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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Peter King is wrong , the IRA did kill an American --- Harrods car bomb attack was one of the worst of The Troubles

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Peter King is wrong , the IRA did kill an American --- Harrods car bomb attack was one of the worst of The Troubles

Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 08:52 PM

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Congressman Peter King has stated the difference between the IRA and Al Qaeda is that the IRA never killed Americans.

He's wrong.

In December 1983 a car bomb was placed in a side street outside Harrods in Knightsbridge at the height of the Christmas shopping season.

The bomb contained between 25 and 30 lb of explosives and was left in a 1972 blue Austin car

A report of the incident at the time notes ;

At 12:44, a man using an IRA codeword phoned the central London branch of the Samaritans.

The caller said there were bombs inside and outside Harrods, specifying the registration number of the car, but not its make or color.

At about 1:21, four police officers in a car, a dog handler, and an officer on foot approached the car when the bomb went off
The police car absorbed much of the blast, probably reducing other casualties.

Six people were killed; three passers-by (including one citizen of the United States), and three Metropolitan Police officers Those killed were: Philip Geddes (journalist, 24), Kenneth Salvesen (28), Jasmine Cochrane-Patrick (25), Police Sergeant Noel Lane (28), and Police Constable Jane Arbuthnot (22).

Police Inspector Stephen Dodd (34) was fatally injured and died on 24 December. Police Constable Jon Gordon survived, but lost both legs and part of a hand in the blast.

90 others were injured, many seriously.

An Associated Press report at the time stated that "People were ... running from the scene, their faces absolutely covered in blood _ children, old people, men and women." said Jackie McPherson of Hamilton, Scotland, who was in a store 50 yards from Harrods.

"There was a tremendous explosion. There was blood everywhere," said 22-year-old Michael Francis. "One policeman had an eye hanging from its socket. He was very brave. I can't describe the horror of it," said the young man, who was standing outside the store when the bomb went off."

Among the dead was the 28-year old young American, Kenneth Salvesan, a businessman from Chicago. Severely injured was an Irish American, Mark McDonald from Michigan. He was later visited by Prince Charles and Lady Diana in hospital.

The bomb prompted Margaret Thatcher to write to Ronald Reagan demanding he crack down on Irish Northern Aid, the Republican support group in America, which King supported

All those killed and injured were utterly innocent, there was no attempt to claim it was a military target.

It was as bad as anything Al Qaeda could have pulled off .

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108 Comments

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hancock | Mar 31, 2011, 12:52 PM EDT

Because of their history in Ireland.

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Realist | Mar 31, 2011, 12:08 PM EDT

hancock: No, really, why do you hate the British? Why can't you even bring yourself to use the term 'British'? What happened?

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hancock | Mar 30, 2011, 03:46 PM EDT

No she's still here, did you run off with an English guy?

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Realist | Mar 30, 2011, 03:00 PM EDT

hancock: What happened? Did some English guy run off with your wife?

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hancock | Mar 30, 2011, 01:26 AM EDT

Yorktown anyone?

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hancock | Mar 30, 2011, 01:25 AM EDT

They're are biggest aircraft carrier.

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Realist | Mar 29, 2011, 04:31 PM EDT

maloney: Lol....which country is the closest ally of the United States? France? Japan? Germany? Israel? The Republic of Ireland (chuckle)? No, i think you'll find it's the United Kingdom. Can you please name one country or organization that describes the British as terrorist? Bladensburg Races anyone?

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maloney | Mar 21, 2011, 10:58 PM EDT

Realist...we called England terrorists back in the day when we threw your arses out of America. Killing women and children was common practice with you brits.

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Aughavey | Mar 20, 2011, 12:30 PM EDT

`Protestants and Catholics, were allowed only ONE VOTE per household regardless how many adults lived at that address.` yes this system was used UK wide and was based on the premise of taxpayers having the right to vote - since it was the head of the household that paid the council tax / rates which funded local councillors and services (ie collection of bins) it was the head of the household that got the vote. As it currently stands I pay rates on my house and on my business but people that pay no rates get to vote for local councillors as much as I do (including many of my relatives) - but it is my rates that pay the wages!

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Aughavey | Mar 20, 2011, 12:26 PM EDT

wizardofox - First Past The Post is still used in Northern Ireland for Westminster elections just as it is used around the UK. Please stop talking nonsense. PR is used for local council elections and since the Good Friday Agreement for the NI Assembly elections.

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wizardofoz | Mar 16, 2011, 04:37 AM EDT

The reason the Stormont government canceled the ‘First Past the Post’ system of voting and introduced Proportional Representation in 1969, was to even up the voting, if the Prods voted as a block, and most did, then they would win every election, and they did. With the PR system, with second and third transfers, the minority parties could, and did, get a better representation at both Westminster and Stormont elections. Without PR system it would have been hard, if not impossible, for Gerry or Martian to get a look in. And the fact is, all those reforms were past into legislation in 1969. So, no more lies or propaganda, thanks.

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wizardofoz | Mar 16, 2011, 04:21 AM EDT

Sally, do you sit in a corner and think up ways to make yourself look totally stupid? The ‘one man one vote’ campaign was aimed directly at LOCAL elections as these were the only elections were universal franchise was denied ‘one man one vote did not apply to Westminster, or Stormont elections. The two most important electoral reforms concerning the people of Northern Ireland, were local Council elections, which is where the anomaly and discrimination took place, rented accommodation addresses, Protestants and Catholics, were allowed only ONE VOTE per household regardless how many adults lived at that address. The gerrymander was the same, only LOCAL elections were gerrymandered, and both were done away with in 1969, the PR system introduced at the same time was a bonus. That you are ignorant of this fact is proof positive you are a bigot suffering propaganda overload, but twas always so, you republican grass roots are none to bright and easily lead!

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Kilsally | Mar 15, 2011, 05:45 PM EDT

wizardofoz said ` I am not talking about Westminster! Northern Ireland needed the PR system to even up the vote,` well pretty pointless argument then since we had direct rule until 1998 meaning it was FPTP Westminster MP`s that ruled NI

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Sparklet | Mar 15, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT

Freeman, why do you think I have no morals? FYI, I deplore British history in Ireland, but I'm a realist enough to know that we can't get the six counties back through violence which would damage the country as a whole even more than it is. I don't like violence, whoever perpetrates it. I also dislike hypocrisy. I live in the UK and I don't blame every English citizen for the sins of the past which some seem to do. I don't like politicians or governments, who I deem to all be corrupt at worst, insincere at best, but I will never approve of violence against innocent people. What exactly do you find so hard to understand about that?

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hancock | Mar 15, 2011, 10:51 AM EDT

Fact the English have conspireD with , armed, and colluded with the "good Irish terrorists". Walker, Stevens, , Brian Nelson et al. wHAT DID THE PARAS GET?

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