éirígí An lúir have welcomed the erection of additional Irish language street signage in the Derrybeg Terrace area of Newry. The signage was erected following contact between the socialist republican party and Newry, Mourne and Down council’s Irish Language Department.
Commenting on the development éirígí’s Newry spokesperson Stephen Murney explained “Several weeks ago I contacted the council’s Irish language department with a request to have bilingual street signage erected at this location, and local residents are delighted to see this has now been secured.”
Echoing the éirígí representative’s comments, Derrybeg community worker, Anthony Coyle, said, “Although Derrybeg Terrace is a relatively new build. This now means the street signage is in line with the rest of the Derrybeg area which has had street signs ‘as Gaeilge’ for quite a few years.”
Murney continued “I would like to thank council staff for their assistance with this. While this may appear to a relatively minor development, as a party we believe that the Irish language should be promoted at every opportunity. ”
Concluding Stephen added “On that note I would encourage anyone who would like to see bilingual street signs erected in their area to contact either myself or the council’s Irish Language department to set the process in motion.”
On Thursday (December 24), the socialist republican party éirígí commemorated the deaths of two IRA volunteers, Eddie Grant and Brendan Quinn, in the Derrybeg estate in Newry. Both young men tragically lost their lives on active service on Christmas Eve in 1973 in a premature explosion which also claimed the life of Aubrey Harshaw.
Speaking at the commemoration ceremony, éirígí’s Newry representative Stephen Murney paid tribute to both men. He said, “At Christmas, most people would think of spending time with their families and loved ones. Given the circumstances that prevailed in 1973, Eddie and Brendan found themselves on active service fighting on behalf of the Republican struggle.
“During an operation in Monaghan Street, an improvised explosive device which they were handling detonated prematurely resulting in the deaths of both young volunteers. Tragically, the same bomb also claimed the life of a civilian.”
Murney continued, “Eddie Grant, Brendan Quinn and Aubrey Harshaw all died on that terrible December night. Three families were to suffer tragic news on that Christmas Eve. Most tragically of all, the eldest of the three was only eighteen years of age.”
Continuing Stephen said, “Their deaths were a result of the injustices which arose from the partition of our country and the partition of our people. Over four decades later, the partition of this island and its people still remain unresolved.
“As we approach the centenary of 1916 next year, there is a clear onus on all Republicans to ensure that the age old struggle for national, political and social liberation can find new ways, means and methods by which to secure that same republic for which young people, like Brendan and Eddie, so willingly sacrificed their lives.”
Saturday morning [December 12] saw éirígí activists remember three Republican soldiers who lost their lives during an ambush on British troops at the Egyptian Arch in Newry in 1920.
In the now annual event, tribute was paid to Volunteers John Francis O’Hare, William Canning and Peter Shields and a wreath was laid in their honour beside a commemorative plaque erected by the socialist republican party several years ago.
Speaking at Saturday morning’s event, éirígí's Newry spokesperson Stephen Murney said, "Today marks the 95th anniversary of this historic event. Tragically three volunteers were to lose their lives when they ambushed British forces.
"Earlier, Republican volunteers had attacked the RIC barracks in Camlough in an attempt to draw British reinforcements out from Newry and into a pre-planned ambush at the Egyptian Arch.
"Despite the task they faced, the volunteers willingly and bravely engaged the enemy on that cold December night. William Canning was fatally injured at the ambush scene and both Peter Shields and John Francis O’Hare later died as a result of wounds they received at the time.”
Murney concluded by saying, “Those who fought and gave their lives at this spot ninety five years ago did not do so for a partitionist settlement nor did they die in order for British rule to be administered through a puppet parliament at Stormont."
ÉIRÍGÍ NEWRY SLAM PATHETIC PSNI NORMALISATION STUNTS
The Revolutionary Republican Party éirígí, has slammed what can only be described as a pathetic PSNI normalisation stunt which was recently launched in Newry by former republicans in Sinn Féin in conjunction with the toothless “Policing and Community Safety Partnership” [PCSP].
