Councillor Peter Weir - Car Bomb

"The shocking news of the car bomb tonight outside Newry Courthouse is a reminder of the depravity and cruel disregard for human life of dissident republicans. These people care little for human life in their evil quest to drag us back to the past. It is both a reminder of the serious threat that they continue to pose, and of the need to continue to make political progress and continue to build a stable Northern Ireland. These people have no mandate and represent only a commitment to a terrorist past that we had all hoped to leave behind in Northern Ireland.
 
Government must take a tough stance against these violent dinosaurs, and continue to commit every resource necessary in the fight against these evil people. Dissidents are also clearly threatened by the political progress made at Hillsborough, and it is vital that we isolate them by all parties showing leadership by backing a progressive way forward. It is also vital that the community as a whole help stamp out their activities once and for all by giving the Police full co-operation and information on this terrible crime."