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July 15, 1997
His Excellency Sir John Kerr
Ambassador of the United Kingdom
3100 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Dear Mr. Ambassador:
We write to express our deep concern about recent developments in Northern Ireland and your government's response to those developments. We write not to address the specifics of decisions made in what are obviously very difficult situations, but the larger implications of the continuing failure to resolve the parades issue.
We join our Presbyterian and Catholic counterparts in Northern Ireland in condemning unequivocally the loyalist threats of violence which preceded the decision to permit the march down the Garvaghy Road as well as the wave of republican violence which ensued. No feared or actual infringement of rights in question could possibly justify such threats or acts of violence. Now is no time for provocative acts or retaliation; now is a time for restraint on all sides.
We also join our Presbyterian and Catholic counterparts in Northern Ireland in welcoming the decision of the Orange Order to refrain from marching through largely Catholic areas in the name of the wider public good. We could only wish such restraint was shown earlier. In the words of the Presbyterian Moderator, Rev. Dr. Samuel Hutchinson, "This is the wise and proper option and will immediately diffuse the tense situation that has developed over the last days. While I would see this gesture as a temporary respite, I do believe it is a responsible and positive step towards beginning a new dimension of bridge-building." We hope that similar responsible gestures of moderation will be reciprocated by the nationalist community as well as by others in the unionist community. As Archbishop Sean Brady, president of the Irish Bishops' Conference, points out, "Now is certainly the time to ensure that no more seeds of future violence are sown by acts of mindless aggression or short-sighted triumphalism. There is only one triumph worth striving for -- the victory of common sense and reason, where no side is hurt or humiliated."
If yet another replay of the past week's events is to be avoided, serious issues of democratic governance and the rule of law must be addressed. We do not underestimate the difficult dilemmas your government faces in resolving peacefully and fairly confrontations over marches. The North Commission offers an approach that helps resolve these difficulties.
"It is clear," according to the North Commission, "that, since the rights of neither group are absolute, ... proposals for legislative and other changes must provide for reasonable proportionality in the balancing of those rights." This balancing of rights cannot adequately be done when decisions about parades are made by the police on the basis of public order criteria alone, with little or no account taken of the impact of a parade on inter-communal relationships and other broader criteria. Public safety is no doubt a primary concern, but decisions that are based on an assessment of the lesser evil, defined in terms of the relative likelihood of violence on one side or the other, would only seem to encourage violence on both sides and almost invariably fail to adequately protect the rights of the minority. The Garvaghy Road events make clear the urgent need for early passage of promised legislation to implement the North Commission's proposals, so that future parade decisions will be based, not on an assessment of the lesser evil, but on the rule of law.
We also strongly urge continuing and greater efforts to consult with and respond to both communities in Northern Ireland. These sad days have reflected in part miscalculations and misleading messages on the part of public authorities. Greater efforts must be made to understand and to act on nationalist concerns as well as unionist positions. Rights, especially minority rights, are at risk when governmental decisions are made, as they appear to have been in this case, without adequate representation of both communities in the decision-making process. Those who make these decisions must remain in touch with both communities in a sincere and serious effort to address these difficult problems.
Finally, nothing may justify attacks on security forces, looting, arson, and other acts of orchestrated violence of the past week. While we recognize that plastic bullets are typically used when the lives of security forces are endangered, we urge a review of the appropriateness of continued use of these sometimes deadly weapons.
We will continue to work together in support of religious leaders in Northern Ireland who are working to overcome sectarian divisions by promoting a spirit of moderation and accommodation in a highly-conflicted situation. We hope your government will move forward with the legal and policy changes necessary for such a spirit to prevail.
Sincerely,
Reverend Henry J. Postel
Chairman, Northern Ireland
Working Group
Presbyterian Church, USA
15120 Turkey Foot Road
Darnestown, MD 20878
Most Reverend Theodore E. McCarrick
Catholic Archbishop of Newark
Chairman, International Policy Committee
U.S. Catholic Conference
3211 Fourth Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20017-1194