The So-called “Coffee with A Cop” initiative will see PSNI human rights abusers being present at a number of establishments in locations across Newry on a fortnightly basis to, in their words, “engage with the community”. Pictured in the embarrassing photograph of the launch was a rather awkward looking Sinn Féin councillor, and chair of the Newry PCSP, Mickey Larkin.
Slamming the petty event and those behind it, éirígí’s Newry representative Stephen Murney said “Ever since former republicans made the decision to support the British forces of occupation, namely the PSNI, we have witnessed an obvious and deliberate attempt to integrate the PSNI into nationalist and republican communities across the six-counties using various means and methods. This is a deliberate policy which former republicans are instrumental in pursuing. The long held republican demand to “Disband the RUC” never became a reality.
“The PSNI is a force which habitually abuses the human rights of men, women and children across occupied Ireland using various means. For example the ongoing use of draconian stop and searches, harassment, intimidation, house raids and internment of Irish citizens. Residents of communities in Newry have been subjected to each of these means. Let’s not forget that the PSNI work hand in glove with MI5 with many of the house raids and stop and searches being carried out under the instructions of the British security services.”
Referencing other PSNI normalisation stunts Stephen continued ”On a regular basis we witness the PSNI taking part in similar events that constitutionalist nationalists are involved in organising and promoting. In many of these events we witness images of young kids wearing peeler hats, playing in various PSNI vehicles whilst armed members of the PSNI pose beside them smiling in photographs. These are classic examples of the normalisation strategy which is used to try to make the force appear like a normal policing service, something which they are far from.
“The people, and communities, of Newry should not feel as if they have to accept and work with these sinister forces. They simply don’t have to do it. They didn’t have to do it in the past and they certainly don’t have to do it today. Those who choose to promote these forces should seriously reconsider their policy of working with human rights abusers. Political policing and harassment is as real today as it was in any of the past few decades and no amount of pathetic publicity stunts and petty photo opportunities will change that.”
Concluding Murney said “I would also say to those with a political agenda to examine your conscience and stop providing political cover for the British state forces and their actions which violate human rights.
“We in éirígí want to make it clear that we will continue to expose the PSNI and their apologist cheerleaders regardless.”
ÉIRÍGÍ HOLD SUCCESSFUL “RECLAIM THE REPUBLIC” CAMPAIGN LAUNCH IN NEWRY
A busy Saturday afternoon [September 19] saw éirígí activists take to the streets of Newry to launch the party’s “Reclaim the Republic” campaign in the area.
The activists set up an information stall in Hill Street, one of the busiest shopping streets in Newry. éirígí flags and starry ploughs adorned the stall adding some colour to the launch.
For the duration of the event numerous members of the public, young and old, stopped by to chat with éirígí activists and enquire about the party and our campaign.
Speaking from the launch éirígí’s Newry representative Stephen Murney said “We are here today ,not only to launch this campaign, but also to engage with the people of Newry. We are absolutely delighted with theresponse we received.
“Our stall attracted quite a bit of attention from the people of Newry whilst scores of poster-sized colour proclamations were distributed to shoppers and members of the public alike, along with copies of our latest local news sheet “Poblacht na nOibrithe/The Workers Republic”.
Echoing Stephens words Newry éirígí activist Anthony Coyle added “The next stage of our “Reclaim the Republic” campaign will entail éirígí activists distributing 1916 proclamations to hundreds of homes in the various housing estates and streets throughout Newry.
“It’s fitting that éirígí have launched this campaign in the area given the fact that Newry has a direct link with the Easter rising, with local republican Patrick Rankin cycling from Newry to dublin to take part in the battle”.
Concluding Murney said “We are looking forward to further engaging with local working class communities throughout the course of this initiative”.
With the centenary of the 1916 Easter rising fast approaching, the socialist Republican Party éirígí plan to launch their "Reclaim the Republic/Athshealbhaígí an Phoblacht" campaign in Newry next weekend.
