DISSIDENT FEARS.. Concerns after codeworded message issued to Fermanagh Herald threatening future dissident activity in the Fermanagh area
THERE are fears there could be a new dissident Republican group on the scene in Fermanagh.
On Monday, the Fermanagh Herald received a sinister phone call from a group calling themselves Republican Social Action. The caller said the group vowed to take unspecified action in the coming weeks.
The caller, who had a local accent, also used a code-word. Police are currently investigating, but did not comment on the authenticity of this code-word.
If Republican Social Action turn out to be a genuine dissident group, it would be a sinister turn of events for the county, where dissident activity has been at a generally low level in recent times. While it is understood there may be some remaining dissidents in south Fermanagh, where the Continuity IRA are believed to still have some presence, there has been no substantial activity of this kind in recent years.
The group have so far been very vague on their aims, but the name Republican Social Action could suggest they intend to take action regarding anti-social behaviour in parts of the county.
Cllr Howard Thornton has said, if the group turn out to be genuine, it will be “the last thing we need” in Fermanagh.
“People are struggling with job losses and the ongoing effects of the recession,” he said. “Public sector jobs are continuing to fall on a local level, and jobs people can get are mostly minimum wage. The last thing we need is a any terrorist group upset any employers coming here.
“There is no support out there for such groups. People in Fermanagh are trying to work together, and a lot of effort has been made here to work together for the benefit of all.”
Cllr Thornton added “we have big enough problems with the economy” for a small group to jeopardise the work that was being done to improve the county.
Local MLA Richie McPhillips said since so little was known about the group it was hard to comment, but accepted the use of the code-word did come across as having “an element of the past”, and said no one in Fermanagh wanted to make a return to the dark days gone by.
“To use a code-word is like writing a letter to a newspaper and not putting your name to it,” he said. “It harks back to the past somewhat. We should be leaving the past behind. Nobody in our society wants to go back to the past. We need to look forward to a peaceful, democratic and socially fair future where everyone lives in freedom.”
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