Willie Frazer planning to push procession of beds past Ardoyne shops
Exclusive: Campaigner says Push For Justice is for ‘innocent victims of republican terrorism’
Victims of the IRA are planning to push a procession of beds past the Ardoyne shops next month in a bid to highlight their fight for compensation from Libya.
Relatives of atrocities including the Shankill bomb, Kingsmills and three Scottish soldiers lured to their death by republican women, will be among those lying on the beds being pushed.
The Push For Justice is part of a new fundraising drive by Protestant victims campaigner Willie Frazer to raise money for victims to go to Libya to seek compensation for its bankrolling of the IRA.
It is planned for the event to start from Upper Ardoyne and travel along the Crumlin Road to Woodvale, then on along the Shankill Road to the city centre on Saturday, December 14. Up to 40 victims and supporters are expected to take part. In 1972 Libya’s then leader Colonel Gaddafi praised the IRA as “allies in a struggle against Western imperialism”.
He supplied a large amount of money, weapons and Semtex explosives to the IRA, helping it wage its terror campaign.
Negotiations are currently under way between the UK Government and Libya on behalf of 156 British victims.
“It’s a push for justice for the innocent victims of republican terrorism,” Mr Frazer told the Belfast Telegraph.
“It is also to bring closure in the Libya case.”
He said both sides of the community were welcome to attend the event.
A second bed-push is being planned to take place in London – either from the site of the Harrods bomb or the Canary Wharf bomb to Downing Street – in January.
BACKGROUND
In 1972 Libya’s then leader Colonel Gaddafi praised the IRA as “allies in a struggle against Western imperialism”. Two boat-loads of weaponry from Libya were intercepted before they could reach the IRA in 1973 and 1987. It is not known how many other ships successfully landed, but Libyan-supplied Semtex made up some of the IRA’s most deadly bombs.
