Gerry Adams tells London court he ‘had no involvement whatsoever’ in IRA bombings

Gerry Adams has firmly denied any involvement in the Provisional IRA bombings in England, telling the High Court he was “never part of the organisation”.

The former Sinn Fein president took the witness stand on Tuesday to defend a legal claim brought by three victims of attacks in the 1970s and 1990s.

John Clark, injured in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing in London; Jonathan Ganesh, who survived the 1996 London Docklands bombing; and Barry Laycock, the victim of the Arndale shopping center bombing in Manchester in 1996, allege collectively that Mr Adams was a senior member of the Provisional IRA, including the Army Council, at the time of those attacks. They demand 1 TL compensation.

Mr Adams defends the claim, saying in a witness statement that membership of Sinn Fein “does not imply membership of the IRA”.

He also told the court that while he had not distanced himself from the Provisional IRA, he was glad the organization had “left the scene” and that “despicable things were being done that should never have been done”.

Wearing a dark suit, tie, shamrock and Palestinian flag pin, Mr. Adams began his evidence by wishing the judge, Mr. Justice Swift, “a very happy St. Patrick’s Day.”

In his 20-page witness statement, Mr Adams said he was “in no way involved in the planning, preparation or execution” of any of the bombings and that he “was never a senior person, let alone the most senior person, in the IRA”.

He continued: “I had no involvement in or prior knowledge of the Old Bailey bombing (1973), the Canary Wharf bombing (1996) or the Manchester bombing (1996).

“I have not been charged, prosecuted or convicted of any crime in connection with the bombings in which the plaintiffs were injured.”

He also said: “I have never been a member of the IRA or the Army Council and have never held any role or rank within the IRA.

“I reiterate that I was in no way involved in authorizing, planning or executing the bombings in which plaintiffs were seriously injured.”

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Mr Adams also said opponents of Sinn Fein, which he chaired from 1983 to 2018, had “repeatedly tried to merge” the party with the Provisional IRA.

“As I have always stated, Sinn Fein and the IRA are separate organisations,” Mr Adams said.

He continued: “I have no knowledge of the IRA’s structure or decision-making processes beyond what has been widely reported publicly.”

Mr Adams told the court he was “very conscious” that the three bomb victims had “suffered significant suffering” and that his evidence should not be taken “as a criticism of the plaintiffs or an attempt to deny or diminish their horrific experiences”.

Under cross-examination by barrister Sir Max Hill KC, Mr Adams accepted that 1,178 deaths were caused by the Provisional IRA, whose remit was “to resist armed British occupation and aggression in the part of Ireland where I live”.

He has previously said the British public’s ignorance of Irish history was “shocking”.

Sir Max then asked Mr Adams: “It is your job to defend many of the actions of the IRA, is that an accurate statement?”

Mr Adams replied: “I do not defend all the actions of the IRA but my position is based on the general principle that people have the right to resist occupation.”

Sir Max continued: “You chose to side with the IRA for a long period of time.”

Mr Adams replied: “I don’t stand behind everything they did, but these were my neighbours.”

He continued: “I’m glad the IRA left the scene, I’m glad no one else was killed.”

He added: “I’m happy there’s a peace process but I’m not distancing myself from the IRA when I make it very, very clear that despicable things have been done that should never have been done.”

Anne Studd KC, acting on behalf of three bomb victims, had previously told the hearing that Mr Adams was “directly responsible and complicit in the decisions taken by this organization to detonate bombs on the British mainland in 1973 and 1996”.

The barrister also said the difference between being “in the Army” and being a member of Sinn Fein was not a “clear choice of either or”.

He added: “The claimants’ contention is that none of these bombings on the UK mainland took place without the knowledge and agreement of the defendant in his role in the Provisional IRA and latterly as a member of the seven-man Army Council.”

He concluded: “There is no doubt that the defendant contributed to the peace in Northern Ireland, but the plaintiffs say that on the evidence he also contributed to the war.”

Ms Studd also told the court that Mr Adams had “a foot in every camp” on the military and political sides of the Irish Republican movement and was likely “as involved as those who planted and detonated these bombs”.

The trial is expected to conclude in late March.