'A fascist commemoration for mass murderers’​​​​​​​: veterans campaigner

​Paul Young, who also served in the military and now campaigns on veterans’ issues, was scathing in his assessment of what Sunday’s IRA commemoration represented.

"Where else in the world would an elected MP, albeit an absent one, be able to attend a vicious fascist terrorist commemoration for mass murderers and not face censure from his peers in the Parliament?”

Mr Young said.

“I refer to the abominable glorification event to commemorate the so-called glorious dead of the Republican movement in south Armagh.

“Let me be clear here so that there is no misunderstanding by words – south Armagh Provisional IRA are and always have been a fascist murdering criminal gang of thugs.

“Here are a few facts about South Armagh PIRA:

“During the course of the Troubles south Armagh PIRA murdered 185 people in south Armagh alone. These included police officers, soldiers and innocent civilians.

"Some of the atrocities that they committed include the nine police officers at Corry Square, Newry.

"They abducted people from around the province, brought them to south Armagh and brutally stripped and tortured them before ending their lives with a bullet to the back of the head and the naked bodies dumped at the side of the road. Can you imagine the sheer horror the victims felt before they were executed?”

Mr Young said south Armagh was used as a base to plan, build and deploy “massive bombs which ripped the heart out of Manchester, Bishops Gate and Canary Wharf in London”.

He added: “The only victims and survivors they care about are the republican terrorists who were caught attempting to commit their murderous crimes.

"They care not one jot for the true victims and survivors of terrorism, after all they are the most prolific of victim-makers.

“Northern Ireland remains stuck in a broken alternative parallel universe.

"At some stage this attempt to change the true reality of this vicious republican history must stop”.