Bomb atrocity posters are ‘disgraceful’

DUNGANNON councillor Barry Monteith has described posters in the area with images of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombing atrocities as ‘disgraceful’.

Posters of the newly installed Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with a background image of the Dublin/Monaghan bombs appeared in Dungannon over the weekend.

Hundreds of similar posters were plastered around loyalist areas of Belfast earlier in the week.

The Dublin and Monaghan bombings in May 17, 1974 were a series of co-ordinated attacks during evening rush hour that killed 33 civilians and injured almost 300.

The bombings were the deadliest attack of ‘The Troubles’.

The posters read, “Peace or Protocol. It’s your decision. The possibility of a return to VIOLENCE is very real.”

The posters appeared on Saturday as the Fine Gael leader, who is in coalition with partner Micheal Martin, took over as Taoiseach.

Independent councillor Barry Monteith said, “To use one of the darkest days in our history to make a threat is reprehensible. The victims of the Dublin/Monaghan bombs were killed by forces loyal to the British crown for being Irish in Ireland. Their memory should not be used in this disgraceful manner.”

Margaret Urwin of the Justice for the Forgotten (JFF) campaign group said the victims would be “appalled” at the use of the images.

UUP leader Doug Beattie also condemned those responsible and said the posters were designed “to raise tensions, to agitate and to incite a young demographic”.