Arts world unites behind Suzanne Breen

Mick McCaffrey, Security Editor

Stephen Rea

Christy Moore

Roddy Doyle

Well-known writers, artists and academics are among more than 5,000 people who have signed petitions supporting the Sunday Tribune Northern Editor’s refusal to hand over material on Real IRA stories to police.

Award-winning journalist John Pilger, actor Stephen Rea, singer Christy Moore, and Booker prize-winner Roddy Doyle are among those backing Suzanne Breen.

Lawyers Michael Mansfield and Gareth Pierce, British politicians Tony Benn and George Galloway, and leading academics from across the world join a range of influential Irish figures supporting the right to protect journalistic sources.

A PSNI application under the Terrorism Act demands that Breen hands over phones, computers and notes. She faces up to five years in jail for not complying. The case will be heard in Belfast on Thursday.

In a powerful stand for press freedom, editors of Irish and British newspapers, plus journalists from Australia to Iran, have supported the Sunday Tribune’s and National Union of Journalists’ campaign. Signatories include broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, Panorama’s John Ware, BBC Northern Ireland controller Peter Johnston, UTV managing director Michael Wilson, RTé presenters Miriam O’Callaghan and Mark Little, Channel 4 presenters Jon Snow and Alex Thomson, and Sky News managing editor Simon Cole. John Pilger described the PSNI case as a “throwback to the bad old days in Northern Ireland” and said it “should never have been brought”. Breen’s stories were in the public interest and she shouldn’t betray her sources, he said.

The petition has strong cross-community support in the North, from such diverse groups as the Bloody Sunday families, the father of murdered loyalist Billy Wright, Guildford Four and Birmingham Six members, Willie Frazer of IRA victims’ group Fair, and senior ex-detectives.

Former PSNI assistant chief constable Alan McQuillan said he hoped the Sunday Tribune would win in court. Journalists couldn’t hold the state to account nor expose issues without sources and whistleblowers, and this should be protected by the law, he said.

Prominent journalists will give evidence in court for the Sunday Tribune. The newspaper will be represented by barristers Arthur Harvey and Peter Girvan, instructed by solicitor Joe Rice.

Retired US Brigadier General James Cullen has written to chief constable Hugh Orde in support of Breen. “Placing journalists at risk, and removing a valuable source of disclosed information from the public, aren’t acceptable substitutes for normal investigative police work,” Cullen said.

June 7, 2009

Comments

#1 Paddy McGarvey commented, on June 9, 2009 at 12:01 a.m.:

Reading this story I get the impression the NI Police want to trawl through all of Suzanne Breen’s notes of all her stories on the “REAL” IRA by way of a fishing expedition, a demand which is not sustainable in law or practice. If the request is made in relation to a particular story about a specific alleged crime of theirs she has written about, then she must hand over the material. She has no right to withhold them if such papers exist.

There is no journalistic cocoon in which they can exclude themselves from responsibility for the welfare of their neighbours, as first and foremost, Civic Romanus Sum, they expect the police and social authorities to afford the required protections to their own families as well as others. What would Ms Breen do if the crime in question involved someone she loves, and she knew who did it?
I am least impressed with pictures of actors supporting her stand as most thespians will sign anything of a liberal taint placed in front of them, and virtually all of the journalists quoted in Britain would run a mile if you tried to interest them in a Northern Irish story. John Pilger, great indeed, but so frequently over the top, knows full well if he went behind the back of the police in Britain to interview people who had planned JULY SEVEN, for a similar instance, and refused to tell them anything about it, he would be arrested and charged with the ancient crime of harbouring. This story mentions the protection of whistleblowers. Don’t make me laugh, the so called REAL IRA, actually the Mid-Ulster Brigade of the Provisionals, as whistleblowers!!!!!!!