Write a script of an interview between Michael Stone and news reporter after winning national junior Olympics
Answers
Answer:
Michael Stone comes from the Braniel Estate, a working class area of East Belfast, where his father worked all his life as a steel worker at the Harland and Wolff shipyard. He is one of a family of six, with one brother and four sisters. Stone who married twice [has] seven sons and two daughters. He has been a loyalist paramilitant for twenty years and without doubt his picture, shown opposite, is one of the most dramatic to come out of our troubled history. It immediately evokes memories of that day in March 1988 when the world witnessed, on their television screens, the sight of this lone loyalist, carrying out a grenade and gun attack at Milltown Cemetary Belfast, in the face of thousands of republicans. For many loyalists his actions exemplified the firm, determined stand of beleaguered Ulster against twenty years of republican terror and British Government duplicity. For others especially in the republican community, his actions were an outrage. Robert Williams met Michael Stone, in the surprisingly bright and pleasant surroundings of the new visiting area of the Maze Prison, where he spoke openly and frankly on this and other questions.
Q: What inspired you to become a member of the UDA?
A: I became a member of the UDA in 1972 at the time of great political and civil upheaval, the PIRA had declared war on my community and country. I like so many other young men came forward in defence of our families our communities and ultimately our country, which was reeling from the effects of republican violence. Several members of my family were terrorized out of their homes at gunpoint by republican gunmen in the north & west areas of Belfast, friends and neighbours were victims of the IRA’s violent campaign. I literally joined up to protect all that I hold dear, my family, my political and religious freedom, my life. My heart has always held a special place for the UDA as a political and defence organization. The dedication and comradeship it[‘s] membership has shown in defence of our country throughout this conflict has been exemplary. I am known as a freelance loyalist volunteer and to a certain degree that is correct. However I have always been a UDA member, I was sworn into the UDA and throughout these years I’ve remained loyal to that organization.
Q: What you did at Milltown was described as an outrage – how do you feel about this?
A: As an active volunteer I did my duty to the best of my ability. I was engaged in a retaliatory operation against Provisional Sinn Fein/IRA. My targets were the President and Vice President of that republican organization. I would disagree with the term outrage. The slaughter of innocents at Enniskillen in which eleven Protestants were murdered as they remembered the dead of two World Wars would come into my thoughts when I think of outrages or atrocities. My mission was to assassinate the two republican targets, the method and execution of the mission were of course extreme! I won’t attempt to moralize on politically motivated actions. My actions were non-sectarian, they were aimed at known legitimate targets within the terrorist republican movement. My only regret is that I failed to achieve my military objective, ie. the termination of the two targets.
Q: Three people lost their lives at Milltown. Do you feel any remorse for this?
A: All violent deaths are regrettable, be they innocent civilians, members of the security forces, loyalist volunteers and even those republican terrorists who have declared war on the innocent populous of Ulster. As for remorse with regards to the deaths of the three people killed at that terrorist funeral in Milltown cemetary. Remorse to an active loyalist volunteer is a luxury which one regrettably has to forgoe! That is not to say that I or my comrades are mindless or devoid of human emotion. We have our own families and loved ones, as do our republican enemies. I feel sorry for my enemies families, not for the active republican terrorists who pursue this war against us. May I point out that one of those killed at Milltown was a known and active terrorist, the other two by their presence indicated to me that their loyalties and support was for the terrorist PIRA and the violence which has been carried out against the innocent populous of Ulster, particularly the loyalist population!