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Outrage at RIR deployment in West Belfast spy post

30 June, 2004

Sinn Féin Assembly member for West Belfast Fra McCann has expressed his outrage after the British Army installed the RIR regiment in the spy post on the top of Divis Tower.

Mr McCann said:

" Residents of Divis Tower and the surrounding community are outraged that the RIR, little more than a unionist militia, have been installed in the spy post on top of Divis Tower. Already they have provoked confrontations with both staff and residents in the tower.

" Given the history of this regiment and their involvement with the unionist death squads their access to the spy equipment on the roof of the tower clearly has enormous repercussions for the wider West Belfast community. Through this regiment the unionist paramilitaries will have access to the most up to date and accurate intelligence on the nationalist community in the West of the city.

" Given the formation last week of a forum containing the Protestant Churches, Unionist politicians and the death squads to threaten the nationalist community in West Belfast the deployment of another armed wing of unionism within the heart of this community is causing obvious concern.

" The time has long since past that the spy post on the top of Divis Tower was removed and certainly the time is long since past that the spectre of the RIR/UDR is removed from this community." ENDS

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