IRA Bombing Victims are Remembered!
A memorial event has been held to remember those who were killed and injured in the IRA bombing of Warrington town centre 15 years ago.
Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, three, died and 56 people were hurt in the explosions on 20 March 1993.
Town leaders, representatives of local organisations and the community have paid tribute to the victims.
Flowers were laid at the site in what has been called a celebration of peace by Warrington Borough Council.
The two bombs, which had been placed in litter bins, went off in Bridge Street - an area packed with shoppers, many looking for Mother's Day gifts.
Johnathan had been in the town with his babysitter to buy a card for his mother.
Quite why they chose this town was beyond comprehension - I didn't know then and I still don't know now. ~ Colin Parry
Tim, an avid Everton fan, had been shopping for football shorts when he caught the full force of the blast. He died in hospital five days later.
Despite one of the biggest murder investigations ever launched by Cheshire Police at the time, the bombers have never been caught.
On Thursday, a police spokeswoman said: "Two boys lost their lives that day, no-one was brought to justice and our files will always remain open."
In the aftermath of the bombing, Tim's father Colin Parry set up a charity, the Foundation for Peace, which runs educational programmes.
Known locally as the Peace Centre, it has also acted as a support service for people bereaved, injured or traumatized in trouble linked to Northern Ireland.
Mr Parry said: "There was absolutely no reason why a town such as Warrington should be hit by the IRA.
Colin Parry has campaigned for conflict resolution:
"Quite why they chose this town was beyond comprehension. I didn't know then and I still don't know now."
Despite being forced to deal with the tragedy of losing his son, Mr Parry said the bombing had a "significant" impact on the peace process in Northern Ireland.
"I think it was that event in Warrington that compelled the Irish government to sit down with the English government in a way they had never considered before," said Mr Parry.
"That's when change began to happen and all of that, in my opinion, was changed by Tim's and Johnathan's deaths."
Rev Steven Kingsnorth, of the Warrington Borough Ministry, said the town had worked hard to turn the tragedy into something positive.
"We made a mark in saying we will not let death and evil have the last word and I think that legacy remains," said Mr Kingsnorth.
"There are still people in the community who look back sadly at the day but still remember the good things that came out of it."
The service on Thursday was seen as a chance to reflect and give thanks to those in Warrington involved in helping to rebuild the town.
Council leader Ian Marks said: "Warrington is united in its thoughts and prayers as we reflect on the events of 15 years ago and pay tribute to those who lost their lives and were deeply affected."
Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, three, died and 56 people were hurt in the explosions on 20 March 1993.
Town leaders, representatives of local organisations and the community have paid tribute to the victims.
Flowers were laid at the site in what has been called a celebration of peace by Warrington Borough Council.
The two bombs, which had been placed in litter bins, went off in Bridge Street - an area packed with shoppers, many looking for Mother's Day gifts.
Johnathan had been in the town with his babysitter to buy a card for his mother.
Quite why they chose this town was beyond comprehension - I didn't know then and I still don't know now. ~ Colin Parry
Tim, an avid Everton fan, had been shopping for football shorts when he caught the full force of the blast. He died in hospital five days later.
Despite one of the biggest murder investigations ever launched by Cheshire Police at the time, the bombers have never been caught.
On Thursday, a police spokeswoman said: "Two boys lost their lives that day, no-one was brought to justice and our files will always remain open."
In the aftermath of the bombing, Tim's father Colin Parry set up a charity, the Foundation for Peace, which runs educational programmes.
Known locally as the Peace Centre, it has also acted as a support service for people bereaved, injured or traumatized in trouble linked to Northern Ireland.
Mr Parry said: "There was absolutely no reason why a town such as Warrington should be hit by the IRA.
Colin Parry has campaigned for conflict resolution:
"Quite why they chose this town was beyond comprehension. I didn't know then and I still don't know now."
Despite being forced to deal with the tragedy of losing his son, Mr Parry said the bombing had a "significant" impact on the peace process in Northern Ireland.
"I think it was that event in Warrington that compelled the Irish government to sit down with the English government in a way they had never considered before," said Mr Parry.
"That's when change began to happen and all of that, in my opinion, was changed by Tim's and Johnathan's deaths."
Rev Steven Kingsnorth, of the Warrington Borough Ministry, said the town had worked hard to turn the tragedy into something positive.
"We made a mark in saying we will not let death and evil have the last word and I think that legacy remains," said Mr Kingsnorth.
"There are still people in the community who look back sadly at the day but still remember the good things that came out of it."
The service on Thursday was seen as a chance to reflect and give thanks to those in Warrington involved in helping to rebuild the town.
Council leader Ian Marks said: "Warrington is united in its thoughts and prayers as we reflect on the events of 15 years ago and pay tribute to those who lost their lives and were deeply affected."
~Finally the media remember a perfect example of real terrorism, not just, government-endorsed propaganda which does nothing but 'incite racism'. Yes, the IRA frequently bombed our country for no apparent reasons other than to terrorise us into relinquishing our ownership over Northern Ireland. How did it affect our air travel? How did it affect our freedoms and civil liberties as a whole? How did it affect law and changes to the law system? Well, It didn't because 'terrorism' wasn't a 'global epidemic' then, it didn't have the backing of Republican America, therefore, we did not rise to the terrorism and we did not resort to animalistic, primal fear. So please remember that next time, an appropriately timed, Al Jazeera leaked 'Osama' film appears in the media, or George W. Bush informs us who is an 'evil-doer' and 'anti-democratic' in future.~
posted by Unknown @ 1:31 pm
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