Lundy Family Statement 16/7/2012

Today our father, son and brother Alan Lundy was unjustly remanded in custody on two dubious charges of riotous assembly. The first of these charges relates to an incident that occurred seven years ago in 2005, and with the length of time between this incident and Alan being charged means we are very sceptical about the strength of the case against him. The second charge relates to Alan allegedly throwing a missile while stewarding a Residents’ parade against unwanted sectarian marches through his home district of Ardoyne on 12th July 2012. This second charge is even more dubious, based on just one PSNI officer’s testimony, an officer who was tasked with videoing events on the day, but somehow failed to film this incident. That is because it is our view, and the view of the 2000 people that were present, that no such missile throwing took place. At that parade, along with all the other stewards and GARC representatives, Alan was responsible for calming the situation and ensuring the safety of his people as they came under attack from a Loyalist mob while the PSNI looked on.

It is our family’s belief that Alan is simply a victim of Political Policing. Alan is an unrepentant Republican, and does not hide his perfectly legitimate beliefs from anyone. He is involved in numerous Republican projects such as commemorations and Prisoner Welfare, and also takes part in community initiatives including anti-drug projects and opposing sectarian parades. The two charges that Alan is facing have been brought in order to remove him from the streets, no other reason. Not because he has committed any offence, but purely to imprison him in a foolish attempt to break his belief in the Republican struggle. This is but a further example of the harassment that Alan has faced from the PSNI, the RUC before them and the British Army since his teens. He has been the subject of numerous Stop and Searches under draconian legislation over the years, and has had his home raided on a number of occasions. However all of this only served to strengthen his resolve and determination to achieve positive change in our country, and the response of the State has been to intern him by remand to try and end the valuable work he does in our community.

Unfortunately this is not the first time our family has suffered from Political Policing, Alan’s father, also named Alan, was a Republican Activist, Sinn Fein member and ex POW. In 1993 he was murdered after working in the home of his friend, Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey. An RUC jeep had been present in the street for most of the day, and shortly after leaving, a UFF death squad (including state agents) opened fire on the Maskey home, killing our husband, father and grandfather in a clear case of State sponsored murder and Collusion.

Now almost twenty years on, Britain is trying to criminalise Alan Jr and remove him from his family, including his three children. The “new dispensation” that politicians keep speaking of with regards to policing in the Six Counties is a falsehood, certainly in terms of their dealings with our family. We see absolutely no difference between the RUC that helped to facilitate the murder of our husband, father and grandfather, and the PSNI who harass our family on an almost daily basis and have imprisoned Alan Jr.

We demand an end to the harassment of Alan, his immediate release from custody and the dropping of these nonsensical charges against him. We want him back with his loving family and his Ardoyne community, where he deserves to be.

‘Orangefest’ in Newry Brings State Harassment

“Orangefest” has once again graced the streets of nationalist Newry, treating local residents to hours of disruption, bigotry and state force harassment.

The centre of Newry resembled a ghost town with many shops opting to remain closed and most residents deciding to stay at home. The ‘benefits for local economy’ we so often hear about to justify such events was nowhere to be seen. The ‘colourful display and enjoyable experience’ didn’t materialise for the people of Newry.

Thousands of Orangemen accompanied by dozens of bands took part in the annual sectarian ritual which also included a large scale security operation mounted by British state forces. Local residents, including éirígí’s local representative Stephen Murney, were stopped, searched and questioned throughout the day by the PSNI who used the occasion to step up their harassment of the local population.

Stephen explained, “I had arranged to meet Councillor Davy Hyland and another comrade beside the Town Hall to observe this coat-trailing exercise. Before I had even reached my destination I was stopped and questioned under the Justice & Security Act. When I eventually met Davy, we immediately found ourselves surrounded by members of the PSNI’s Tactical Support Group (TSG). For a second time I was questioned under the Justice and Security Act, while Davy and another comrade also had their details noted. We were also photographed and videoed by the PSNI for “intelligence purposes” while our comrade was threatened with arrest.



