ASSIST News Service reports on Friday, October 9, 2009
'An extraordinary “forgiveness” event has been scheduled for the British House of Commons on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, when Patrick (Pat) Magee, who planted the Brighton bomb, will speak alongside Jo Berry whose father, Sir Anthony Berry MP, he killed...
The infamous IRA Brighton hotel bombing occurred on October 12, 1984, at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. The bomb was planted by Patrick Magee, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). It was intended to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were staying at the hotel for the Conservative Party conference.
The bomb failed to kill Thatcher or any of her government ministers. Five people, however, were killed, including Conservative MP Sir Anthony Berry, and Parliamentary Treasury Secretary John Wakeham's wife Roberta. Sir Donald Maclean and his wife, Muriel, were in the room in which the bomb exploded. Lady Maclean was not killed in the explosion, but later died of her injuries, and Sir Donald was seriously injured. The other victims killed by the blast were Eric Taylor and Jeanne Shattock. Several more, including Margaret Tebbit—the wife of Norman Tebbit, who was then President of the Board of Trade—were left permanently disabled. Thirty-four people were taken to hospital but recovered from their injuries....
Belfast-born Pat Magee, former IRA activist, was given multiple life sentences for the Brighton Bombing. Released under the Good Friday Agreement in 1999, he has since been actively involved in peace work.
The event is being put on by The All Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues & The Forgiveness Project .....
Pat Magee said on the website: “Some day I may be able to forgive myself. Although I still stand by my actions, I will always carry the burden that I harmed other human beings. But I’m not seeking forgiveness. If Jo could just understand why someone like me could get involved in the armed struggle then something has been achieved. The point is that Jo set out with that intent in mind – she wanted to know why.
“I decided to meet Jo because, apart from addressing a personal obligation, I felt obligated as a Republican to explain what led someone like me to participate in the action. I told her that I’d got involved in the armed struggle at the age of 19, after witnessing how a small nationalist community were being mistreated by the British. Those people had to respond. For 28 years I was active in the Republican Movement.' end quote
No. The question is not why McGee is a Republican, but why he is a murdering one. Most Republicans did not resort to murder. He did and is unrepentant. He neither desires nor merits forgiveness from his victims.. His liberty is an affront to justice for which I hold Blair responsible. Inviting him to Westminster? How foolish can you be? What next? A statue to Guy Fawkes?
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I believe the man deserves to be forgiven. You need to find out why he took up arms and his reasons for believing that the spilling of the blood of others is the right way to achieve what he believed in. Your conclusion was not objective, and to me unChristian. The Christian nature will not condemn a man/woman insisting on seeing the figure 6 on the floor, because the Christian sees figure 9 from his/her own side.
The genuine Christian will follow the admonition of the Lord to move to the side of the person seeing figure 6, and that is what the organisers are doing. It is through objective acts like these the message of redemption can be preached in a humble, and not arrogant, manner.
Jesus Christ did not need to come to earth in human flesh to convince us to follow Him. But His understanding of the human nature which He experienced Himself on earth is the root of the grace we so much have in abundance in our lives despite our waywardness. If that were not so, till eternity, no Black person should EVER have anything to do with whites because of the savagery with which they treated us before, during and after the slave trade.
But the objective Ministry of the Lord is a veritable means of support. The Irish nationalist should be understood. If not, all Englishmen stand condemned before the Throne of Grace for the atrocities committed by their ancestors against other people in times past.
We should follow Christ's admonition at all times that, because we've been forgiven, we should learn to forgive others. If we don't, He also is patiently waiting ...
I strongly disagree. God's forgiveness is always for the repentant. The reasons for the Republican cause as well known and have my sympathy. I do not care to hear his excuses for murder. It is wrong. The man is a convicted multiple murderer. That is his condemnation and I did not judge him. The court did. Genuine Christians among his victims say they have forgiven him. That is a personal decision for them. There is a difference between personal forgiveness which is not relevant to me here as he has not personally hurt me. This is a simple legal mater of justice. He did not serve his time. I would say the same about any unrepentant criminal. It has nothing to do with Irish nationalism, a cause which has my sympathy. The man should have faced the death penalty. Execution would have been justice. I pray he repents of his sins.
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