Villiers facing Loughinisland apology calls

Villiers facing Loughinisland apology calls

22 June 2016

OVER 3,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Secretary of State Theresa Villiers to apologise to the relatives of those killed during the Loughinisland massacre.

The petition, organised by Relatives for Justice, came after the Police Ombudsman found there was collusion in the UVF murder of six men at the Heights Bar in June 1994.

In his damning report, Dr Michael Maguire said there had been “significant collusion” and linked the weapon used to kill the men with a batch smuggled in with the help of Loyalists agents working for the RUC and British military intelligence.

Earlier this year Ms Villiers claimed it was a “deliberate distortion” to say there was widespread misconduct in the security forces during the Troubles.

She went on to argue that there was a “pernicious counter narrative” which is a “version of the Troubles that seeks to displace responsibility from the people who perpetrated acts of terrorism and place the state at the heart of nearly every atrocity and murder that took place — be it through allegations of collusion, misuse of agents and informers or other forms of unlawful activity”.

“Remember this. It wasn’t the RUC or the Army who planted the bombs at La Mon, Enniskillen, or the Shankill, or pulled the triggers at Loughinisland or Greysteel,” she later added.

The petition was set up by campaign group Relatives for Justice last Monday and now has 3,354 supporters. A statement on the change.org website reads: “It was RUC paid agents who pulled the triggers and it was the RUC who failed to investigate the atrocity, with houses not searched and no arrests made for a month, despite having names within a day.

“Alibis weren’t checked out and evidence was persistently destroyed by the police.”

It continues: “Following the publication of the Police Ombudsman Report on Loughinisland Ms Villiers cannot say she accepts the findings of the report and allow her hurtful and damaging remarks to stand.

“She must retract the remarks and make apology to the Loughinisland families and all families affected by the British military policy of collusion.”