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www.thepetitionsite.com/521/081/722/disband-the-artane-band-dublin |
Rights to Justice
After decades of cover-up of the abuse of children, the questions of what was done to children in Irish institutions, how it was done and where it was done have been answered in painful detail, but other more difficult and more disturbing questions remain; the questions of why this abuse was allowed to happened and what is to be done now, for the future.
I believe that those involved - the people who experienced cruel and inhumane treatment, the perpetrators, the colluders and those who stood idly by while children were exploited, raped and tortured - know the why. It was because children like us didn't matter. We were rubbish children and so people felt they could do whatever they wanted to us without consequences. And they were right; they didn't have to face consequences at the time the abuse happened, and they haven't had to face any consequences since.
The latest manifestation of indifference towards the feelings of those abused by the Christian Brothers is the insistence on not just maintaining, but celebrating the Artane Boys Band. For many men and their families the Artane Band is a stark reminder of the brutality visited upon them as children and it is hard to understand why anybody would want a new generation of young people to march under a banner tarnished by such an ugly history of violence and abuse. Out of respect for the abused children of the past and the innocent participants of the present, it is time to disband the Artane band.
I believe that those involved - the people who experienced cruel and inhumane treatment, the perpetrators, the colluders and those who stood idly by while children were exploited, raped and tortured - know the why. It was because children like us didn't matter. We were rubbish children and so people felt they could do whatever they wanted to us without consequences. And they were right; they didn't have to face consequences at the time the abuse happened, and they haven't had to face any consequences since.
The latest manifestation of indifference towards the feelings of those abused by the Christian Brothers is the insistence on not just maintaining, but celebrating the Artane Boys Band. For many men and their families the Artane Band is a stark reminder of the brutality visited upon them as children and it is hard to understand why anybody would want a new generation of young people to march under a banner tarnished by such an ugly history of violence and abuse. Out of respect for the abused children of the past and the innocent participants of the present, it is time to disband the Artane band.