“While standing watching the parade members of the Orange Order were shouting abuse at councillor Hyland and made obscene hand gestures towards us in an attempt to provoke a reaction. They failed, but the PSNI unsurprisingly didn’t intervene. Another more serious incident occurred when members of a loyalist flute band went to attack a photographer who had dared step in front of their band to take a photograph. Again the PSNI stood idly by and did nothing despite being situated just a few feet away from the incident.”

Murney continued, “Shortly after the parade had left the centre of Newry, I was stopped and searched for ammunition for a third time while Davy Hyland, for a second time, had his details recorded. There was no justification whatsoever for the harassment we received today. Many other people, including councillors and members of other parties, were standing observing this march a few feet from us unhindered yet the PSNI took exception to our presence and deliberately targeted us.

“While the people who live in Newry cannot walk freely in their own city, thousands of unionists can indulge in threatening behaviour, intimidation and provocation while being protected by the forces of the British state.”

Stephen ended by saying, “We certainly won’t be intimidated by sectarian shows of strength nor will we be deterred by PSNI harassment. We will continue to campaign for the right of everyone to live free from sectarian harassment and intimidation.”

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest130712.html

A few more photos

Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective Statement

12th July 2012

“GARC is a non party-political residents’ group that is there to serve and give a voice to all the people of Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales, in terms of opposing unwanted bigoted parades through our community by Loyal Orders. GARC is committed to peaceful, radical action in order to bring an end to triumphalist parades that are open manifestations of sectarianism and that result in massive disruption to the lives of people in this community, the militarization of our community and the criminalisation of our community.”

Today we witnessed yet again the Loyal Orders being granted permission by the Parades Commission to march through our area, despite the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the residents of this area stating their opposition to such open expressions of sectarian bigotry taking place within this community.

The media focus of the past few days has been on the apparent inconvenience caused by the Orange Order by having to be back through Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales by 4pm. We only wish the media and unionist politicians, including the First Minister, were as concerned about the inconveniences that the residents of our areas face as a result of unwanted Loyal Order parades. These include being subjected to sectarian taunts and behaviour, the flaunting of loyalist paramilitary emblems celebrating those who have killed our loved ones, heavy militarization of the area, restrictions on freedom of movement, restricted access to local amenities and the criminalisation of our area. The Orange Order have successfully convinced the media that they are the victims of the parading issue in Ardoyne this year, while the plight of the real victims, the residents have been ignored. The Orange Order have got what they wanted, both an outgoing and return parade to demonstrate their supposed supremacy over the Catholic, Nationalist and Republican people. These parades were fully supported, facilitated and protected rigourously with all the resources at the PSNI’s disposal.

In the aftermath of the Orange Order return parade a number of residents who had been at another peaceful protest were attacked by a massive crowd of loyalists who had gathered at the junction of Twaddell and Woodvale, which nearly resulted in hand to hand fighting as a result of the PSNI failure to protect them. The PSNI then formed a line made up of riot police at the top of Brompton Park in order to antagonise gathering young people, who then unfortunately engaged in violence. A senior officer from the PSNI then got in contact with the named GARC parade organiser, who was told, in the presence of other GARC members that they would pull out of Brompton for our parade to take place, if we helped clear that area of rioters. They ensured us that this would happen immediately and that the same would happen at Estoril Park were we were to enter the Ardoyne Road. A number of GARC representatives then went to the scene and with a megaphone appealed for the violence to cease, in order that our planned peaceful protest could proceed. Our march shortly after departed from Ardoyne Avenue with over 2000 people walking in dignified silence against sectarian parades.

On arrival at Estoril with 2000 people we were told that this was not the case and after negotiations with the officer in charge it became apparent that the PSNI were hoping for a stand off to develop to increase the likelihood of violence and to criminalise the whole march. We decided that we would then take the march down Duneden Park and away from the police lines voluntarily and onwards to our dispersal point. At the bottom of Duneden Park we were contacted by our Legal Representative who had been informed by the senior PSNI Officer in charge that the route was now clear and we would now be free to proceed according to the determination made by the Parades Commission. Again however when we arrived at the top of Estoril Park the police refused to remove their lines and let the parade swiftly proceed before those who had previously been engaged in violence could arrive from Brompton Park. By holding the march up anti social elements, including well known state agents and paid PSNI informers from the Upper Springfield area, had gathered at the side of the legitimate parade participants. The PSNI, after a further 15 minute period, then allowed us to access the road, after ensuring parade organisers that they would be full protected from loyalists who had gathered at the Twaddell/Woodvale junction.

