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Irish America stunned by RIRA attack

By Jim Dee
Belfast Telegraph
March 9, 2009

The killing of the two British soldiers has stunned supporters of the peace process in the United States.
Most major US papers including the Washington Post, New York Times, and LA Times carried reports about Saturday's killings both in their print and on-line editions. The attack was also covered by major electronic media outlets as well.

Congressman Peter King, a Republican from New York who has been a longtime supporter of Sinn Fein and the peace process, issued a statement saying: “I strongly condemn this cowardly and deadly attack.

“It is important that these murderers be brought to justice as quickly as possible.”
In a statement issued from Washington, Irish National Caucus president Sean McManus branded the killings a “terrible development”.

“I was so hopeful that Stephen Restorick, whose parents have shown such fortitude and dignity, would have been the last British soldier to be killed on Irish soil,” said Fermanagh-born Fr McManus

“It is so wrong and so crazy to have that happen now, as if there were no peace process.

“There is certainly no support among Irish-Americans for this terrible development.”
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph from his hometown of Philadelphia, Ancient Order of Hibernians president Seamus Boyle echoed Fr McManus’s sentiments.

“There would be no support among the Ancient Order of Hibernians for any of these splinter groups,” he said.

“This attack happens at a time when the peace process has been in place for about 10 years now, and people were just starting to get used to it.”

Mr Boyle said the AoH is “always concerned about the peace process because it is so fragile”, but he added that he believed dissidents will not succeed in derailing it.