SINEAD HITS BACK AT SF 'JOYRIDING PLOT' CLAIM 

Ian Starrett 

THE Government and the RUC have used joyriders to demoralise west Belfast, Sinn Fein 
activist Danny Morrison claimed in a letter to a friend of singer Sinead O'Connor. 
The controversial singer-turned-priest, who pulled out of the West Belfast Festival 
because the organisers prevented her from speaking out against punishment beatings, 
revealed the contents of the letter yesterday. 
In it Mr Morrison wrote: "The issue of punishment beatings is a controversial one, 
not just in terms of the violence inflicted on individuals (which appears to be Sinead's 
concern), but because criminals and joy riders have been used by the Government and the 
RUC to demoralise the community, to attack Sinn Fein and to recruit informers. In fact 
there is a whole propaganda war behind this issue... of course there is a real possibility 
that Sinead was misquoted or that she is speaking sincerely but does not fully appreciate 
the complexities of the issue." 
Mr Morrison added: "For her to make such a point would neither be helpful to the festival 
organisers... nor to Sinead's own reputation. I have no objection to you showing this 
letter to Sinead, whom we are looking forward to seeing." 
Angry Ms O'Connor lashed back at Mr Morrison yesterday, saying that the festival organisers 
"leaned heavily" on her when they learned that she planned to speak out against punishment 
beatings and that she wanted an eight-year-old punishment victim to appear on stage with her. 
Ms O'Connor said: "I am not going to be used as a puppet for the republican movement. I am 
not a poster girl for the Provisional IRA."
"I used to say I supported the IRA because I was very much in love with a man who supported 
the IRA and I wanted to be like him and for him to think I was great." 
"All my career I've campaigned heavily against child abuse and the issue of violence so it's 
pretty obvious if you tell me not to talk about punishment beatings I'm going to bristle." 
She sees some hope of peace in Northern Ireland in the next few days, but added: "You can lead 
two horses to water but you can't make them drink from the same well." 
Ms O'Connor said there has to be desire and intention, which she said didn't seem to be there 
on either side. 

Copyright 1999 Century Newspapers Limited Belfast News Letter June 28, 1999, Monday