On accessing the Ardoyne/Crumlin Road and viewing Twaddell/Woodvale junctions for ourselves it became apparent that the policing operation was totally inadequate to defend marchers from the hundreds, if not thousands, of loyalists who had gathered. Loyalists had been allowed to gather even on the spy-camera roundabout within touching distance of our parade. As the head of our parade entered Brompton Park, the middle was attacked with missiles as varied as sticks, bottles, fireworks, scaffolding poles and even a set of step ladders taken from a photographer. Young people who had followed from Estoril, including previously named PSNI infomers, but were not part of the parade then retaliated. GARC stewards and other parade participants, to their eternal credit, then managed to get our marchers, who behaved with dignity in the face of a premeditated attack orchestrated by visible UDA and UVF members into Brompton Park. We then appealed to those in Brompton to follow us to our arranged dispersal point in Ardoyne Avenue, half a mile away, which we did.

We would like to pay tribute to all those who took part in our parade and conducted themselves with dignity and respect for their rights and community. We today have made history as the first people from our community to march on the front of that road and demand an end to unwanted Loyal Order Parades, and the sectarian intimidation that results from them. We would again, as we did in the run up to today, appeal to people not to engage in violence that will only disrupt the lives of our own people living in Ardoyne. And we hope that people would acknowledge the very visible and legitimate way in which we have consistently done so. Tonight we put ourselves at the front line of a riot situation that was developing and positively used our influence to try and make it cease.

In addition it would be wrong if we did not criticise the role of the PSNI in today’s events. They attacked residents returning to their homes in the morning, failed to protect residents in the immediate aftermath of the Orange Order return parade from attack by loyalists, tried to ensure a stand off situation would develop into violence on two separate occasions at the top of Estoril Park and totally failed to protect GARC marchers from loyalist paramilitary attacks on the Crumlin Road. They had previously stated that they would ”robustly enforce” the Parades Commission’s 12th determinations, and ensure marchers and protestors would be fully protected. What today has demonstrated is that while they robustly defended the Orange Order marches, they were more than willing to see the people of Ardoyne and their supporters attacked. This again reinforces the majority view within the Ardoyne area that the PSNI is a sectarian militia there to protect those who support the state, while permitting attacks on those who stand up for their rights.

This year’s 12th of July in Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales has shown us that the continued demand of the Loyal Orders to march through our community leads to an increase in community disruption, as has been the case for generations. We in GARC are willing to work with anyone within the community to help bring a solution to the Parading issue in our locality. The only solution has to be an end to Loyal Order parades and they bear the responsibility for the consequences. To demonstrate our willingness to find a sensible, peaceful solution, while remaining true to the vast majority of our residents’ wishes that there are no Loyal Order parades through our area we are prepared to take the first step. GARC will in future refuse to apply for any parades on the Crumlin/Ardoyne Roads, if the Loyal Orders reciprocate and give an undertaking to do the same. This will, in effect, create a shared and neutral non-parading zone on that stretch of the road. This could be coupled with an obligation and determination by the Stormont Executive to allocate funds to fully upgrade the alternative route down Glenside and onto the Forthriver Road, giving Loyal Orders the opportunity to march were they are fully welcome and appreciated, while safeguarding nationalist residents’ rights. We hope this proposal is taken in the good faith intended.

In conclusion, we remain committed to giving a voice to all those within Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales who oppose unwanted sectarian parades by Loyal Orders and will continue to organise peaceful action to constructively demonstrate our opposition. We would again like to thank all those who attended our parade today and acted with the utmost dignity and in peace, they were a credit to their people. Thank you all.

Mac Cionnaith accuses judiciary of equal culpability in Corey internment

The ongoing internment of Lurgan republican Martin Corey took yet another twist yesterday afternoon [July 11].

