Gerry Adams arrest was ‘political act’ – Ó Caoláin

Sean McMahon

The arrest and four-day questioning of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, in connection with the disappearance and murder of Jean McConville in Belfast in 1972, was a “political act” according to a local deputy.

Cavan-Monaghan Sinn Féin deputy, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin condemned the actions of the PSNI saying that the act was a deliberate attempt to damage the party’s prospects in the forthcoming Local and European Elections.

“The arrest of Gerry Adams - despite the fact that he offered to be questioned voluntarily under caution - was a political act, timed to damage the electoral challenge of Sinn Féin across Ireland,” he told the Celt today.
“We have always been supportive of the need for a proper truth-recovery process in relation to the conflict that lasted 30 years. We were the first to propose an independent international truth commission.
“We have supported the Haass proposals and continue to do so. Political Unionism has opposed those proposals and the British government has dragged its feet on them. All the bereaved and the surviving victims of the conflict deserve truth and justice, not least the McConville family whose mother was taken from them in such horrific circumstances. But justice can only be based on truth and the truth in this instance is that Gerry Adams had no hand, act or part in the murder of Jean McConville - of that I am absolutely convinced,” said Deputy Ó Caoláin.
Mr Adams was released without charge on Sunday afternoon and a file was sent to the Director of Prosecutions (DPP) on the matter.

Targetting more seats
Deputy Ó Caoláin said that the incident has only made Sinn Féin more determined in its election goals.
“We have not been distracted by the past week’s events and we have not been diverted from our election campaigning.
“In fact we are more determined than ever to win an increased mandate in the EU and local elections throughout the 32 counties, strengthening our ability to build on the peace process and bring about progressive social, economic and political change on this island.”
He accepts, however, that the publicity surrounding Adams’ arrest may have deterred some floating voters or Sinn Féin sympathisers from voting for party candidates.
“It is very difficult to gauge... I could understand some degree of uncertainty within a non-traditional and less committed new voter at this point and time. However, I am heartened by the fact that people who may be in that particular bracket of the electorate that I have met over recent days – that it does not appear to be the case.”

Comment ‘inappropriate’
Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith referred The Anglo-Celt to the party’s justice spokesperson, Niall Collins, statement on the matter.
It read: “The comments from Mary Lou McDonald and other senior Sinn Féin figures in recent days need to be challenged. The repeated charge of political policing, and the constant reference to a ‘dark side’ within the PSNI, represents very damaging rhetoric and serves only to put political pressure on policing and encourage those who seek to undermine progress in the North.
“I would have expected that Sinn Féin would understand the damage caused by these comments. All parties need to show restraint and let the authorities do their job. Sinn Féin must respect the role of the PSNI and the Prosecution Service and allow them to continue their work without political interference.”
Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Joe O’Reilly declined to comment on suggestions that the arrest was political. Given the ongoing police investigation, and his support of same, the deputy said it would be “inappropriate” to comment.
Jean McConville was a widowed mother-of-ten from west Belfast. She was kidnapped and shot dead by the Provisional IRA in 1972 and buried in County Louth.
In 1999, the IRA acknowledged that it had killed McConville and eight others of the “Disappeared”. It claimed she had been passing information about republicans to the British Army in exchange for money, and that a transmitter had been found in her apartment.
An investigation by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland rejected this claim and the earlier rumours. The ombudsman also found that the Royal Ulster Constabulary did not begin to properly investigate the disappearance until 1995.
Ms McConville’s body was not found until 2003. Her family have always denied that she was an informer.