Was Gilmore's letter published on the web...? -- Republican Bulletin Board of Ireland

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Date Posted: Sat, Oct 04 2003, 19:42:15 GMT
Author: M�ire
Subject: Was Gilmore's letter published on the web...?
In reply to: Liam 's message, "Messages for Gilmore can be sent @" on Mon, Sep 29 2003, 14:47:58 GMT

I found this follow-up but never saw his editorial...

No `blind eye' to bobbies?

Wednesday, October 01, 2003

By MARIA CRAMER
HAMILTON - After weeks of criticism from political opponents and the local police, Mayor Glen Gilmore finally explained yesterday why he failed to meet with a group of British bobbies who visited the township last month.

Or did he?

In a page-and-a-half letter to the editor sent to The Times, Gilmore gives a lengthy description of a visit he made to Belfast, Northern Ireland. In it, he describes the persecution of Irish Catholics and the "blind eye" British police turned to it.

At the end of the letter, he stops just shy of using what he saw on his trip as a justification for the apparent snub.

"Despite this experience, I harbor no ill will against anyone based on national origin," he wrote. "In fact, I commend our officers for recently hosting a delegation of British police.

"I also hope that the British police who visited Hamilton will forgive the fact that my schedule did not allow me time to stop for a photo-op presentation - just as I hope that the neighborhood I visited in Belfast will find it in their hearts to forgive the British police who could not find time in their schedules to protect them from constant, vicious attacks."

He concluded his letter with this statement: "We, in America, must not ignore injustice simply because it is committed by a friend."

Gilmore did not explain what he meant by the last paragraph of his letter.

In a voice mail to The Times, he said "I believe the letter to the editor should speak for itself. I am focusing my efforts on issues that are important to our community, and that's where my focus is going to stay."

Eleven constables arrived here last month out of a friendship they struck up with a group of township officers at last year's first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In February, several Hamilton officers flew to London to observe the constables in action. In London, they were treated to a buffet lunch and a lengthy visit with the mayor of the constables' borough.

According to police, Gilmore canceled a luncheon with the constables scheduled during their visit. Police also said Gilmore drove past the bobbies - some of whom are of Irish descent - in a golf cart during Septemberfest, the township's biggest annual festival.

Police Chief James Collins repeatedly tried to get in touch with Gilmore during the festival so the constables could present the mayor a plaque, police said.

Gilmore, an Irish-American who has met with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, had previously expressed sympathy for Irish Catholics struggling for a united Ireland in the past.

But until yesterday, he refused to respond to questions from The Times over whether political issues played a part in his failure to meet with the officers.

His letter, a compelling account of his visit to Belfast, describes assaults by those living outside the wall that surrounded the small Irish-Catholic neighborhood in which he stayed.

Gilmore wrote about one night when what sounded like a loud fireworks display woke him straight out of bed.

He rushed to the street, where he was joined by his host family and neighbors who fled believing their homes were on fire.

"Suddenly an armored British police vehicle rushed up to where we were gathered," Gilmore wrote. "The vehicle stopped, then turned around and disappeared. `Aren't they going to make sure everyone's OK,' I asked. A neighbor answered, `They (the British police) only came to see if anyone was daring to retaliate - so they could make an arrest.' "

"Again and again, during my visit, I witnessed volleys of attacks that occurred because the British police turned a blind eye to the attackers," he wrote.

Nowhere in the letter does he clearly state that his disappointment with the British police was connected to his slight of the visiting constables.

But to critics of Gilmore's snub, the implication in his letter was evident.

Republican mayoral candidate Jack Lacy, who last week released a photograph he took with four of the bobbies during Septemberfest, said he interpreted the last paragraph of Gilmore's letter as a "rationalization."

"I, too, am an Irish-American and I do not like what has taken place in Northern Ireland," he said. "The situation here is that the mayor of our community is a goodwill ambassador to all foreign visitors. His rude, arrogant treatment of people who had so warmly welcomed our police to their community is unforgivable."

Brock Barber, president of the Policeman's Benevolent Association Local 66, said the letter was a poor attempt to stave off negative publicity.

"I think it's a political maneuver to save face in light of the recent bad press and editorials that he's gotten," he said. "I'm not doubting what he witnessed. However . . . how busy can the mayor be at the Septemberfest? What possibly could be drawing the mayor away from people who wanted to give him a plaque?"

Kevin Meara, a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and several other Irish-American groups, said it should be clear to Gilmore that the Northern Ireland Police Service - and before that the Royal Ulster Constabulary - police Belfast, not London constables.

"I think those comments are unfortunate," he said. "The mayor keeps using the term British police. If you really want to stretch it, you could say it. But that's almost like saying the Hamilton Township police force and the New Jersey National Guard, because they both serve in New Jersey, are the same.

"It is such a reach . . . that it shows either a complete lack of understanding of the issue or an unfortunate attempt at politicizing his gaffe."

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Replies:

To Glen Gilmore -- james Butler (youth worker), Mon, Oct 11 2004, 21:00:07 GMT

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macbushner, Mon, Nov 29 2021, 14:24:57 GMT