[A-List] UK state: Northern Ireland and Wilson plot

["Keaney Michael" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

More evidence of the casual manner in which the Guardian sweeps under
the carpet the accumulation of evidence implicating its state sponsors
in terrorism, child abuse and disinformation aimed at undermining a
democratically elected government. Wallace was dismissed because his
repeated alarms concerning the abuse of institutionalised children by
leading Northern Ireland politicians were ignored by the authorities,
more interested in the blackmail opportunities afforded by such juicy
material. However, the portrayal of the behaviour of the Parachute
Regiment seems plausible enough.



McGuiness 'was with gunmen'

Sinn Fein MP accused over IRA ambush

Rosie Cowan, Ireland correspondent
Thursday September 26, 2002
The Guardian

Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness was among a group of IRA gunmen who
ambushed soldiers during a bizarre incident on the last night of Lord
Widgery's tribunal into Bloody Sunday, an ex-services whistleblower
claimed yesterday.

Colin Wallace, an army information officer later dismissed when he
revealed his role in the military "dirty tricks" campaign to undermine
terrorists in Northern Ireland, made the allegation at the Saville
inquiry in London's Methodist Central Hall.

Mr Wallace said he was among a group of army personnel and lawyers who
accompanied members of the Royal Green Jackets on foot patrol in Derry's
Bogside.

They were caught up in a shootout with the IRA, which resulted in two
teenage paramilitaries, Colm Keenan and Eugene McGillen, being shot dead
and an army legal secretary, who will testify to Saville in the next few
days, losing an arm.

Mr Wallace said he was not aware of Mr McGuinness's role on the night
but was subsequently told.

"We were told some time later, it may have been even several months
later, but we were told that he was part of the group," said Mr Wallace.

Mr McGuinness, who will give evidence to the tribunal in the next year,
caused a stir last year when he admitted being the IRA's second in
command in Derry on Bloody Sunday, the day paratroopers shot dead 13
unarmed men during a civil rights march. A 14th died later.

But he insisted the Provisionals moved their weapons out of the Bogside
the day before the civil rights march in order to avoid possible
confrontation with the army.

And he refused to reveal any further details of his role in the IRA. He
has vehemently denied reports by an army agent codenamed Infliction that
he sparked the Bloody Sunday shootings by firing the first shot.

Mr Wallace said he was not actually beside the legal secretary who was
injured but in a second team, walking parallel to the main group, and he
was not involved in the gunfight.

Earlier he told the tribunal that the army planned to make the civil
rights march that became Bloody Sunday a huge public relations coup,
with paratroopers arresting hundreds of rioters.

He did not believe there was any high level army conspiracy to shoot
civilians on January 30 1972, nor did he have any reliable intelligence
to indicate that IRA gunmen would use the march as cover to fire on
soldiers.

He confirmed details of an interview he gave to the screenwriter Jimmy
McGovern in which he said it was decided to send in the Paras, the
"tough guys", because this would offset bad publicity they had received
for behaviour during an anti-internment march at Magilligan the previous
week.

"The Paras too were used to placate the unionists - the new get tough
policy - we won't tolerate the Derry Young Hooligans, we'll send in the
Paras.

"It was an unbelievably high risk strategy, but we wanted a quick
response in the British press to boost the ratings of the Tory
government."

And he admitted: "Some of the Paras were downright thugs and there are
no two ways about it.

"The danger with the Para mentality was that it would lead to
confrontation."