New IRA admits responsibility for Lyra’s murder
THE New IRA yesterday admitted responsibility for Lyra McKee’s murder.
It came as a 57-year-old woman was arrested in connection with her death – and as Lyra’s family paid tribute to the journalist.
The 29-year-old died after she was shot on the Creggan estate in Londonderry on Thursday.
In a statement given to a Belfast newspaper, the New IRA offered “full and sincere apologies” to her partner, family and friends.
Police believe the violence was orchestrated in response to an earlier search by officers, which was aimed at averting trouble associated with the Easter Rising anniversary.
The New IRA said it deployed volunteers after “an incursion on the Creggan by heavily armed British crown forces, which provoked rioting”.
Two teenagers were initially arrested but were released without charge. The police didn’t disclose any further details about the arrest of the woman.
Last night, Lyra’s family said: “She was a smart, strong-minded woman who believed passionately in inclusivity, justice and truth. Lyra spoke to and made friends with anybody and everybody, no matter what their background, those of all political views and those with none.
“We ask everyone who knew Lyra to continue her message of positivity and hope by respecting her memory with dignity.”
TODAY, the National Union of Journalists will hold a vigil in Glasgow in honour of Lyra McKee, who was murdered while covering rioting in Londonderry last week.
In announcing the vigil, the NUJ referred to Lyra as “our sister” and she was – a sister in journalism and a sister in many causes, most notably her fight for LGBTI rights.
Lyra, 29, whose funeral will be held today, was killed doing her job – “her calling” as she described it – but that is little comfort to those who loved her.
The New IRA have now “admitted responsibility” and offered their “full and sincere apologies” to her family and friends.
Admitting responsibility is far removed from taking responsibility, which would mean co-operating to bring her killer to justice.
Her family have no time for hollow apologies, shoe-horned into a statement which portrayed her as collateral damage in an otherwise just fight.
The only solace will be if her murder transpires to be a seminal event, the motivation for Northern Ireland to halt the slide back into its murderous past.
If the gangsters of the New IRA are truly sorry, let them lay down their guns.
When I heard of Lyra’s death, I felt sadness, not just for her but for the stolen potential, which we know would have been profound.
In 2016, Forbes magazine named her as one of its “30 under 30 in media” because of her work as an investigative reporter covering the Troubles. She had a two-book deal, a future which promised perhaps not to change the whole world but pockets of it for the better.
In this “strongman” era of populism and journalism under siege, it is important to remember that poetic though it is, it is not always true that the pen is mightier than the sword.
Last year, 53 journalists were killed around the globe, 34 of them in retaliation killings – twice that of 2017. But the Lyras will go on – bearing witness, seeking out the truth, regardless of the risk, because they are steered by a desire to use their power for good.
Journalism is so often maligned but it is an honourable profession, if occasionally blighted by the dishonour of the few.
Not every story can be Watergate but maybe it will save the community centre or get a family out of a damp flat, expose state corruption, abuse of people, by state, by church, by power.
Lyra, a “ceasefire baby”, wanted to lay open the past of the Troubles to help secure Northern Ireland a peaceful, hopeful future.
Ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s the bastion of the bigot and the brutal.
Journalism has to be protected or there won’t be a place for the next Lyra and all that she can do.
It is a privileged but sometimes tough gig. Now and again, you do make an impact and however small, it feels mighty.
For those grappling with their sexuality, Lyra’s work will have been formative – not least her “letter to my 14-year-old self ”.
In it, she describes the relief of coming out, to the understanding of her family and finding herself accepted by people who appreciated the sum of her.
She described telling her mum she was gay, “like a prisoner who has been given their freedom”, and her assurance will continue to unlock the door for others.
Lyra’s words will be her legacy but it is unforgivable for her life to be cut short when she had so much more to say.