Tony Taylor POW

Tony Taylor from Derry , refused to be strip-searched the day he arrived in Maghaberry Prison, citing that he was an Irish republican prisoner of war. He was brutally and forcibly stripped by the prison search team. At his adujaction for refusing to strip at the SSU was told by the same search team to strip before going into see the Governor, he refused and was again forcibly stripped. He was told by the governor that this wasn't the H-Blocks anymore and that Tony would have to comply with the Maghaberry regime. Tony told the Governor that he didn't care were he was held, that he wouldn't be treated like a criminal nor would he allow Maghaberry to criminalise the republican struggle.

Last night 04/09/11 Tony asked the S/O on the committal wing, when was he getting moved to the republican wing? he was told after some consultation that they hadn't got a date for him or his co-accused to transfer over yet. From 8pm last night Tony began a dirty protest on the committal wing. He was taken out to speak with the Governor this afternoon, the Gov told him "Tony there was no need to go on that dirty protest, we were going to move you and Mark in a day or two anyway", Tony pointed out that only the night before he wasn't for being moved at all and now suddenly he was to be moved. The Gov asked him to end the protest and agree to clean his cell and that they would move him to the republican wing.

Tony told them there wasn't a chance in hell of him cleaning the cell nor was he ending the protest! He was returned to his cell to find that his co-accused had be moved and they wouldn't tell Tony were he was moved to.( we now know Mark was moved to the republican wing while Tony was in taking to the Governor) Later Tony was visited in his cell and offered the use of a prison phone to contact his "reps" outside to see if a compromise could be reached to end the committal protest. Tony told them that it didn't really matter because he was going to protest either on the committal wing or the republican wing and it would be better for all concerned if they just moved him over.

*UPDATE*   Tony has now been moved onto Roe house, were he has begun a protest with his comrades, he was also refused bail yesterday