The Defence Secretary has pledged the Government’s “fullest support” for SAS personnel after a coroner found that a unit was unjustified in shooting dead an IRA gang “on a terror mission” in 1992 in Co Tyrone.
John Healey was speaking in the House of Commons in response to DUP leader Gavin Robinson who pressed him about the “grave injustice and the slur” delivered on the special forces.
“Can I ask the Secretary of State to take this opportunity to indicate not only to the House, but service personnel and the nation, that he as Defence Secretary supports those who bravely served in Northern Ireland and stood on the precipice between peace and tyranny?” Mr Robinson asked.
It prompted the Labour MP to say: “I’m glad to accept (Mr Robinson’s) invitation to do just that.
“And it behooves us all to remember that those who served in our forces in Northern Ireland were part of a campaign that led to more deaths of UK security personnel in Northern Ireland than in Afghanistan. They deserve and will have our fullest support.”
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Mr Robinson said: “It is important that the Government makes clear its unwavering support for those SAS personnel who acted entirely appropriately when faced with a terrorist death squad at Clonoe. If the IRA men had not been armed to the teeth and on ‘an operation’, they would probably not have encountered the SAS.
“The inquest’s ruling is unbelievable for those who courageously defended the law-abiding people of Northern Ireland from the murderous intent of the IRA. It not only undermines the bravery and integrity of those who served, but also emboldens a revisionist agenda that seeks to vilify our armed forces.
“Let’s remember 90% of all Troubles deaths were from the actions of terrorists. My question to the Defence Secretary provided the Government with an opportunity to stand firmly behind the soldiers who, in the face of an immediate and lethal threat, acted appropriately and proportionately to neutralise that danger.
“I welcome the minister’s strong support for those who served in Northern Ireland. As the disgraceful witch hunt against our armed forces continues, we must ensure that those who stood firm against terrorism are not hounded by a warped view of what was right and what was wrong.”
DUP leader Gavin Robinson
It comes as a former Conservative Party minister warned British Army members will be subject to a “a vindictive, vengeful” pursuit due to the Government’s repeal of legacy legislation.
In reference to the Clonoe ambush, Tory MP Sir David Davis branded Mr Justice Michael Humphreys’ findings last week – that members of an SAS team were not justified in using lethal force in shooting dead four IRA men – as an “attempt to rewrite the history of Northern Ireland”.
During defence questions in Parliament on Monday, Sir David told MPs: “Soldiers will be leaving the Army, not being recruited, if we continue to allow the persecution of soldiers who served in Northern Ireland.
“Last week’s coroner’s report into the Coalisland shootings was 51 pages of fact and eight pages of naive speculation, which led right into the IRA’s attempt to rewrite the history of Northern Ireland. So I’d like to hear from the Secretary of State how, without the Northern Ireland legacy legislation, he’s going to prevent this.
“If he fails, what should be a process of peace and reconciliation will turn into a vindictive, vengeful pursuit of men whose only sin was to serve their country with honour, heroism, skill and in the most terrifying conditions.”
Defence Minister Luke Pollard said Sir David’s “passion is felt” by the Government, who “want to support all our veterans”.
He added: “The Ministry of Defence is continuing our conversations with the Northern Ireland office, that is, of course, the lead department when it comes to matters of this regard.
“But we will continue to support our veterans and continue the conversations with the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner as to how we can support veterans in Northern Ireland, in particular.”
Special forces opened fire as four Provisional IRA members arrived in a church car park in Clonoe in a stolen lorry they had used in a gun attack on Coalisland RUC station in 1992 (PA)
The Government has committed to repeal The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
The Act, introduced by the former Conservative government, halted scores of civil cases and inquests and proposed conditional immunity for perpetrators of Troubles crimes in exchange for their co-operation with a new truth recovery body.
A number of unionist leaders expressed anger over the findings of an inquest into the deaths of Patrick Vincent, Kevin O’Donnell, Peter Clancy and Sean O’Farrell which concluded that the soldiers involved did not have an honest belief that lethal force was necessary to prevent loss of life, and its use by the soldiers was not reasonable.
The men — all members of the IRA’s east Tyrone brigade — were killed in the grounds of St Patrick’s Church near Clonoe in 1992, minutes after attacking Coalisland RUC Station.
Soldiers fired more than 500 rounds as the gang dumped a hijacked lorry used in the machine gun attack.
After the High Court judge who presided as coroner in the case delivered is findings, Mr Robinson said the judgement “beggars belief” and insisted that the operation “was absolutely necessary and lawful” as it was against “an armed IRA unit that had just carried out an attack on a police station, posing an immediate and ongoing threat to security forces and civilians”.
Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said it was “ludicrous to say that the shooting of four heavily armed terrorists” was unjustified.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the case could now be referred to prosecutors and police for criminal investigation.
Mr Justice Humphreys said that no attempt was made by the soldiers to arrest any of the members of the IRA unit, even as they lay seriously injured and incapacitated on the ground or in the cab of the lorry.
He also rejected the soldiers’ claims that the IRA members opened fire in the car park, saying they were “demonstrably untrue”.
TUV leader Jim Allister said the soldiers involved “did their duty” and had “encountered armed IRA terrorists on murderous active service and protected the public”.
Meanwhile, DUP MP for Strangford, Jim Shannon, said the SAS were “confronted by the enemy” and the men killed “got their just deserts”.
He said the soldiers were “confronted by those killers, murderers, terrorists, scum, that they are, armed to the teeth with a machine gun, they could fire 500 rounds per minute”.
The inquest also found that state agencies “perpetuated falsehoods” about the events at Clonoe, having claimed in a press release that there was an “exchange of gunfire”.