "not
wanted" in Northern Ireland as he explained Sinn Féin's
decision not to condemn the killing of two soldiers in
Antrim as robustly as other parties have done.

In an interview on the Today programme, the Sinn Féin
leader said it was important to understand the history of
Northern Ireland before criticising the nature of the Sinn
Féin reaction.

Sinn Féin took 14 hours to issue a response to the killing
of two soldiers at Massereene barracks on Saturday night.
The party said that the attack was "wrong and
counter-productive" and that, because Sinn Féin had a
"responsibility to be consistent", therefore "the logic of
this is that we support the police in the apprehension of
those involved".

Adams has been criticised for not condemning the attacks
more vehemently. Lord Tebbit, the former Conservative party
chairman, told the Daily Mail: "It is a pity that Gerry
Adams could not find it in his heart to express any
sympathy for those who republicans have murdered."

On the Today programme this morning Adams said that his
thoughts were with the families of those who were killed
and injured. But, when it was put to him that the Sinn Féin
response appeared cold-hearted, he said those who were
saying that did not understand the history of Northern
Ireland.

"The Sinn Féin statement was totally and absolutely
unprecedented," he said.

"The history, and I suppose it's a very unsettled history,
is that the British army in Ireland is not wanted by
republicans, by patriots, by democrats. I stress again that
this is not to justify what occurred. Many people have
suffered at the hands of the British army."

Adams said that Northern Ireland had now reached a peaceful
and democratic phase and that those behind the attack were
seeking to undermine that. But he had to be the "best
judge" of how he decided to react.

"We have been very successful at how we have brought the
broad republican community to where we are. I have to be
the best judge of how I address that community."

Adams said that those behind the attacks had "no popular
support". He also said that he and his Sinn Féin colleague
Martin McGuiness were seen as legitimate targets by the
dissident republicans.