On the morning of Friday 1/12/00, the International Day of Action for Peter McBride, a very sinister 'Christmas card' arrived at the offices of the PFC. The official British army issue Christmas card, posted in an official UNPROFOR (United Nations Protection Force) envelope was addressed to the PFC from 'All ranks, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, Nanyuki, Kenya'.
Since Friday, MP Kevin McNamara's office has confirmed with John Spellar MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, that units of the Scots Guards are presently based in Kenya. UNPROFOR was mandated for the Balkans conflict. Kenya' contribution is to allow UNPROFOR troops to train on its territory. Kenya also has an agreement with the UK to allow training. We have filed a complaint with the Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Geneva. We are also raising the issue with the Irish Government. If the card had not been delayed in the post it would have arrived on the anniversary of Peter Mc Bride's birthday on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the PFC responded:
"We can only be grateful that whoever sent this didn't have an address for the McBride family. It's been a desperate time for them. An Army Board, including a senior government Minister, concludes that the murder of their son was a less serious offence than smoking dope and then the tabloid press, spearheaded by the Daily Mail, runs headlines referring to 'courageous soldiers, jailed for doing their duty". Put in this context its hardly surprising that a gloating and offensive card is sent signed on behalf of the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards. It's pitiful."
Reacting to the news of the card Jean McBride said that she felt like she had been "thrown to the ground and kicked once again by those who had already done so much to hurt her family." She continued "It's ironic that on the same day I received the most beautiful bunch of flowers from an elderly gentleman in Japan who had read of the decision on the web and was appalled."
In response to allegations that 'all ranks' of the Scots Guards had sent a Christmas 'greetings' card' to supporters of the McBride family at the Pat Finucane Centre, Labour MP Kevin McNamara said:
"Sending a Christmas card in this manner would constitute a sick and callous act aimed at intimidation of relatives of a murder victim by the perpetrators. Whoever has done this is guilty of deeply irreligious and offensive behaviour. If those responsible were Scots Guards, it further demonstrates the folly of allowing Guardsmen Fisher & Wright to resume their military careers with impunity. "
"Minister of Defence Geoff Hoon MP should order an immediate investigation to establish the truth and demonstrate his determination to root out all those involved or responsible of whatever rank. If this card did indeed emanate from a unit of the Scots Guards and no action is taken, this incident will reinforce the argument that sections of the British Army are out of control. This behaviour cannot be tolerated. Public confidence demands that 'rogue units' are dealt with swiftly and without prevarication."
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