Carmen Proetta
Encyclopedia
Carmen Proetta was an independent witness to Operation Flavius
, a controversial British Army
operation in which the Special Air Service
shot dead three unarmed Provisional IRA members in Gibraltar
on 6 March 1988. She became the subject of a smear campaign by several British newspapers who later paid her substantial damages in an out of court settlement.
Proetta had given a statement to the police, saying that she was washing dishes when she looked out her kitchen window and witnessed the killings. According to her account, two of the three West Belfast
suspects, Mairead Farrell
and Dan McCann had their hands in the air when they were shot without warning.
Her claims were made public a month later in an interview for the award-winning Thames Television
documentary Death on the Rock
.
In her interview she said "They [security forces] didn't do anything ... they just went and shot these people. That's all. They didn’t say anything, they didn't scream, they didn't shout, they didn't do anything. These people were turning their heads back to see what was happening and when they saw these men had guns in their hands they put their hands up. It looked like the man was protecting the girl because he stood in front of her, but there was no chance. I mean they went to the floor immediately, they dropped."
After the programme was broadcast, several British newspapers, including The Sun
and The Sunday Times
sought to discredit her testimony by attacking her character. The Sun ran a headline labelling her the 'The tart of Gib'. Its front-page story accused her of being a former prostitute and of running an escort agency. Her husband was described as 'a sleazy drug peddler', and both were accused of being 'anti-British'.
All of these accusations were later shown to be unproven. Proetta launched a libel action case against five of the newspapers and was subsequently awarded an estimated £300,000 damages in an out of court settlement.
Operation Flavius
Operation Flavius was the name given to an operation by a Special Air Service team in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 tasked to prevent a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attack...
, a controversial British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
operation in which the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
shot dead three unarmed Provisional IRA members in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 6 March 1988. She became the subject of a smear campaign by several British newspapers who later paid her substantial damages in an out of court settlement.
Proetta had given a statement to the police, saying that she was washing dishes when she looked out her kitchen window and witnessed the killings. According to her account, two of the three West Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
suspects, Mairead Farrell
Mairéad Farrell
Mairéad Farrell was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army . She was killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius, a British Army operation to prevent a bombing in Gibraltar.-Early life:...
and Dan McCann had their hands in the air when they were shot without warning.
Her claims were made public a month later in an interview for the award-winning Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
documentary Death on the Rock
Death on the Rock
Death on the Rock is a British Academy Television Award-winning episode of Thames Television's current affairs series This Week, first aired by the British television network ITV on 28 April 1988. On 6 March 1988, three Irish Republican Army members, Danny McCann, Sean Savage and Mairéad Farrell,...
.
In her interview she said "They [security forces] didn't do anything ... they just went and shot these people. That's all. They didn’t say anything, they didn't scream, they didn't shout, they didn't do anything. These people were turning their heads back to see what was happening and when they saw these men had guns in their hands they put their hands up. It looked like the man was protecting the girl because he stood in front of her, but there was no chance. I mean they went to the floor immediately, they dropped."
After the programme was broadcast, several British newspapers, including The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
sought to discredit her testimony by attacking her character. The Sun ran a headline labelling her the 'The tart of Gib'. Its front-page story accused her of being a former prostitute and of running an escort agency. Her husband was described as 'a sleazy drug peddler', and both were accused of being 'anti-British'.
All of these accusations were later shown to be unproven. Proetta launched a libel action case against five of the newspapers and was subsequently awarded an estimated £300,000 damages in an out of court settlement.
See also
- Operation FlaviusOperation FlaviusOperation Flavius was the name given to an operation by a Special Air Service team in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 tasked to prevent a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attack...
- Death on the RockDeath on the RockDeath on the Rock is a British Academy Television Award-winning episode of Thames Television's current affairs series This Week, first aired by the British television network ITV on 28 April 1988. On 6 March 1988, three Irish Republican Army members, Danny McCann, Sean Savage and Mairéad Farrell,...
; a controversial documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the shootings.