Anger over removal of tribute to bomb-blast heroes

An IRA bomb victim today hit out at the removal from a fire station wall of a tribute to officers who helped in the aftermath of an explosion.

Jim Dixon, who suffered terrible injuries in the Remembrance Day massacre at a war memorial in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh which killed 12 people, also challenged whoever forced the picture to be taken down to meet him and explain their reasons.

Fire chiefs removed the image from display at the town’s station following a complaint from a member of staff.

It was claimed the montage of poppies, victims and a black and white sketch showing the scene of the November 1987 explosion could breach equality laws.

But Mr Dixon, 70, who still suffers pain from the serious head and facial injuries inflicted by the bomb, was appalled at the decision.

He said: “We have human rights laws which are from hell.

“It’s despicable. The people there were innocent people that the IRA murdered. There’s no grounds on any level that it can be connected to anything political.”

Mr Dixon, a former factory owner, was buried under rubble which smashed his skull following the no-warning blast at the Cenotaph in Enniskillen.

Struggling to comprehend how anyone could object to paying tribute to firefighters who battled to save lives, he added: “I would love to meet the man who wants it down and ask him his reasons why.

“I would ask him how he puts politics into innocent people standing at a Cenotaph being murdered by the IRA.”

Crews in Enniskillen have also been left stunned by the decision.

And Arlene Foster, a Fermanagh and South Tyrone DUP minister at the Northern Ireland Assembly, has protested to chief fire officer Colin Lammey.

She said: “This has caused a great deal of hurt and annoyance.”

A spokesman for the fire and rescue service explained how it was based on guidelines designed to prevent tensions at work.

He said: “It was taken down in order to maintain an inclusive, neutral and harmonious working environment for all of its firefighters and also for all those in the community who use and visit the fire station.

“This complies with guidance advocated by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland which states that ’emblems or displays linked to the community conflict over the past 30 years are best avoided as they clearly have the potential to cause disruption to good and harmonious working environments’.”