Sir, I refer to attempts by some sections of the media to condition the view that the shooting dead of an unarmed IRA suspect in London by armed British Police was justified or reasonable. These have included the publication of a death notice for the dead man by the Spanish terrorist group ETA, and an Irish Sunday newspaper describing the circumstances surrounding the death as "a shoot out".
Could I suggest that most, if not all, would agree that the planning and/or carrying out of bombing outrages is a grievous wrong, and that very few initially, because of this would view the shooting dead of the suspect as wrong. It would, therefore, demand both courage and leadership for the Taoiseach and/or the Minister for Justice to question publicly the circumstances surrounding the killing, and if appropriate, to condemn it. - Yours, etc.,
City Hall,
Dublin 2.