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Ritchie: Those who maimed Peadar Heffron, killed Jerry McCabe are all traitors

Speaking in New York, SDLP Leader Margaret Ritchie said the murderers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe and those who maimed Constable Peadar Heffron are equally traitors.

Mon 15th March

Ms Ritchie was speaking at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York which offers the annual Jerry McCabe Fellowship. She said: “I’m delighted to be back here at John Jay again to celebrate the continuing cooperation between An Garda Siochana and the NYPD – and to remember the sacrifice of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe.

 

“I wish to pay tribute to all involved in this ongoing event. For those of us from Northern Ireland, policing and policing reform have been at the heart of the peace process. And we have recently taken another step forward with agreement to seek the full devolution of Policing and Justice powers from Westminster to the Stormont Assembly.

 

“It is vitally important that we are all on the same page in the North in terms of our full support for our Police Service. This is especially so given the recent upsurge in republican dissident violence: an upsurge which led to an Irish-speaking, Gaelic-playing young policeman – Peadar Heffron - being blown up in his car, left fighting for his life and badly maimed for the rest of his days.

 

“Some republicans have labeled the dissidents as ‘traitors’ – there is no doubt they are that and more. But let’s be clear about one thing:  

the traitors who have ruined Peadar Heffron’s life are no different from the traitors who ended Jerry McCabe’s life.

 

“What is wrong now was always wrong. And some day hopefully those who held the North to ransom for more than 30 years - when they have finished congratulating themselves – will finally admit the wrong they have done. For it is men and women like Jerry McCabe and Peadar Heffron who are the true patriots of Ireland,  not those who callously attempt to destroy those who serve our community as Police Officers.

 

 

“For all that, things are better in the North and we must be grateful for that. But we must never forget the price we paid and the huge loss of life incurred. And we must never forget the republican murder of Gerry McCabe.”

  

Margaret Ritchie

Margaret Ritchie MP, Westminster

Email m.ritchie@sdlp.ie
Tel 028 4461 2882

Press Office

Tel 028 90 52 1837

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