Gerry Adams attended British High Court 'to assert the legitimacy of the republican cause'

"I'm restricted about what I can say about these proceedings so I will limit myself to reminding you that Irish people have long had a bad experience of British courts, Irish republicans especially. However, I came to London to reject the allegations levelled against me. And to assert the legitimacy of the republican cause and the right of the people of Ireland to be free."

"In Mr Clark's case, we are dealing with a delay that is genuinely unprecedented in magnitude. We say the very brief and bald hearsay evidence you have been provided with falls a long way short of the kind of explanation that ought to be provided for a delay of this length."

Gerry Adams, former Sinn Féin president, is defending against a legal action brought by three bombing victims: John Clark from the 1973 Old Bailey bombing, Jonathan Ganesh from the 1996 London Docklands bombing, and Barry Laycock from the 1996 Arndale shopping centre bombing. The claimants allege Adams was a leading Provisional IRA member and Army Council member during these incidents, seeking £1 in damages. Adams testified he had no involvement in the bombings and was never a member of the Provisional IRA. His legal team argues the claim should be dismissed due to the unprecedented delay in bringing the action, with decades passing since the incidents occurred.

Read at Irish Independent