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Irish National Liberation Army

Volume 927: debated on Wednesday 2 March 1977

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asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to make the Independent National Liberation Army of Northern Ireland a prohibited organisation, in the light of the recent statement made by a representative of that body on Northern Ireland television.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make the Irish National Liberation Army a prohibited organisation in view of the comments of its spokesman on BBC Television on 17th February.

No. Proscription is only a remedy against an identifiable group with an organisational structure and a continuing existence. It is not an effective remedy against casual groups which are prepared to change their names and to dissolve themselves to suit their convenience and possibly to coalesce in a new guise at a later stage. The best way to proceed against terrorists is to bring charges before the ordinary courts of the land for the criminal acts they commit.I have, of course, no responsibility for the programmes put out by the BBC or any other broadcasting organisation. I can, therefore, only take note of the protests which have been made to me by the many people who have taken exception to the provision of facilities by the media to self-confessed terrorists for the propagation of their views.