The campaign, which has already been launched in various parts of the country including Belfast, Dublin and Tipperary, will involve the distribution of hundreds of 1916 proclamations to homes across the Newry area.
Speaking ahead of the campaign launch éirígí's Newry representative Stephen Murney explained "Next Saturday afternoon [September 19] we plan to hold a "Reclaim the Republic" information stall in Hill Street. This will give éirígí activists the opportunity to engage with the people of Newry.
"We will be distributing 1916 proclamations during this event as It is our view that every household should have one of these historic documents proudly displayed. As it stands éirígí have so far distributed over 70,000 1916 proclamations to homes across Ireland."
Murney continued "Following the launch, the main element of the campaign will see éirígí activists distribute full colour, poster-size copies of the Proclamation to households across the Newry area in the coming weeks and months.
"The context of the proclamation is as relevant today as it was almost 100 years ago. The ideals contained within this historic document have yet to be realised.
Concluding Stephen said "We will be asking people to examine how the Ireland of 2015 compares to the Ireland hoped for by those who declared the Irish Republic of 1916. We would argue that we certainly don't have a Republic which genuinely “guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities”. Therefore we are encouraging people to become politically active and “Reclaim the Republic”.
SEVENTEEN LOYALIST/UNIONIST PARADES IN NEWRY EACH YEAR IS ABHORRENT
The revelation that there are at least seventeen Loyalist/Unionist parades in Newry each year has been described as abhorrent by the socialist republican party éirígí.
The comments came following Friday nights sectarian parade, organised by the South Down Defenders Flute Band, which involved thousands of Loyalists and at least 50 sectarian flute bands. There were further parades on both Saturday and Sunday along with PSNI harassment of the local éirígí spokespersonobserving the marches.
Voicing the party’s opposition to sectarian marches, éirígí’s Newry representative Stephen Murney said “I was present to observe these coat-trailing exercises over the course of the weekend. Just a couple of weeks ago we raised serious concerns about the disruption that this weekend’s plethora of sectarian parades would bring to Newry.
“Our prediction was well founded and proven to be correct when Newry was brought to a standstill on Friday night. Heavily armed PSNI members launched a significant security operation to seal off and close roads in one of the main arterial areas of the town to facilitate the unwanted parade. This in turn caused severe disruption across Newry. Residents living along the route of the parade were literally prisoners in their own homes as dozens of sectarian bands and thousands of Loyalist bigots descended onto their streets for several hours. The disruption continued on both Saturday and Sunday”.
Furthermore Stephen explained how he was subjected to PSNI harassment whilst observing the parades “On Saturday evening I was present in the centre of Newry to observe one of these sectarian marches. As soon as I arrived at the Town Hall I was apprehended and singled out by two members of the state forces, one of whom is notorious for harassing local republicans. They proceeded to stop me using so-called “anti-terror” legislation and the draconian Justice and Security Act. I had my details and movements recorded before being spreadeagled and searched for firearms and ammunition. Following that they radioed for back up and I found myself surrounded by no less than six heavily armed members of the PSNI. On handing me the stop and search card one of them quipped “you have enough of those cards by now to know what to do with them Stephen”. This was a clear reference to the intense campaign of PSNI harassment I have been subjected to over the past few years. The whole ordeal lasted 25 minutes and I have logged the details of the incident with my legal representatives and leading human rights group The Committee on the Administration of Justice [CAJ].
Stephen continued “Whilst political apologists and loyalist band representatives alike tried to portray this as a “colourful, fun, family event” with plenty of “musical talent”, the reality for local residents and citizens of Newry proved to be very different.
“The centre of Newry resembled a ghost town with the normally busy streets deserted and empty.
“This should have been a busy bank holiday weekend for locals and visitors alike. The last thing anyone, either from Newry or elsewhere, would want to see is heavily armed PSNI members in armoured landrovers sealing half the town off to facilitate a weekend of sectarianism.
