Expose futility and tragedy of Troubles so that darks days of hooded men remain in the past

LAST week the ‘Hooded Men’ case appeared before the High Court. The allegations made against the security forces are serious. Such actions were wrong, unjustified and unacceptable in a democracy.

The use of violence to further political aims on this island was also wrong and unacceptable.

The conflict known as the Troubles was unnecessary and there can be no justification that it occurred.

We ought to make sure that is the message that is always imparted to young people, while we work through the consequences of what happened as constructively as we can.

Over 700 soldiers were murdered and without the Army there would have been a civil war.

They made mistakes, committed wrongs and were a blunt instrument in a civil environment, but, unlike paramilitaries, they saved countless lives.

The police have been left with a heavy burden when it comes to dealing with the past. Their priority should be dealing with murders, some of the victims of which were forced to wear hoods and never got to take them off.

Many of the perpetrators who killed them and over 3,000 others were hiding under their hoods as well.

Too often “dealing with the past” has become cover for those who want to fight the battles of old and perpetuate the hatreds that caused so much misery in the first place.

We should counter these efforts by always exposing the futility and tragedy of using violence, so that young people never repeat the same mistakes. TREVOR RINGLAND