Christopher 'Crip" McWilliams Near Death
26 May 2008
Irish National Liberation Army volunteer Christopher 'Crip' McWilliams
is in a hospital in Lourdes awaiting death from lukemia. Friends have
said he is likely to have no more than a day or two before death takes
him.
The comrades of the International Republican Socialist Network join
in paying tribute to this brave republican socialist warrior who broke
out of the INLA wing in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, crossed the roof
with a gun that had been smuggled into the prison and ended the life
of Billy 'King Rat' Wright, the neo-fascist leader of the Loyalist Volunteer
Force.
McWilliams grew up in a republican neighborhood in West Belfast.
His brother Paul was shot and killed by the British Army when he
was just 16 years old. He joined the INLA and In 1984 was jailed
on a 14 year sentence after a gun battle in a Lenadoon flat during
which INLA volunteer Paul "Bonanza" McCann was killed.
In 1991 he was made to take responsiblity for the shooting of
bar manager Colm Mahon by the IPLO to get the actual shooter
off. While in Maghaberry, Crip re-joined the INLA and carried out
a daring, armed protest while incarcerated there. He became a good
friend of INLA leader Gino Gallagher while in gaol.
After being transferred to Long Kesh, Crip lead a three person team
of INLA volunteers out of H-Block 6 on December 1997, that included
John Kenneway and John Glennon, as well as Crip. Crip shot Billy
Wright three times, killing him. They shot Wright as he sat in a bus
waiting to be taken to a meeting with his girlfriend in the prison's visiting
area. All three volunteers were sentenced to life imprisonment, but released
after two years, due to the terms of the GFA. When released, Crip
commented about the shooting of Billy Wright:
"As an INLA volunteer at the time I have no regrets, but I want to
emphasise that as an individual I took no personal satisfaction out
of playing my role to eliminate Billy Wright.
"A decision was taken to eliminate Billy Wright solely because he was the
man who had opted to direct a ruthless campaign of slaughter of innocent
Catholics from inside Long Kesh."
John Kenneway described the operation:
"'When we cut out of wing and got on to the roof we were actually
depending on the screws to be around, to see us. We wanted them
to be there to sound the alarm, which leads to the automatic lock-down
of the gates. We got into the courtyard and Wright's van was stuck
there because the gates were automatically locked. If there had been
no alarm the truth is that Wright might have got away and survived. The
joke is that the screws thought we were trying to escape, that's why
they shut the gates. Had they not have seen us the gate would have
been open and the van could have driven away when we pulled out
the guns."
Comrades of the IRSN who knew Crip personally were impressed with
by his thoughtful, soft-spoken manner and the bravery he demonstrated
as an INLA volunteer and as an ex-prisoner of war battling lukemia. The
comrades of the IRSN offer our respect and our sympathy to him, as
he confronts the end of his long struggle lukemia. We recognize that
Crip McWilliams will be remembered as a republican socialist hero for
generations to come.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network
Irish National Liberation Army volunteer Christopher 'Crip' McWilliams
is in a hospital in Lourdes awaiting death from lukemia. Friends have
said he is likely to have no more than a day or two before death takes
him.
The comrades of the International Republican Socialist Network join
in paying tribute to this brave republican socialist warrior who broke
out of the INLA wing in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, crossed the roof
with a gun that had been smuggled into the prison and ended the life
of Billy 'King Rat' Wright, the neo-fascist leader of the Loyalist Volunteer
Force.
McWilliams grew up in a republican neighborhood in West Belfast.
His brother Paul was shot and killed by the British Army when he
was just 16 years old. He joined the INLA and In 1984 was jailed
on a 14 year sentence after a gun battle in a Lenadoon flat during
which INLA volunteer Paul "Bonanza" McCann was killed.
In 1991 he was made to take responsiblity for the shooting of
bar manager Colm Mahon by the IPLO to get the actual shooter
off. While in Maghaberry, Crip re-joined the INLA and carried out
a daring, armed protest while incarcerated there. He became a good
friend of INLA leader Gino Gallagher while in gaol.
After being transferred to Long Kesh, Crip lead a three person team
of INLA volunteers out of H-Block 6 on December 1997, that included
John Kenneway and John Glennon, as well as Crip. Crip shot Billy
Wright three times, killing him. They shot Wright as he sat in a bus
waiting to be taken to a meeting with his girlfriend in the prison's visiting
area. All three volunteers were sentenced to life imprisonment, but released
after two years, due to the terms of the GFA. When released, Crip
commented about the shooting of Billy Wright:
"As an INLA volunteer at the time I have no regrets, but I want to
emphasise that as an individual I took no personal satisfaction out
of playing my role to eliminate Billy Wright.
"A decision was taken to eliminate Billy Wright solely because he was the
man who had opted to direct a ruthless campaign of slaughter of innocent
Catholics from inside Long Kesh."
John Kenneway described the operation:
"'When we cut out of wing and got on to the roof we were actually
depending on the screws to be around, to see us. We wanted them
to be there to sound the alarm, which leads to the automatic lock-down
of the gates. We got into the courtyard and Wright's van was stuck
there because the gates were automatically locked. If there had been
no alarm the truth is that Wright might have got away and survived. The
joke is that the screws thought we were trying to escape, that's why
they shut the gates. Had they not have seen us the gate would have
been open and the van could have driven away when we pulled out
the guns."
Comrades of the IRSN who knew Crip personally were impressed with
by his thoughtful, soft-spoken manner and the bravery he demonstrated
as an INLA volunteer and as an ex-prisoner of war battling lukemia. The
comrades of the IRSN offer our respect and our sympathy to him, as
he confronts the end of his long struggle lukemia. We recognize that
Crip McWilliams will be remembered as a republican socialist hero for
generations to come.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network