Alliance Councillor Tierna Howie is disappointed that her motion on paramiltarism did not receive any Council support
Alliance Councillor Tierna Howie has saidxa0the UK and Irish governments should be telling all paramilitary groups to leave the stagexa0rather than appointing an interlocutor to engage with them, expressing disappointment at lack of agreement on the issue from other Newry Mourne and Down Councillors.
Paramiltarism is still rampant across County Down since the foundation of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
Cllr Howie was speaking after proposing an Alliance motion calling on the Council to categorically oppose all proposals to make such an appointment, and to write to the Secretary of State and the Taoiseach urging them to abandon the recently-announced plans.
Cllr Howie said: “Paramilitarism is a scourge on our society. It continues to offer nothing to communities other than creating more victims and misery, and exerting coercive control over some of our most vulnerable.
“Paramilitaries and all of their legacy structures must be dismantled, and their crimes tackled robustly.
“27 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, it is well beyond time those engaged in paramilitarism permanently left the stage.
“They have had every opportunity to do so, and yet instead, many continue to recruit, groom, and criminally exploit our young people, to deal drugs and death in our communities, to extort and racketeer from legitimate local businesses, and to prey on poverty and deprivation with loan-sharking.
“Plans to appoint an interlocutor to engage with these organisations flies in the face of the good work done by local representatives, such as Justice Minister Naomi Long, to tackle paramilitarism and organised crime and reduce their legitimacy in communities across Newry Mourne and Down, and right across Northern Ireland.
“Such plans give these groups a credibility which is not extended to any other criminal gangs.xa0
“Paramilitaries do not need to be negotiated with. The UK and Irish governments must realise this and, instead of appointing a go between, tell them they should disband immediately, and remind them that failure to do so will result in them continuing to face the full force of the law.
“It’s greatly disappointing that not one other party in this Council were on the same page, and instead chose to vote against the motion or abstain.”
