Thread by @mccanntb

Today marks #Omagh20 and the usual news cycle has been running its course throughout the day when mark significant events.

For a region that had seen so much blood shed over the previous 30 years it probably wouldn't have been unusual except for a number of factors 1/

Firstly, even for the bloodiest conflict in a generation the death toll was significant. 29 people died, one of whom was an expectant mother carrying twins.

A community and a country changed for ever 2/

https://twitter.com/skydavidblevins/status/1029611508920135680

Secondly, it happened after the #GFA had been ratified by referenda north and south of @BorderIrish with a resounding mandate that the people were tired of violence, of division and of hatred. The agreement had been signed just months before with so much hope and potential 3/

But, a group of dissident republicans refused to accept that cooperation and reconciliation offered the best future for the island and instead went out to deliberately destroy the fragile peace.

Telephone warnings were issued ... 4/

... but, either deliberately or through incompetence, they were inaccurate resulting in greater injury and loss than was the norm for these incidents as police inadvertently moved people towards the car bomb. People who never stood a chance when the bomb detonated. 5/

What came out of the devastation was remarkable, both communities united to ensure the wreckers would not win. A new resolve formed that peace was Ireland's future.

The terrorists had badly misjudged the national mood and their methods would be rejected across the divide 6/

20 years later that peace is under threat again.

Now, every time I post about this I get accused of scaremongering & exaggeration, so that's par for the course from those quarters who offer no solution and display an inability to see past their own ideological fantasy. 7/

I say peace is under threat because the #GFA offers guarantees that are incompatible with any form of Brexit.

We're well and truly in La La Land territory with every option suggested by HMG 8/

And again, those who will pile on here to disagree have rarely read and almost certainly never understood the #GFA but will still profess to be experts on it.

But, they'll be the same group that will happily throw the peace away to get their Brexit 9/

https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1024568048659910656

BTW that last statistic saddens me but doesn't surprise me. The general level of ignorance I've encountered in last 20+ yrs in England is astounding. Not a single week passes without me having to explain to someone either that NI is part of UK or Ireland isn't. 10/

Finally peace is at risk because either a border will exist in Ireland and the republicans will resume their fight (they're already starting to recruit ) politicshome.com/news/uk/uk-reg…
Or down the Irish sea will ignite the UVF and their Unionist backers, incensed at being cut off. 11/

Either way it's not good.
And they'll lie to you just as they do about the rights of the @BritishInEurope & @The3Million. They'll say it's all sorted and it's just about trade. It's not!#BrexitisPersonal and peoples lives will be impacted at best, lost at worst over this. 12/

Our history is why so many families from all sides & members of our armed forces have a story they'd rather forget from that period. A day like 15/08/1998 they wish never happened.

The only way to ensure more don't experience the same is to #DefendTheGFA & #StopBrexit End.