Dissident campaign pointless, says top Provo
By Brian Rowan
One of the most senior figures in the IRA’s “war” has launched a scathing attack on dissident republicans — describing their actions as “futile, purposeless, pointless, a waste of life and a waste of freedom”.
The hard-hitting article — penned by Bobby Storey — appears in the latest edition of West Belfast Sinn Fein News.
It follows the recent dissident attacks at Massereene Barracks and in Craigavon — shootings in which the Real and Continuity IRA killed two soldiers and a police officer.
Special Branch and the Security Service (MI5) consider Storey to have been one of the most influential figures in the IRA leadership — its Director of Intelligence.
He has been linked to many of that organisation’s so-called “spectaculars”.
The west Belfast republican was the target of a bugging and surveillance operation, codenamed Torsion, and which took place following the Castlereagh Special Branch robbery and the Stormontgate intelligence-gathering scandal.
In his article on the dissidents, Storey writes: “These groups revolve around personalities and cliques, not politics or ideology. Their interests are self-serving — not political.
“When you look at the activities of these groups over a prolonged period of time, nobody has been able to articulate any political, moral, strategic or other reason for what they are doing.
“On the contrary they have no popular support, no strategies and no programmes which can in any way advance the core republican goal of a united Ireland.
“In addition there is substantial evidence linking all of these groups to criminality, grudge attacks, killings, contract shootings, robberies, tiger-kidnappings, the importing and dealing of drugs and the extortion of drug dealers,” he added.
The Storey article follows the labelling of dissidents as “traitors” by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness — an Army Council leader during decades of the IRA’s campaign.
On the dissident groups Storey writes: “In reality the only objective they all share is a desire to destroy the peace process and undermine the Sinn Fein strategy to achieve a United Ireland?
“It is also generally accepted and understood that all of these groups are heavily infiltrated by British Intelligence,” he claimed.
“In the same way that we can look back now at loyalist groups and feuds and see the role which British agents have played in that, I have no doubt that in years to come we will be able to look back at these micro groups and see the same sinister influences at work.
“The reality is that the actions of these groups are futile, purposeless, pointless, a waste of life and a waste of freedom,” he wrote.
Bobby Storey is now chairman of Sinn Fein in Belfast and is closely identified with the Adams-McGuinness leadership and the republican peace process strategy.
