UDR families united in opposition to legacy proposals

BEREAVED families of UDR servicemen and women from across the North who were killed during the ‘Troubles’ came together in Tyrone to voice their strong opposition to the UK government’s controversial legacy proposals.

The leaders of Northern Ireland’s three main Unionist parties were among the large crowd that attended the ‘Standing By and For Justice’ event at Corick House Hotel in Clogher, which was organised by local victims’ group, SEFF.

Kenny Donaldson, SEFF’s director of services, told the gathering that SEFF had “listened to the pain” expressed by UDR families, the bereaved, others who had been injured and others who had served in the UDR.

Mr Donaldson said, “We have heard your frustrations at how others are misrepresenting legacy issues to pursue their own vested interests and we have felt convicted to provide a platform for the UDR family to come together in solidarity to stand against the imposition of an amnesty for ‘Troubles’ related crimes.”

The victims’ campaigner said that they chose to hold the event in Tyrone because it was “the worst-hit county in respect of UDR-related lives stolen through terrorism”.

He said, “Was the regiment flawless? Absolutely not, and it is a matter of record that a number of members unfortunately served two masters and were involved in acts of terrorism. But those actions do not define the regiment, yet they are a source of grave disappointment, frustration and anger for the overwhelming majority of those connected with the regiment.”

Calling for the British Government to “belatedly grow a backbone”, Mr Donaldson outlined a number of foundation stones that any resolution of legacy must include, including “the removal of the current definition of victim and an end to the equating of a terrorist/perpetrator and the innocent victims they had created”.

Among the other speakers at the event was former DUP Clogher Valley councillor Sammy Brush, who was shot and injured in an IRA ambush while serving in the UDR in 1981. Prominent republican activist, Gerry McGeough, was convicted of his attempted murder in 2011.

DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, claimed that the government’s proposals would “remove victims’ access to justice”.

He said, “My colleague Sammy Brush stands as testament that an element of justice, even after 30 years, is still possible. He was able to secure a conviction in 2011 against the man who came to murder him because of new investigative techniques.”

The DUP leader said his party would stand against those who want to “rewrite the past”.

He said, “The UDR stood up for democracy. I served in the regiment alongside some of the finest men and women in Northern Ireland. They cared for their neighbour.

“They stood against the men of violence, and they would be appalled that the terrorists who shot them and their families will be able to stop looking over their shoulder.”