Highlighting the number of sectarian marches in the Newry area Stephen concluded “The fact that there are at least seventeen Loyalist/Unionist parades in Newry each year is startling to say the least, and this figure doesn’t even include return legs of the parades. These parades are unwelcome and it’s about time they were re-routed away from areas in which they are unwanted.”
Next weekend, residents in Newry and the surrounding area are going to be subjected to a total of nine sectarian parades 11th July - 14th July.
Each of these parade routes include some of the busiest streets in the centre of Newry. In fact, when the return legs of the parades, which take place several hours later, there are actually at least twelve sectarian parades taking place in the space of four days.
As per usual severe disruption is expected as a direct result of these parades with local residents, motorists, shoppers and businesses being effected.
Commenting on the unwanted sectarian parades éirígí's Newry representative Stephen Murney said "There are at least 12 sectarian marches due to take place in the Newry area within the next week, all in the space of just four days. This is a worrying development and many local residents are becoming increasingly frustrated at the disruption and inconvenience caused, not to mention they have to endure the spectacle of participants in these triumphalist parades dancing around the streets of Newry. These are clearly coat-trailing exercises and the number planned to take place much call into question the whole rationale behind them.
"The PSNI will again deploy accompanied by their heavily armed TSG units to saturate the streets in the town centre for each of these marches, thus causing traffic disruption throughout Newry. Many local residents will also be unable to, or will be too intimidated to, venture outside their homes.
Murney continued "The organisers of these marches, along with unionist representatives, constantly tell us that these are "fun filled events" with a "festival atmosphere" which take place to express "culture".
"The reality is that the organisations which take part, such as the Orange Order, are founded on bigotry and hatred. It was just a few months ago that unionist thugs in band uniforms attacked a local resident’s car causing damage and fear to the victims. That particular incident was highlighted in the local media.”
Concluding Stephen reiterated éirígí's opposition to sectarian marches by saying "The scourge of sectarianism has no place in today's society. These unwanted parades should be stopped indefinitely and the people of Newry should be allowed to go about their daily business without being subjected to a hate filled display of bigotry year in and year out.
éirígí Newry Repeat Calls for Vigilance As Thefts Continue
The socialist republican party éirígí have repeated calls for residents in Newry to remain vigilant following more thefts taking place.
Commenting on the most recent incident éirígí's Newry representative Stephen Murney explained "Residents from the Parkhead Crescent area of Newry contacted our party activists this morning [July 2] as they found they had items stolen from their property last night.
"The items include cast iron summer benches and even dog kennels. This comes after a spate of thefts over the space of a couple of months consisting mainly of petrol lawnmowers and strimmers along with other garden items."
Murney continued "The items the thieves are concentrating on can be quite expensive and we repeat our previous calls for residents to remain vigilant and to ensure their belongings and valuables are properly secured and safe.
"Over the past few months éirígí activists in Newry have stood with the Derrybeg and Carnagat communities against the scourge of anti-community activity. The thefts that have been taking place are very much part of the scourge of unwanted behaviour."
Concluding Murney said "If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of the stolen items they can contact myself or any party activist."
The socialist republican party éirígí have strongly condemned those responsible for a cowardly attack on a republican memorial in Newry.
The memorial, situated at the site of the iconic Egyptian Arch ambush, was erected by éirígí in 2010 tocommemorate the 90th anniversary of the heroic operation which saw three IRA volunteers lose their lives.
The perpetrators sprayed the initials of a sinister British counter gang, the UVF, onto the plaque in the early hours of Tuesday morning [June 30].
Slamming those responsible éirígí’s Newry spokesperson Stephen Murney, who spearheaded the erection of the memorial, said “We strongly condemn the sectarian attack on this memorial. The sectarian bigots responsible are only interested in stoking tension, particularly at this time of year.
“This memorial is in memory of three republican revolutionaries who were killed as a result of the ambush against the British forces of occupation at this location. The same occupation continues to this day.”
