THE founder of Families Against Intimidation and Terror (FAIT), Ms Nancy Gracey, has said she will contest a decision to expel her from the organisation.
An executive meeting of FAIT unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Ms Gracey following allegations that she incurred irregular expenses against the organisation while on a recent trip to the United States.
In the meantime, Ms Gracey who set up FAIT six years ago after her son was knee capped by the IRA, said she is ready to establish a new organisation from the kitchen of her Housing Executive home in Downpatrick, Co Down, called People Against Intimidation and Violence.
FAIT's executive, following Monday night's no confidence vote, said it wished to place on record the great contribution Ms Gracey made to the organisation and to the victims of paramilitary violence. It wished her well with her "new venture".
The no confidence decision centres on a recent trip by Ms Gracey to San Francisco and Hawaii funded by a wealthy American businessman, Mr Tom Tracey. Nationalist, unionist, RUC and other FAIT representatives also participated in the trip which was aimed at promoting cross community ventures in Northern Ireland.
Mr Tracey paid the flight and accommodation bills but it is understood that those on the trip had to meet their own out of pocket expenses. It is claimed Ms Gracey ran up expenses of about £800 while on the trip which were inappropriately laid against FAIT funds.
A FAIT executive member, Mr Tom Campbell, a lawyer and Alliance Party member, said FAIT understood Ms Gracey was one holiday in the US and not officially representing the organisation. Therefore she was not entitled to the expenses, he contended.
He denied FAIT was deliberately trying to vilify and humiliate Ms Gracey. FAIT was not responsible for making the issue 1p, he said. "This is sad but the fact is that FAIT is bigger than Nancy Gracey."
Ms Gracey, in a number of interviews in recent days, said she used the money for food for herself and her daughter. She said she was distressed about the allegations and the vote of no confidence, but she would contest her expulsion.
She said the issue had been "hyped up over a miserly pittance. I never gained from any body or anybody's suffering," she said.
Ms Gracey added she had no intention of trying to deceive the organisation and offered to pay back the £800 in instalments.
Mgr Denis Faul rallied behind Ms Gracey. "Mrs Gracey is an ordinary working class woman who has done wonderful work for hundreds of people who have been beaten and intimidated by the paramilitaries," he said.
"Unlike some people in FAIT she can't afford to go around the United States carrying plastic credit cards. They should have allowed her spend the couple of hundred dollars and pay it back when she came back, as she promised to do. There should have been no fuss," he said.
"She is a charismatic, prophetic woman who faced down the Provos. They were scared of her, but now they are laughing their heads off. But she's like Jeremiah, who when he was thrown down a hole got out again. Mrs Gracey will do the same, and I will support her," he said.
