Another watershed must be marked in Northern Ireland with the callous killing of the first reporter in the 30-year history of the troubles. Marty O'Hagan, a journalist with the Sunday World newspaper, was shot in the back in front of his wife, Marie, in his home town of Lurgan last Friday night by members of the Loyalist Volunteer Force, close associates of elements of the Ulster Defence Association. The Red Hand Defenders, a cover name for the LVF, have claimed responsibility. Marty was shot, they said, for "crimes against the Loyalist people".
The cold murder of a dedicated reporter as he walked home from his local pub has stunned, not just his journalistic colleagues, but the wider community in Northern Ireland. Many tributes have been paid to him for his committed and fearless reporting of paramilitary activities on both sides of the divide. The killing has been condemned by political leaders north and south of the Border. Marty O'Hagan entered journalism, like many others in those days, by an unconventional route but was recognised by his peers to possess that most elusive of journalistic qualities: the passion - some would say a reckless courage - to expose the under-world of life where he lived.
Reports have been confirmed that he identified one of his killers by name before he was assassinated. It is earnestly to be hoped that the RUC will pursue the matter with vigour. It would seem appropriate also that the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, should re-visit his decision to postpone a declaration that terrorist organisations have broken their ceasefire. As this new watershed is reached, it should be recognised that loyalist paramilitaries have made a victim of the messenger, not the message. For the first time, the new target is the reporter.
The fatal shooting of Marty O'Hagan, the almost-nightly rioting on the streets and the direction of the decommissioning debate at the Sinn FΘin ┴rd Fheis make the peace process, and the Belfast Agreement under-pinning it, look increasingly vulnerable at this time. There are only three weeks to go before Dr Reid will be faced with the most fundamental question: should the institutions be allowed to collapse in favour of a return to direct rule?
The verbal gyrations of Mr Gerry Adams in his attempts to draw a distinction between a "freedom fighter" and a "terrorist" in the changed political landscape after September 11th, offer little prospect of real action on arms in the current time scale. Imagine the indulgence of the American Ambassador, Mr Richard Egan - who attended the Ard Fheis - being sought for Osama bin Laden, freedom fighter for his people. The day for fudge on the holding of IRA arms is gone, and the Belfast Agreement will fall apart if it is not addressed.