The recent case made in an Orange Standard article
for inquiries to be held into the murders of Orangemen, other
loyalists and members of the security forces during the Troubles
has certainly struck a chord with readers.
A number have written and contacted the Standard to say how
delighted they were to see the paper take up the case of those
all-too-quickly forgotten victims of the IRA and INLA.
As the Bloody Sunday inquiry continues in its lengthy deliberations,
and a film now being made about the events in Londonderry
that day, and with nationalist pressure increasing for inquiries
into the Rosemary Nelson, Robert Hamill and Pat Finucane murders,
the Orange Standard readers have underlined the need for similar
inquiries into the atrocities carried out by the republicans.
One typical comment was from a reader in the Loughgall area
of Co. Armagh. He said "Well done the Orange Standard
for spotlighting this important deficit in the clamour for
inquiries into the happenings of the past 30 years.
"There is a great need for Unionist politicians of all
parties to put forward the strong case for a series of inquiries.
There are no lack of victims - Bloody Friday in Belfast, La
Mon House, Tullyvallen Orange Hall, the Kingsmill massacre,
and Shankill bomb to name but a few.
"And as far as people are concerned, what about the
murders of people like Edgar Graham, the Rev. Robert Bradford
M.P., Sir Norman and James Stronge, and the many rank-and-file
Protestants gunned down for no other reason than their religion
or their service in HM Forces.
"And it looks as though that brave man David Wright
is going to get little support from the Government in his
call for a public inquiry into that most blatant murder. If
ever a crime called out for a full judicial inquiry with all
the facts produced in public, it is the murder of Billy Wright
in the Maze prison.
"There were too many suspicious aspects in that slaying
for the matter to be swept under the carpet.
"It is vital the Unionist politicians get their act
together. There is no sign of nationalist and republican pressure
for public inquiries into a whole series of killings which
affected their community abating. And Southern pressure groups
are now following the same line, with the demand for inquiries
into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974.
"Unless Unionists apply pressure and influence, there
is a danger that the rest of the world will be persuaded that
the only people who suffered during the 30 years of violence
in Northern Ireland were the Roman Catholics and nationalists.
It is essential that the whole picture is presented and the
balance of justice maintained."
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