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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Vicious attacks on presidential candidate Martin McGuinness begin -- Absurd call to have him arrested as war criminal

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Vicious attacks on presidential candidate Martin McGuinness begin -- Absurd call to have him arrested as war criminal

Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 06:47 AM

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The Irish presidential race gets nastier every day since Martin McGuinness entered.

He has touched a raw nerve among the Little Irelanders,who want nothing more than to keep their little Republic to themselves and bitterly oppose any interference from the likes of McGuinness.

We are witnessing the last throw of the dice of the revisionists who would much rather a wall was built around Northern Ireland many years ago and then have averted their eyes to whatever needed to be done.

The latest extraordinary outburst was by Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole who proclaimed that Martin McGuinness if he became president of Ireland, could be arrested for war crimes if he traveled abroad because of his role with the IRA.

"Should we appoint a head of State who could be liable to arrest for war crimes under international law?," he asked in his column.

The blindingly obvious retort is that Nelson Mandela, founder of the ANC, an organization that invented 'necklacing' where a burning tire was placed around a victim's neck, could be arrested too under O'Toole's definition.

That did not stop Mandela getting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

O'Toole's comments also ignored the reality of the history of his own state.

Sean MacBride, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Nobel Peace Prize winner was a Chief of Staff of the IRA.

Two previous presidents of Ireland, Eamon De Valera and Sean T O'Ceallaigh were members of the IRA before going into politics.

McGuinness is following a long tradition in Irish politics of putting aside the gun and entering politics.

He is head and shoulders above those competing for the race against him in terms of accomplishment.

His two major rivals, Gay Mitchell of Fine Gael and Michael D. Higgins of the Labor Party are second tier candidates from within their own parties.

McGuinness has an amazing track record as a peacemaker, playing a huge role in ending the IRA campaign. forging a deal with Ian Paisley and later with Peter Robinson to share power in Northern Ireland.

It was world statesman stuff, ending an horrific conflict, and was acknowledged everywhere from the Oval Office to indeed, Mandela himself.

It seems like O'Toole and others like him want to forget the last twenty years of incredible progress in Ireland and focus only on McGuinness's IRA past.

Well then, O'Toole,who almost wept with joy when the Queen agreed to visit her former subjects, should apply the same criteria to her majesty and her family.

Prince Charles is Commander in Chief of the Parachute Regiment which killed innocent civilians in Derry in 1972.

Should he be retroactively banned from Ireland?

Of course not. The reality is that the Irish Republic was forged in war and violence,like the United States once was.

We can no more ignore that history than we can the impact The Troubles had on Ireland North and South.

Martin McGuinness was a key player in ending those troubles, arguably the single biggest achievement on the island of Ireland for the past 100 years or so.

O'Toole is revealing a little Ireland mentality that infects many of the great and the good on that island.

Alas, we will be seeing it manifest itself again and again in the coming weeks

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Bailey2000 | Sep 23, 2011, 07:54 PM EDT

Come on seriously, when a leading terrorist lays down his arms he isnt a "peacemaker", he has just decided that he can achieve more by peaceful means. I admire Martin McGuinness, I don't want him as President. When he goes to open a school I don't want to explain to children that our first citizen terrorised thousands for twenty years and then became a "peacemaker". So kids think what you can do. Get yourselves a stick of Semtex and put it in a hotel or Cafe and you too can be President.

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Aughavey | Sep 23, 2011, 02:22 PM EDT

I see McGuinness has been endorsed by 2 Loyalist paramilitaries - Jackie McDonald the head of the UDA and former UDP / UDA think tank David Adams who now writes for the Irish Times

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 23, 2011, 12:12 PM EDT

citizen69: You're an advocate of the settlement of Ireland by hundreds of thousands of foreign migrants. What do you think is wrong with Irish nationality and ethnicity that makes it unworthy to survive among the nations of the world? Why should Ireland have to accept such an influx, more than a million in a decade--over 20% of its population? Why should downtown Dublin have four foreign migrants for every one Irish person? If you think Ireland should be colonized by Poles, why are you on an Irish-American site? Why aren't you on the site polish dot org? And your pseudo historical argument is just garbage, pura mierda as my Mexican friends would say. Irishmen murdered many American Indians, your inane "logic" would suggest I should go out and murder American Indians. Irishmen in the First World War killed countless Turks, Austrians, Germans, Hungarians etc. You're loony logic would suggest I go out and do the same.

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citizen69 | Sep 23, 2011, 10:53 AM EDT

@GeorgeDillon: You keep going on about immigration. Am i right in believing you live in the USA? Therefore aren't you an from immigrant stock? You or your ancestors were part of an 'unwanted invasion of foreigners' that also started 400 years ago (planted by the same king that planted Ulster). The only difference being that the American plantation WAS made up of foreigners to American soil whereas the Ulster plantation was made up of indigenous peoples who had inhabited those isles for thousands of years. Please stop giving immigrants a hard time, you're one yourself.