Murney continued “We were made aware that the memorial was defaced early on Tuesday morning. Our activists subsequently made our way to the plaque and removed thespray paint
“In the coming weeks Newry and Bessbrook are going to besubjected to countless unwanted sectarian parades, those parades like the desecration of this memorial, are only designed to create tension.”
Concluding Stephen said “Sinister attacks such as this certainly won’t deter éirígí and our activists from remembering our fallen martyrs.”
Saturday [June 27] saw upwards of 80 people take to the streets of Newry to oppose Internment. Various banners and placards were held aloft by the participants for the duration of the white line picket. Among those in attendance included former republican prisoners, Trade Unionists, community activists and Independent Republican elected representatives.
The annual event, which was organised by the Anti-Internment Group of Ireland, attracted much attention from Saturday shoppers on one of Newry's main streets with thousands of leaflets distributed to passing motorists and pedestrians alike. For the duration of the picket the Anti-Internment Group also manned a busy information stall.
The event was chaired by Cabs Kavanagh and the speakers included former republican prisoners Stephen Murney and John Heaney. John provided an in-depth, historical background to Internment along with detailing his own family’s suffering at the hand of the British forces over the decades.
Speaking at the event éirígí's Newry representative, and former republican prisoner, Stephen Murney gave a brief background to Britain's use of Internment in the 1970's compared to today's form of the draconian policy.
Stephen explained "One of the better known examples of Internment took place in the early 70's when hundreds of people were rounded up in dawn raids and taken to Long Kesh Internment camp. While that was a policy of mass internment, today our enemies seem to have learnt from that mistake.
"Today our enemies have adopted a more insidious policy of selective Internment whereby they target specific individuals rather than the masses. This is designed to remove key activists who are considered to be opponents and also to strike fear into others, to attempt to dissuade people from actively involving themselves in republicanism."
Murney also slammed the political and state forces responsible for enforcing the policy by stating "It has to be noted that some of those who were at one time victims and opponents of ‘internment by remand’, and who even represented and defended victims of that process, are today part and parcel of the prosecution, judicial and political system which implements this form of internment."
Furthermore Stephen spoke about the torturous conditions under which Republican prisoners are forced to live under in Maghaberry Stephen said "The continued use of strip searching, controlled movement and isolation is completely unjustified. There is no logical reason for the continued use of these oppressive policies as they only serve to fuel and create conflict.
“Republican prisoners have stated countless times that they seek to create a conflict free environment, they aren’t asking for anything unreasonable, they are simply seeking to live their lives in a particular fashion.
“Within Roe House, republicans find themselves subjected to a repressive, restrictive regime, enforced by bigoted, sectarian screws under the control of MI5. Time and time again we have heard accounts and reports of how the screws, the riot squad and various governors continue to provoke and intimidate republican prisoners. Some of those governors have been brought over from prisons in England to oversee the torturous regime in Maghaberry.”
Stephen also urged those attending to redouble their efforts to highlight Internment and the human rights abuses within Maghaberry “There is an onus on each and every one of us to do something to highlight these issues. Whether
it's handing out leaflets, putting up posters, or organising and attending events such as this one. We can all play our part.
“The British establishment think they have us right where they want us when we’re in prison. For centuries republicans have been held within British prisons for their involvement in the struggle for national and social liberation. And for centuries the British have failed miserably to break us behind the wire. If anything being held captive by our enemies strengthens us and makes us more determined to pursue our goals.
“They fail to understand that republicans know more about surviving in prison than they, the gaolers realise.”
Murney concluded by quoting the republican prisoners in Maghaberry.
“They will say we threatened them, but, for all they say, they understand best that we do not need to. Our integrity is what threatens their entire regime; our defiance rattles it to its very foundation.
For all their technology, resources, finance, personnel, desire and inbred need to subjugate, there is nothing they can do to prevent the collapse of their current attempts to ‘rehabilitate’. Their weapons cannot penetrate here.
Little observations, in many prisons, over very many years, have amassed all the armour required. This is our terrain.”
