Daily
Dispatch Tuesday 28th November 2006
MAGINNESS:
UDA BEARS RESPONSIBILITY FOR STONE
SDLP Justice Spokesperson Alban Maginness said the UDA cannot
wash its hands of responsibility for the actions of Michael Stone
at Stormont on Friday.
He said: “The UDA claims it had no prior knowledge of Michael
Stone’s intentions, but that is not really the point. Stone
was clearly inept and may well have acted alone, but he had a
number of explosive devices on him. Until otherwise is proven
we can only assume that the explosives came out of UDA dumps and
that he therefore had indirect UDA assistance.
“The real point is that the UDA has not decommissioned a
single bullet or ounce of explosives, and shows little intention
of doing so. The UDA trained and nurtured Michael Stone and made
him what he is. When it suited them, they basked in the publicity
he generated.
“The UDA has never been known for clear thinking or discipline.
In such a fractious criminal organisation there may well be many
more Michael Stones on the fringes, people with a poor grip on
reality whose sense of importance depends crucially on their access
to weapons and explosives. Only real and total decommissioning
can reduce this danger and it should be done without delay.”
