Martin Mansergh (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the motion and offer my support and solidarity to the Rafferty family. The case has many similarities with the Robert McCartney case. In both instances we have family members simply not prepared to suffer in silence in the face of intimidation and harassment. Over the years we have had groups rightly seeking justice for victims of State violence in the North. It is equally right that the same rigorous criteria of justice are applied where people are the victims of paramilitary organisations. Although I will not address it this evening I have no doubt that precisely the same problem exists in acute form in loyalist communities. It behoves us to give support to people who are not going to put up any longer with that type of intimidation. As we know, the homes of the McCartney sisters are attacked at least in a minor way practically every night, which is disgraceful.

This is a week in which very important and momentous advances have been made but that is not the end of the matter. There is a culture where people feel some kind of mystical authority to take the law into their own hands and to harm and injure other people. We should not have to tolerate this in any part of this country. I accept the point that these were not operations authorised by the IRA army council or any unit. They happen because individuals associated with that organisation got involved. What has happened both before and after is not a pretty sight. The peace process will not be complete until we get rid of that culture North and South. Let us be frank, this has existed in one form or another, including in parts of this jurisdiction, for up to 80 years. It was fading away until the Troubles arose and gave it a new impetus, particularly in certain parts of the country.

An attitudinal change needs to be made. There are people who get involved in these activities who the Garda Síochána discovers have memorabilia associated with the killers of Detective Garda McCabe and who seem to take some pride or glory in accidents like that. We in the House, and all decent people, regard that sort of thing as reprehensible and find it very difficult to get into the minds of people who believe what happened in Adare in 1996 was a glorious act.

The mindset and culture must be changed. People within the movements in question who want to make progress probably want to achieve such change but it is a very difficult task. They are dealing with an ingrained culture. The political organisations should not be surprised if there is no enthusiasm on any side of either House of the Oireachtas for getting into full-scale political partnership with them any time soon until such matters are dealt with. I appeal again to the leadership of Sinn Féin to make more effective efforts to have these matters sorted out and to be as rigorous in demanding justice as they are in the cases of Pat Finucane or others who have been killed to some degree in collusion with the state. There cannot be double standards. Although the members of the Rafferty family have suffered terribly in a way people should not have to suffer, they, in their reaction and the courage they have shown, are doing a real public service to this society, just as members of the McCartney family are doing.