Quick Links
- for parents & kids
- for teachers
- for students
- for journalists local
news
NICIE responds to recent terror attacks in Northern Ireland13/03/2009
NICIE has issued a response to the recent killings of two British soldiers and a police officer by dissident republican groups still operating in Northern Ireland.
Sappers Mark Qunisey and Patrick Azimkar were shot dead last week at Massereene Barracks, Antrim, in an attack which left four others injured, while Constable Stephen Carroll from Craigavon was shot and fatally wounded after responding to a call for help on Monday.
The Real IRA has claimed responsibility for murdering the soldiers, the Continuity IRA for killing Constable Carroll. Reacting to the tragic events, NICIE produced a statement saying: “The events of the weekend have served to highlight the fragile nature of our peace. There have always been those in our midst who have disagreed with our declared wish to move ahead and create a shared and better future together. “This is their democratic right. What is never acceptable however, is the use of violence to support that view. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have died and been injured. We thought we had left those dark days behind. “Education has a key role in creating our shared and better future. We need to model a better way ahead which involves young people in creating that future. The past teaches us that prejudice and bigotry lead to lost lives and a legacy of pain and suffering. We cannot glorify the past however we understand the circumstances which created it. “We need to demonstrate leadership at this time of challenge. We need to create safe spaces where young people can experience difference as something which enriches their lives and not as something that entrenches division and breeds sectarianism. We owe them this as we move towards our shared and better future.”
