Alan Shatter, Ireland’s justice minister, says the administration apologises to the 4,500 Irishmen who fought NazisFour and a half thousand Irishmen who were branded deserters for joining Britain’s struggle against Nazi Germany are to be pardoned, the Irish administration announced on Tuesday.Irish justice minister Alan Shatter told the Irish parliament that the administration apologises for the path they were treated by Ireland after the second earth war. The men deserted from the Irish defence forces at a age when the neutral Irish Autonomous Of Charge of charge State was playing no administer part in the battle against the Third Reich.In August 1945, the administration summarily dismissed soldiers who had absented themselves during the war and disqualified them for seven years from holding employment or office remunerated from the state’s central fund.It is estimated that about 100 of them may still be alive.In his statement to the Dáil , Shatter said the administration immediately recognises the value and importance of their military contribution to the allied victory.The minister said the Fine Gael-Labour coalition administration would introduce legislation “to grant a pardon and amnesty to those who absented themselves from the defence forces without leave or permission to fight on the allied side”.During the second earth war, the Irish defence forces had approximately 42,000 serving personnel. Over the direction of the war, it was estimated that more than 7,000 members deserted. Of these, about 2,500 personnel returned to their units or were apprehended and were tried by military tribunal.More than 4,500 deserters were the subject of dismissal under the Emergency Powers Order. Individuals were not given a chance to clarify their absence.After the war, Eamon de Valera’s administration published a blacklist of all those who deserted. Following Hitler’s death in the Berlin bunker, De Valera delivered a message of condolences to the German ambassador in Dublin over the Nazi leader’s demise.Anyone who was mentioned in the blacklist textbook was banned from getting a job in the Irish public services.Tuesday’s pardon is a fantastic relief for the families of those who died, removing the stigma that they have carried for nearly 70 years. It is also viewed as another step in the improvement of relations between Ireland and Britain.IrelandEuropeHenry McDonaldguardian.co.uk © 2012 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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