Statement by TUV security spokesman and Fermanagh and South Tyrone Assembly candidate Alex Elliot:

“We are now back to an era similar to the early 1970s. Back then the Official IRA declared a ceasefire moving into the political arena under the Workers Party banner. The terror challenge was picked up by the Provos who ran amok for the next 25 years with continual slaughter and maiming of our communities. Today the older brigade of Provos have turned political claiming a ceasefire is in place, despite a vast swathe of younger members moving over to Dissident groups bringing weapons and expertise. This movement of Republican resources has created a new breed of Republican die-hards with the older brigade members going into semi-retirement within the political arena.

“On Saturday afternoon last, we witnessed in Omagh the peace as delivered Republican style with the brutal murder of Constable Ronan Kerr. Is this the peace and stability that our politicians at Stormont so often boast about? But this was more than a message to the PSNI; it was a message to the Roman Catholic community not to fraternise with the enemy Brits. It was a message of defiance that the Republican military campaign ‘hasn’t gone away’. Over recent years, we have witnessed a two-pronged attack against Northern Irelands institutions; the destruction of our political institutions from within Stormont’s regime and externally the continual murderous terrorism upon a decimated Police service.

“As for the ceasefire; well there never was one. It was just a realignment of Republican resources and the same terror crusade under a different Republican ‘Dissident’ banner. A repeat of the early 1970s tactic.

“It is not sufficient for politicians to simply criticise the perpetrators of this brutal murder of Constable Kerr; a young man in the prime of his life. If IRA/Sinn Fein is genuine with their moves for peace, let us hear them support our armed services and Police Service to take whatever action is deemed necessary to prevent any repeat by these Republican criminals. Let us hear them state, “If dissidents are prepared to live by the gun; then they must be prepared to die by the gun”.

“This of course will not happen as IRA/Sinn Fein remains loyal to the IRA code of support for “a war of attrition against enemy personnel which is aimed at causing as many casualties and deaths as possible” (IRA Green Book). The likelihood is that there will be further deaths of Police Officers and the Stormont politicians will repeat their meaningless condemnations in ‘parrot fashion’.

“As one leading IRA/Sinn Fein member said a few years back at Galbally,  Dungannon, “Continuity IRA, Real IRA, Provisional IRA; it doesn’t matter which; there is only one IRA.”