Families Acting for Innocent Relatives
Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1998 in South Armagh, Northern Ireland. Its stated purpose is to remember what "Irish Republican death squads had done to south Armagh Protestants without justification or reprisal".[1] There is no evidence for these claims. FAIR claims to represent the unionist and Protestant victims of Irish republican violence.
Leadership
FAIR is led by South Armagh man Willie Frazer, who lost five members of his close family to Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) violence during the Troubles.[2][verification needed]
Frazer claims to represent those who feel marginalised by concessions granted to Irish Republicans during the Northern Ireland peace process and by the inclusion in government of the Sinn Féin party. Frazer is a controversial figure in his own right, having been accused by police of associating with known loyalist paramilitaries.[[1]]
Political action
FAIR seeks to place "innocent" loyalist/unionist victims' rights and issues high on the British government's agenda and seeks the exclusion of Sinn Féin from the government of Northern Ireland.[citation needed]
It regards Sinn Féin as the political wing of the IRA, and opposed the early conditional release of Irish Republican militants, following the 1998 Belfast Agreement. However, Frazer stated that Loyalist paramilitaries, who were also released, "should never have been locked up in the first place."[1]
FAIR has called for full public inquiries into alleged collusion between Irish authorities and Republicans in the deaths of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers, Loyalist paramilitaries and Northern Protestant civilians.[3] Representatives of FAIR met with the Smithwick Tribunal for this reason.
Marches in Dublin
In February 2006, FAIR (as part of the Love Ulster organization) attempted to hold a protest march in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. Their expressed goal was to bring attention to their view of the plight of Unionist victims of IRA violence. A riot by protestors against the march resulted in violence against the Gardaí and damage to property and therefore, the march itself did not take place.[4] The Love Ulster supporters withdrew under police cover and were ferried by bus to meet with Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell. Though Republican Sinn Féin and others were initially accused of orchestrating the riot these allegations were later dismissed after investigation.[5]
In 2007, FAIR and Love Ulster announced their intention to hold another march in Dublin.[6] These plans were subsequently cancelled after a meeting with Irish government officials was offered.[7]
Controversies
FAIR has been at the centre of a great deal of documented controversy. A key criticism of FAIR is that it only represents the victims of Republican violence, downplaying and ignoring the numerous civilian victims of Loyalist terrorists and British security forces. Frazer has defended his group's record by saying they work for all South Armagh victims. He argues that the majority of the victimization in South Armagh was caused by the IRA. However, critics have noted that FAIR has named Robert McConnell, a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment, as a victim of IRA violence. McConnell was implicated in both the killing of the brothers of Eugene Reavey on January 4, 1976, and in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974.[8][9]
FAIR has also been criticised for supporting Ian Paisley's 1999 allegation that Eugene Reavey was involved in the killing of ten Protestant civilians in the Kingsmill massacre on January 5, 1976.[10] FAIR rejected the Police Service of Northern Ireland's dismissal of the allegation against Reavey by Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan.[10]
Controversy surrounded FAIR once more in May 2010 when its head researcher William Wilkinson was convicted of rape and attempted rape.[11] Wilkinson was also a local councillor in Ballymena for the United Unionist Coalition.
In September 2010 the Special EU Programmes Body withdrew funding, totalling £880,000, from FAIR.[12] The SEUPB said that this was due to "major failures in the organisation's ability to adhere to the conditions associated with its funding allocation" uncovered following a "thorough audit" of the tendering and administration procedures used by FAIR. It said: "The SEUPB is charged with ensuring the proper use of public money and as such has no option but to revoke all financial assistance, (amounting to approximately £880,000), that has been offered to the organisation. ... FAIR has been given every opportunity to respond to and address these issues. The decision to revoke and recover all financial assistance given to the project has not been taken lightly, however, given the seriousness of the issues no other recourse is available."[13]
References
- ^ a b McKay, Susan (2005). Northern Protestants: An unsettled people. The Blackstaff Press. ISBN 978-0-85640-771-0.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|coauthors=and|month=(help) - ^ McKay, Susan. "Bitter hatreds that underpin Love Ulster parade in Dublin," Irish Times, 25 February 2005.
- ^ "British Intelligence / Gardai / I.R.A. Collusion," www.victims.org.uk.
- ^ BBC News
- ^ 100 Suspects Identified in march rioting, Irish Independent, September 18 2006
- ^ BBC News (21 June 2007) Talks over new Love Ulster rally
- ^ RTÉ News (3 August 2007) Plans for Love Ulster Parade cancelled
- ^ "Collusion Part One: Secret Documents Reveal the Downing St Link," Irish News, 9 August 2007
- ^ Case of Reavey v. The United Kingdom
- ^ a b McKay, Susan. "Disgusting justification for sectarian murders," Irish News, January 30, 2007.
- ^ "Ballymena councillor William Wilkinson guilty of rape," BBC News, 27 May 2010.
- ^ "FAIR's funding cut blow", Newry Democrat, 23 September 2010.
- ^ BBC news report