The monument to Brendan Convery and Gerald Mallon, killed in action on the main street of Dungannon during the 80's, was due to be unveiled tomorrow by IRSP Ard-Chomhairle member and ex-blanketman Paul Little. However at 5 AM this morning, Ministry of Defence contractors from Henry Brothers construction company, supported by almost 200 RUC/PSNI personnel, turned up at the back of MacAtamney Crescent and demolished the plinth for the memorial.

"What price the Good Friday Agreement now?", said IRSP Ard-Chomhairle member and Chairman of the Memorial Committee Terry Harkin.

"Was this agreement not meant to guarantee 'parity of esteem'? Was the GFA not meant to enshrine the rights of the indigenous Irish to their own cultural identity? That was what the people were told. When did it change to 'everyone has the right to express their identity except the Irps and those loyalist groups who are anti-agreement?'

"There has always been, for the most part anyway, a tacit agreement between the local communities not to interfere with how the other side honoured their dead. The murals on the Shankill to Brian Robinson and his ilk have been largely ignored even though they can be plainly seen from nationalist areas, the payment of tens of thousands of pounds to the UDA's C Company by a multinational to remove murals from NIHE land went un-noted as did the NIHE's complacency when the same C Coy smashed down walls in Executive property to create the big brother house in a housing black spot. Why were Henry Brothers and their police escort not brought in to repair the damage or paint out the murals? There are double standards being applied in Maghera due to the unholy cabal that has developed between local SDLP representatives and (Box Car) Willie McCray of the DUP.

"Well, we've a message for both those parties, we do not need their mandate to commemorate our dead, and before the sun sets on Sunday they may want to take a walk up to the estate, they'll be surprised, for they'll find a monument to two brave INLA men who gave their lives fighting for National Liberation and Socialism there.

"Sure they can send for their MOD contractors and the Henry's can pull it down one more time, but it wont go away you know, it'll be back. I would still appeal to them all the same to step back before they do any serious damage to the community by raising tensions when they do not need to. Let this memorial stand, let the loyalist and republican monuments stand. Let's have parity, not parody, of esteem."

STATEMENTS ENDS