Two years ago, a British NIO minister ordered Martin Corey’s imprisonment on the basis of “closed material”. No evidence has ever been produced to substantiate any charge against Martin.

On Monday 9th July, Mr Justice Treacy ruled that he should be released on unconditional bail. In a case centring on the secrecy of how Martin Corey was sent back to prison in 2010, the judge found that the North’s parole commissioners had breached his human rights by refusing to release him.

British NIO minister Owen Paterson then sought and was granted a stay on the release order by a second court, thereby ensuring Martin Corey’s continued detention. Remarkably, that stay was granted despite the absence from that hearing of Martin’s legal team.

A third court on Tuesday 10th July then decided to refer the case to a court of appeal hearing on Wednesday 11th July which has postponed any decision until September, thereby ensuring Martin’s continued internment for another two months at least.

Commenting on this latest twist in the Corey case, éirígí Rúnaí Ginearálta Breandán Mac Cionnaith said: “What has been witnessed over the past three days is nothing short of an unprecedented farce. It is a clear case of the British government literally arranging the bench in order to get a decision that it is happy with. Any sense of fairness, lack of prejudice or integrity which one is supposed to associate with any system of justice has been totally absent in the Martin Corey case.

“While the responsibility for Martin Corey’s continued internment lies directly with the British government, the Six County judicial system is not without blame either. That system is the same judicial system that upholds injustice through its operation of non-jury Diplock courts.

“That judiciary has this week proven itself to be a willing and integral tool in the implementation of British government policy. Judges in no less than three separate hearings have shown that they are equally culpable for Martin's ongoing detention.”

Mac Cionnaith also said, “Those constitutional nationalist political parties who endorsed and supported cosmetic changes to the justice system, and who provide a smokescreen cover for such blatant injustice, also need to examine their own positions.

“Those parties cannot be allowed to merely dismiss Martin Corey’s continued internment as being the result of ‘British interference in the due process’.

“The judicial system, which has now play its part in Martin Corey’s continued internment, is part of the structures which those parties endorsed and which they heralded as ‘a new beginning’. There can be no escape from that fact, however unpalatable that may be for some to admit.”

 http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest120712.html

PSNI ignore annual sectarian ritual

éirígí spokesperson in Newry Stephen Murney has responded to the erection of flags and buntings around the city, including outside Ardmore PSNI barracks.

Murney said, “The ability of unionists to erect flags and bunting unhindered outside Newry PSNI barracks is not in the least surprising.

“It is widely acknowledged that flags and bunting are regularly erected outside catholic churches and shops in various towns and villages. Individual catholic homes in unionist areas are also singled out for this treatment.

“On an annual basis, the PSNI not only turn a blind-eye to such behaviour, our party activists and supporters, as well ordinary nationalists, would argue that the PSNI actually facilitates this behaviour.”

Murney, the local spokesperson for the socialist republican party in the Newry area, added, “Our party members can point to numerous incidents in various areas where the PSNI are actually present as the erection of flags and bunting takes place but do nothing except engage in friendly conversations with those responsible.

“It is notable that, despite the clear intent of those behind this annual sectarian ritual to intimidate and provoke nationalists or to deliberately foment and increase tensions within communities, the PSNI merely publicly respond by saying that ‘no crime was committed’.”

Concluding, Murney said, “It is patently obviously to everyone that the PSNI has a long-standing and unwritten corporate policy, inherited from the RUC, which is implemented each July.

“That policy can be summed up as stating such sectarian provocation by unionists is not to be considered as ‘behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace’.”

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest110712.html

Mac Coitir urges vigilance as sinister Unionist alliance re-emerges over Ardoyne

éirígí spokesperson Pádraic Mac Coitir has said that nationalist communities across the Six counties need to be vigilant as the 12th July approaches and a sinister alliance involving the Orange Order, unionist political parties and unionist paramilitaries is re-emerging in north Belfast.

