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The dissident republicans who murdered Lyra McKee are cowards who will fail in their hate-filled efforts to drag Ireland into the past, the Taoiseach has said.<\/p>\nThe dissident republicans who murdered Lyra McKee are cowards who will fail in their hate-filled efforts to drag Ireland into the past, the Taoiseach has said.<\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar paid tribute to Ms McKee as he gave a statement outside Government Buildings in Dublin.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn activist and journalist, she changed lives as she lived and will do so again in death,\u201d he said, vowing to stand in solidarity with the people of Derry.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-one years ago today on Good Friday, we as a people, north and south, chose peace, democracy, power sharing and ever closer co-operation, and we will not be dragged into the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no place or any justification for political violence in Ireland or Northern Ireland today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was an act of fear, this was an act of hate, and this was an act of cowardice. Those who carried it out do not share the views of our nation nor of our republic and we reject them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so this was an attack not just on one citizen, it was an attack on all of us, our nation and our freedoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to express my solidarity with the people of Derry today, we stand with you as strong as your walls and for as long as they stand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach praised the \u201cbravery\u201d of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and emergency services in Derry.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI echo the call that anyone who has information should now come forward so that justice be done.\u201d<\/p>\n