Monday, July 11, 2005
Sinn Fein deny link to Dublin murder
Sinn Fein has denied that the killers of Dublin man Joseph Rafferty had links with the Republican movement.
Dublin Sinn Féin chairman Justin Moran said the people Ms Rafferty believed killed her brother had nothing to do with Sinn Féin or the republican movement.
"These people are thugs… they are not members of Sinn Féin, they have never been Sinn Féin election workers," he said.
"What happened to Joseph Rafferty was a brutal, horrific murder and there have been allegations made that people who are some way connected to our party are involved in this.
"What I’m saying is these people are not members of Sinn Féin, I do not know them as members of Sinn Féin, they have never been involved in the party,” he told RTE Radio.
"I would be astonished if this person is involved with republicans in any way, shape or form,” he said.
However the sister of the murdered man, Esther Rafferty, said her brother had been murdered over a simple row in which he had intervened after his younger sister and nephew had been attacked by a youth.
She said he was threatened with a visit from the "Ra" (IRA), and told he would be "“got" in the gym or in Ongar Park.Ms Rafferty said: "We know that the person who has been identified as murdering Joseph has definitely Sinn Féin/IRA connections – that has been 100% proved to us.”
She said her brother had no connections with the IRA and was not known to the garda before his death.
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I do believe that SF/IRA are indeed active in the Capital. Are they responsible for Joseph Rafferty's murder however? That remains to be seen.
Dublin Sinn Féin chairman Justin Moran said the people Ms Rafferty believed killed her brother had nothing to do with Sinn Féin or the republican movement.
"These people are thugs… they are not members of Sinn Féin, they have never been Sinn Féin election workers," he said.
"What happened to Joseph Rafferty was a brutal, horrific murder and there have been allegations made that people who are some way connected to our party are involved in this.
"What I’m saying is these people are not members of Sinn Féin, I do not know them as members of Sinn Féin, they have never been involved in the party,” he told RTE Radio.
"I would be astonished if this person is involved with republicans in any way, shape or form,” he said.
However the sister of the murdered man, Esther Rafferty, said her brother had been murdered over a simple row in which he had intervened after his younger sister and nephew had been attacked by a youth.
She said he was threatened with a visit from the "Ra" (IRA), and told he would be "“got" in the gym or in Ongar Park.Ms Rafferty said: "We know that the person who has been identified as murdering Joseph has definitely Sinn Féin/IRA connections – that has been 100% proved to us.”
She said her brother had no connections with the IRA and was not known to the garda before his death.
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I do believe that SF/IRA are indeed active in the Capital. Are they responsible for Joseph Rafferty's murder however? That remains to be seen.
# posted by United Irelander @ 8:43 PM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