Mac Coitir said, “It should be abundantly clear to any independent or impartial observer of the Orange Order’s annual coat-trailing exercises that there is no valid or legitimate reason why marches by an overtly sectarian organisation should be permitted to proceed through overwhelmingly nationalist towns such as Newry or Crumlin or to go past areas such as Ardoyne in north Belfast.

“It is also striking that in north Belfast, a sinister alliance between the Orange Order, unionist parties (including Stormont ministers such as Nigel Dodds and Peter Robinson) and unionist paramilitaries is re-emerging to ensure that the Order is permitted to trample over the rights of the people in Ardoyne.

“Although the Parades Commission only imposed minimal restrictions on the Orange Order’s march past Ardoyne, any move by the Commission to make further concessions to the Order at the behest of this unholy alliance will be viewed by many as cave-in to the bully-boys and cudgel carriers.”

Mac Coitir continued, “Indeed, any further concessions by the Parades Commission to demands by this unionist triumvirate in respect of Ardoyne would be viewed by nationalist opinion across the Six Counties as the equivalent of similar u-turns which occurred in relation to the Garvaghy Road in Portadown and Ormeau Road in Belfast during the 1990s in the face of similar threats at that time made by Orangemen, unionist politicians and paramilitaries.

“It is also noticeable that there has been a complete failure by the British government and its agencies, including the Parades Commission, to treat sectarianism and sectarian parades in the same manner as racism and racist assemblies have been treated elsewhere within the British jurisdiction. Indeed, one has only to look at examples of where complete bans have been placed on racist and neo-fascist assemblies in various towns and cities in England as evidence of such disparity.”

The éirígí representative also pointed out that, “It is very striking that, last year, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities found that the British government’s approach of treating sectarianism in the Six Counties as a distinct issue rather than as a form of racism to be problematic, as it allows sectarianism to fall outside the scope of accepted anti-discrimination and human rights protection standards.

“Were a proper approach to be taken against sectarianism, then far greater protection would be afforded to communities in Ardoyne, Newry, Crumlin, Rasharkin and many other areas affected by these annual coat-trailing rituals.”

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest100712_2.html

Britain taking steps to repudiate justice

Legislation currently going through Westminster will have a major adverse impact upon civil and human rights’ protection in the Six Counties. The British House of Lords this week begins its consideration of the controversial Justice and Security Bill (not to be confused with the already existing Justice and Security Act 2007).

If passed into law, the bill will introduce what are known as ‘closed material proceedings’ (CMPs) which will allow the British government to present secret evidence to a judge without having to disclose it to the rest of the court or, indeed, to a defendant in a trial, or a claimant in a civil case.

Being able to present secret evidence to a judge in any legal case without the other side having the chance to refute it or to even know what it is obviously gives the British Government a huge and unfair advantage in legal proceedings and has the very real potential to present a very one-sided or misleading version of events.

The bill also proposes to extend the draconian secret evidence mechanism to encompass ordinary civil law cases, including employment tribunals.

The draft legislation proposes that the law should be changed so that where a minister decides that certain material, if openly disclosed, would cause damage to the interests of ‘British national security’, that minister can trigger the use of CMP. This means the material will not be disclosed to the other side, yet the British government will be allowed to put the material before a judge and rely on it in defending or pursuing any action through the courts.

If CMPs are implemented, the wide definition of ‘sensitive information’ and ‘British national security interests’ will effectively lead to many controversial cases in the Six Counties being held behind closed doors.

The leading independent human rights’ organisation in the Six Counties, the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) has already publicly warned of the consequences of the use of these ‘closed material proceedings’.

The CAJ has openly signalled that these secret courts could be used by the British state to thwart any effective investigations into murders which involved either members of the British forces or British agents. Civil actions for damages relating to miscarriages of justice, ill-treatment, unlawful state murders, and failures by the British state to take reasonable steps to protect life are all likely to fall under the remit of these CMPs.

éirígí Rúnaí Ginearálta Breandán Mac Cionnaith said, “This new legislation is clearly aimed at strengthening the existing draconian apparatus which the British state and its various agencies already have access to.

“At a time when MI5 is playing an increased sinister role in the Six Counties, and both it and MI6 are targeting Islamic and black communities in Britain, this legislation undoubtedly will be used against all those deemed to be ‘enemies of the state’.