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sirpeter | Sep 23, 2011, 10:50 AM EDT

Gee!! Tommy you have alot of doubts there.I guess they were toy guns that were cut in half and you must think the Unionists are very stupid.Same old Brit and West Brit attitude."We won't let you play unless you beg forgiveness for shooting back at us while we Brits are now forced to admit 40 years later that the indiscriminate slaughter in Derry didn't have the effect we wanted"Which corrupt politician is worthy of the Irish presidency Tommy?You mark my words a hell of alot more innocent people will die when these same corrupt politicians start skimping on the health service because THEY were not worthy of their jobs.It's hard to know who is even worthy to be called an Irishman in this country.I think we just have to follow the money.McGuinness certainly doesn't have much.

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sirpeter | Sep 23, 2011, 09:48 AM EDT

In today's Irish Independent a columnist claims that the IRA Army Council continues to exist and that McGuinness continues to be a member. We cannot know for sure if this is true, not me and not anyone commenting in these pages. The IRA Army Council was (is?) a highly secretive organization. I also have doubts as to whether the IRA fully destroyed its weapons arsenal. There are many North and South who are sceptical. Earlier this year McGuinness refused to attend the Irish government's official dinner in honor of Britain's head of state. And McGuinness has never offered a sincere and heartfelt apology for the indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children, Catholic and non Catholic. I guess I just don't believe Sinn Fein is ready for or worthy of the Irish presidency.

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sirpeter | Sep 23, 2011, 08:59 AM EDT

Martin McGuinness is far more deserving then the others to be president.A loyal Irishman helps bring much needed change to NI and has saved life's.In Ireland you have to sup with the gunmen,otherwise you will NOT change anything.He helped change an almost impossible situation in the North.Power sharing has been achieved.Like many loyal Irishmen before him he has the best interests of the country at heart.I can't say that for alot of our politicians.BUT!!Far to many go with the West Brit media driven group-think more often than not.What McGuinness brings is the opportunity to evaluate our relationship with our Northern brethren of either persuasion and that in itself will be an important contribution.I expect Mitchell to go after him bald-headed and he will get a bump from that as the O'Reilly Rag, Red Tops and RTE all go on the murdering Provo route.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 23, 2011, 08:47 AM EDT

johhnyb: Are you crazy? The importation of vast numbers of foreign settlers into Ireland isn't a "gnat", it represents a fundamental and irrevocable threat to Irish ethnicity. In short, it is ethnocsuicide, and McGuiness is among the Sinn Fein cheerleaders for this mad policy. The irony is that the conflict in the North of Ireland is the direct result of another such unwanted invasion of foreigners. Almost 400 years after it was undertaken, the Irish are still living with the effects of the Plantation of Ulster. What do the two have in commnon? --The fact that the Irish people were never consulted about either! If you think the fact that Ireland has the highest rate of immigration IN THE WORLD is a "gnat" then I guess you're a "gnut"!

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pat.riot | Sep 23, 2011, 07:35 AM EDT

the only difference between mcguinness and osama bin ladin is one of degree

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citizen69 | Sep 23, 2011, 07:09 AM EDT

@ maireadinmelb: The only people that 'murdered' the hunger strikers were Sinn Fein and their rejection of Thatcher's secret deal that they finally accepted after 6 more people had committed enforced suicide.

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maireadinmelb | Sep 23, 2011, 05:29 AM EDT

George Dillion - Do you know history at all!! Not Mandela was jailed as a terrorist for being part of an illegal organisation!!! Mandela and the ANC commiserated with teh IRA when Sands and the 9 martyrs were murdered by the terrorist state that is Britain!

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JamesDempsey | Sep 23, 2011, 04:05 AM EDT

@Niall O Dowd A very well written and well thought out article. I agree with every point

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Rebelforce | Sep 23, 2011, 12:19 AM EDT

I predict it will be very therapeutic for many Irish voters to be able to register their utter contempt and disgust for the Old, inept political establishment in Dublin by casting their vote for Martin McGuiness. If anyone in Ireland embodies resistance to, and abhorrence of, corruption and injustice on both sides of the Irish Sea, it has been Sinn Fein's Martin McGuiness. By voting for McGuiness, Irish voters can send a loud and clear message: No more corrupt politics as usual. No more of the same old same old. It is time to put a new, proud and self-confident face to Ireland. It is time for an Ireland that embraces ALL of its people, north, south, east and west . It is time for a new dawn of freedom. Martin McGuiness....Yes We Can!!

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imokyrok | Sep 22, 2011, 08:54 PM EDT

I think my fellow Irish would be crazy to vote such a man as our president. To this day when talking on line to to other countries, people go 'oh Ireland' very violent country. I explain that no it was only in the North and that their claims that the murder and torture they were committing were in OUR name were totally false . They had almost no support in the Republic of Ireland. If MCG were elected the Republics reputation would dive even deeper than it has for economic reasons. I do not want a man who orchestrated 30 long years of terror, murder and mayhem on other Irish men women and children representing my country as it's figurehead.

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PolinDeB | Sep 22, 2011, 08:15 PM EDT

Yeah .. but he's not respectable.. the curse of Ireland.. 'Respectability'. it closes the curtains as the kid next door is abused, cleans up their grand-daughter and claims it never happened... bows to Europe as they rob us blind of the last few euro's we have.. all in the name of being respectable and put a good face on..

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