LETTER:Sinn Féin stance on serious criminals

SIR – As a former campaign manager for Sinn Fein in West Cork (General Election 2002 and Local Elections 2004), I am becoming bewildered with this party’s position, with respect to serious criminals.

In the aftermath of the recent shootings in Dublin, the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has publicly dismissed the notion of  ‘ganglands’ as merely a conception dreamed up by lazy journalists. Furthermore, Mr Adams proposes that these criminals be judged by their ‘peers’!

Firstly, serious criminals who have openly carried out murders in broad daylight, in public, do not have peers among the decent ordinary citizens of this country. These thugs have nothing in common with our democracy or democratic rights. 

Is Mr Adams suggesting that criminals be judged by criminals? The only common peer that a serious criminal has, is another serious criminal. In fact, these thugs are already carrying out their style of justice, openly in public!

Gerry Adams and his Sinn Féin mouthpieces are seriously wired to the moon, when it comes down to the issue of criminality. Our justice enforcers, as a matter of urgency need to ‘red circle’ the known ganglands and to ruthlessly deal with the criminal gangs who operate within their own defined turf.

Has anyone yet challenged our Sinn Féin candidate Rachel McCarthy on this issue? In West Cork, we are not immune to gangs and criminals and to those who peddle drugs within our society. 

In fact, rural Ireland has become an easy target for those serious criminals who are carrying out serious crimes to decent ordinary citizens.

Peers in deed, Mr Adams. These criminals have nothing in common with decent ordinary people and the decent ordinary people would need to think twice before casting a vote for a party who appear to be currently pampering criminals who are being masqueraded as decent republicans. 

What a stain on the memory of 1916!

Yours sincerely,

Gerard Tobin,

30 Ard an Chuilinn,

Knockbrogan,

Bandon.