Few protesting about gangland killings

I read the harrowing front page of the Irish Examiner (Mar 16), where an editorial written by Garda Representative Association General Secretary, PJ Stone, in their journal was featured, asking whether Irish people cared about what happened to teenager Marioara Rosta, who was tortured and shot in 2008 and had her body dumped in the Wicklow Mountains.

He asks about the lack of public outrage over how she died and what it says about us as a civilised society.

Would there have been protests if this had happened to an Irish national? We don’t protest about the killings being committed by Irish or non-national criminal gangs in our country.

PJ Stone asked if the fact that she was from the Roma community a factor in the lack of outrage, or have we lost a sense of reacting to heinous crimes? I can honestly say that the few I spoke to on the subject were horrified by what happened to her.

Some do care and hope the Garda will get the gang leader and his associates who abused her.

I was reassured by how the Garda handled the investigation and how they gave her disappearance from her family, and what they believed was her subsequent murder, all their endeavours.

People have stopped reacting to gang killings and there is little shock anymore — unless it comes to our community or housing estate.

This is because our Government is not as focused on gangland killings as they are on the troika bailout repayments. When did a politician last raise the subject of gang killings in the national media — apart from the Minister for Justice?

There is also a fear of drawing attention from these gangs. Few are brave enough to stick their heads above the parapet.

M Sullivan

College Road

Cork