IRA Members Viewed Adams' Denials as 'Hypocritical', Claims Journalist
A veteran investigative journalist has stated that IRA members he interviewed during the Troubles regarded Gerry Adams' repeated denials of ever being in the IRA as "insufferably hypocritical."
John Ware, who produced several programmes about the conflict, was providing evidence in a civil case against Adams in London.
The former Sinn Féin leader is being sued by John Clark, Jonathan Ganesh, and Barry Laycock, who were injured in IRA bombings in London and Manchester in 1973 and 1996.
Adams, aged 77, strongly denies any involvement and has consistently rejected allegations of IRA membership. He is scheduled to testify this week.
The claimants, seeking "vindicatory" damages of £1, allege that Adams is personally responsible for decisions to plant the bombs.
Ware's Documentary and Observations
In his witness statement, Ware explained that he made a documentary for ITV in 1983 focusing on Adams and his election as west Belfast MP.
The journalist said he aimed to examine Adams and his background because, based on his reporting at the time, he believed Adams was a member of the IRA's ruling army council.
"As such, it was fitting that World in Action (WIA) should look not only at him and his background but also focus on his categorical denials that he was not, nor ever had been, a member of the IRA."
The statement added that Adams' "denials so obviously lacked credibility that they struck me and WIA as a flat lie."
Denials 'Grated with Many'
Ware said those he interviewed for the 1983 documentary included former and serving IRA members at the time.
He claimed the "driving force" behind their decision to speak to him was Adams' "constant denialism" of IRA membership.
"Invariably, some of them thought that Adams had sold out by virtue of his political strategy, but the principal motivation for many Provisional IRA interviewees was their complete and utter astonishment at Adams' brazen, unequivocal, and unambiguous denial of his role in the IRA," the statement said.
"It clearly grated with many of them that when Adams said that he strongly supported the armed struggle, his denial of actual Provisional IRA membership allowed him to avoid taking personal responsibility for their actions.
"In short, they saw Adams' denial of Provisional IRA membership as insufferably hypocritical."
Cross-Examination and Additional Evidence
Under cross-examination by Adams' barrister, Ware confirmed he had no first-hand evidence of knowledge about who authorised the Old Bailey, Docklands, and Manchester bombings—attacks central to the case.
The court also heard that Ware's reporting had at times exposed the "dissemination of false information" by the Army, MI5, and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) during the Troubles.
Ware stated that as a journalist, he was "interested in objective truth."
He claimed evidence from various sources placed Adams on the IRA's ruling army council for more than 30 years, with Adams leaving that role only in 2005 when an agreement was reached on disarmament.
"It was my view that it was manifestly not the case that Gerry Adams was never a member of the IRA."
When questioned if he was "desperate" for his evidence to influence the case outcome, Ware dismissed the suggestion.
"If the assertion is that I'm here to grandstand - I'm not, I'm categorically not," stated Ware.
