British were main Troubles protagonist, Sinn Féin claims

Sinn Féin has described the British government as the “main conflict protagonist” during the Troubles.

In its 30-page submission to the British government’s consultation on how to address the legacy of the Troubles, Sinn Féin said the British state has “always sought to conceal, deny and cover up its central role in the Irish conflict”.

“Fulfilling legacy obligations will require a step-change in the British governments approach to engaging with the past. To date the British government’s approach has been to deny and cover up its own role and culpability as the main conflict protagonist,” the party stated in its paper published on Wednesday.

Sinn Féin referred to a number of issues including alleged British collusion with loyalist paramilitaries; Bloody Sunday; the alleged RUC “shoot-to-kill” operations in north Armagh in the 1980s and the UDA murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

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The Irish Times put it to Sinn Féin's northern leader Michelle O'Neill that the contention that the British government was the main protagonist hardly stood up when the IRA was responsible for some half of the killings of the Troubles.

It was also put to her that during the Troubles the IRA fought a campaign under the slogan “Brits out” and that its policy, as described during the Troubles, was to try to “bomb a million unionists into a united Ireland”.

Stand over

Ms O’Neill said Sinn Féin could stand over the entire document. “It’s a piece of work that has been brought about with extensive engagement,” she said, before asking Sinn Féin North Belfast Assembly member and former IRA prisoner Gerry Kelly to more fully address the question.

Mr Kelly said it was not true that there was an attempt to bomb a million people into a united Ireland. He said “propaganda” was being applied in the question. He said the IRA reference to “Brits Out” during the Troubles referred to getting the British army out of Northern Ireland.

They are a government. They had 31,000 troops here, they had a standing army of some 150,000. So it is not unreasonable to say that they were the main protagonist

Mr Kelly said the British government had 31,000 troops in Northern Ireland at one stage. “They were set against republicanism and nationalism. There was a conflict on. Nationalists fought that conflict as other combatant forces did,” he said.

When further pressed on how Sinn Féin could stand over describing the British government as the main conflict protagonist, he replied, “They were the main protagonists. They are a government. They had 31,000 troops here, they had a standing army of some 150,000. So it is not unreasonable to say that they were the main protagonist,” he said.

When asked about the casualties caused by the IRA, Ms O’Neill interjected to say people “could spend all day getting into the conversation you want to have” or they could engage in building bridges and healing the wounds of the past.

“That is what we are about,” she added. “This is about trying to move this forward, about trying to give families access to mechanisms that they have been demanding time and time again.”

Lost lives: counting the cost of 40 years of conflict

Responsibility for deaths during the Troubles and after, from 1966 to 2006, as reported in the book Lost Lives by David McKittrick, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney, Chris Thornton and David McVea (2006)

IRA 1,768

Official IRA 57

INLA 151

Real IRA 31

Other Republican 145

UVF 569

UDA 431

Loyalist Volunteer Force 19

Red Hand Commando 5

Other Loyalists 88

British Army 302

RUC 51

Ulster Defence Regiment 8

Others (as in no knowledge who was responsible) 95

Total 3,720

Source Lost Lives