Gerry Adams told the High Court in London that he had “no involvement whatsoever” in Provisional IRA bombings in England and insisted he was never a member of the organisation.
The former Sinn Féin president took the witness stand on Tuesday to defend himself against a legal claim brought by three victims of bombings in England during the 1970s and 1990s, reports Breaking News.
John Clark, who was injured in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing in London; Jonathan Ganesh, a victim of the 1996 London Docklands attack; and Barry Laycock, injured in the 1996 Arndale shopping centre bombing in Manchester, allege that Adams held a senior role in the Provisional IRA at those times, including membership of its Army Council, and are seeking £1 in damages.
Adams is contesting the case and stated in a witness statement that being a member of Sinn Féin “does not equate to membership of the IRA”, reports Breaking News.
Dressed in a dark suit and tie, wearing a shamrock and a Palestinian flag badge, Adams began his testimony by wishing Judge Swift “a very happy St Patrick’s Day”.
In his 20-page statement, Adams said he “was not involved in any way in the planning, preparation or conduct of” any of the bombings and that he has “never been a senior, let alone most senior figure, in the IRA”, reports Breaking News.
He continued: “I had no involvement in or advance knowledge of the Old Bailey bombing (1973), the Canary Wharf bombing (1996) or the Manchester bombing (1996).
“I have never been charged, prosecuted or convicted of any offence in connection with any of the bombing incidents in which the claimants were injured,” reports Breaking News,
He also said: “I was never a member of the IRA or its Army Council, and I never held any role or rank within the IRA.
“I repeat that I had no involvement whatsoever in the authorisation, planning or conduct of the bombings in which the claimants were sadly injured,” reports Breaking News,
Adams further stated that critics of Sinn Féin, a party he led from 1983 to 2018, “have repeatedly sought to conflate” the organisation with the Provisional IRA.
“As I have always stated, Sinn Féin and the IRA are separate organisations,” Adams said, reports Breaking News,
He continued: “I have no knowledge, beyond what has been widely reported in the public domain, as to the structure or decision-making processes of the IRA,”
Adams told the court he was “very conscious” that the three victims had “suffered significantly” and said his statement should not be interpreted as criticism of them or as an attempt to diminish their experiences, reports Breaking News.
During questioning by barrister Max Hill KC, Adams acknowledged that 1,178 deaths were attributed to the Provisional IRA, whose aim he described as resisting armed British presence in the part of Ireland where he lived.
He had earlier commented that a lack of understanding of Irish history among British people is “shocking”, reports Breaking News.
Anne Studd KC, representing the three victims, previously argued in court that Adams was “directly responsible for and complicit in those decisions made by that organisation to detonate bombs on the British mainland in 1973 and 1996”.
The barrister also contended that the distinction between being part of “the Army” and being a Sinn Féin member was not a straightforward “either/or” situation, reports Breaking News.
She added: “The claimants’ case is that none of these bombings in the United Kingdom mainland took place without the knowledge and agreement of the defendant in his role in the Provisional IRA and latterly as a member of the seven-man Army Council.”
She concluded: “There is no doubt that the defendant contributed to the peace in Northern Ireland, but the claimants say that on the evidence he also contributed to the war,” reports Breaking News,
Studd also told the court that Adams had “a foot in each camp” between the political and military wings of the Irish republican movement and was likely “as involved as the people who planted and detonated those bombs”.
The trial is scheduled to conclude later in March, reports Breaking News.
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