“What is particularly noticeable, however, is the muted response to this legislation from constitutional nationalist politicians in the Six Counties. Having previously signed up to a policing regime which incorporated a formal role for MI5 in Ireland, those parties’ silence on this latest erosion of civil and human rights is not at all surprising.”

“Once this legislation is enacted, these secret procedures will create processes that may look and sound like a trial or an inquest but in fact will be nothing of the sort. The core element of justice will be noticeably absent.

"Cases such as those relating to the infamous shoot-to-kill policy, collusion and even those like the Ballymurphy Massacre could all fall under the remit of this legislation.”

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest090712.html

Martin Corey case is confirmation of a selective internment policy

The actions of British NIO minister Owen Paterson, in over-ruling a court’s direction to release Lurgan republican Martin Corey, clearly demonstrates where the real power lies in the Six counties, according to Breandán Mac Cionnaith, the general secretary of the socialist republican party éirígí.

Mac Cionnaith’s comments follow the re-arrest of Martin Corey yesterday evening (July 9), only hours after a court had directed that he should be released unconditionally on bail. Corey has already been imprisoned for over two years without any charges ever being made against him. His previous arrest in 2010 was also ordered by NIO minister Paterson.

Mac Cionnaith said, “The usurping by Owen Paterson of the court’s ruling that Martin Corey should be immediately released is clear confirmation that a British government policy of selective internment without trial is operating within the Six Counties.

“Paterson’s unprecedented intervention, and his ordering of Martin’s re-arrest, is evidence that the so-called policing and justice reforms endorsed by the constitutional nationalist parties at Stormont are nothing more than a piece of political deception of the worst kind.

“Paterson’s actions also demonstrate that the British government remains the real power in the Six Counties and that the role of Stormont politicians is confined only to providing a facade of cosmetic cover to that reality.

“As a party, éirígí is calling for the immediate release of Martin Corey. His case, like that of Marian Price, should be of major concern to all those who value civil liberties and human rights.”

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest100712.html

If you care, you’ll be there!

Below is a statement from the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (GARC) regarding the upcoming 12th July Orange Order parade

GARC is a non party-political residents’ group that is there to serve and give a voice to all the people of Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales, in terms of opposing unwanted bigoted parades through our community by Loyal Orders. GARC is committed to peaceful, radical action in order to bring an end to triumphalist parades that are open manifestations of sectarianism and that result in massive disruption to the lives of people in this community, the militarization of our community and the criminalisation of our community.

This 12th July once again the Greater Ardoyne community faces the reality of two unwanted sectarian marches by the Orange Order being granted permission to take place through our area by the Parades Commission and facilitated by the PSNI. This is despite the fact that the people of Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales have consistently voiced their legitimate opposition to such marches. The whole ethos of the Loyal Orders is one of Protestant supremacy over the Catholic, Nationalist and Republican people, and they see these marches as the best way in which to assert that supposed supremacy over the Ardoyne Community. All such expressions of naked sectarianism are totally unacceptable to the vast majority of residents within our community and will remain so until all Loyal Order marches are banned from taking place through Ardoyne.

Over the past number of months GARC representatives met with the Alderdice Commission on two separate occasions, and also made a submission to the Parades Commission regarding the upcoming 12th July Orange Order marches. At each of these engagements GARC voiced the opinion of the vast majority of the people of Ardoyne – that Loyal Order parades are unacceptable. GARC articulated how the Orange Order march on the 12th July affects the day today lives of Ardoyne residents in terms of freedom of movement due to policing operations, their right to live free from sectarianism, the restriction of use of local shops and amenities. We also presented written evidence from a number of youth providers within the area regarding the increase in young people being put through the Criminal Justice System as a result of provocation caused by sectarian marches.

We also presented them with information around the alternative route that would take Loyal Orders away from the Greater Ardoyne Community and the comparison in cost between any necessary upgrades of roads on that route and the budget for the policing operation to force marches through.

In addition we highlighted the historical violent consequences of Loyal Order marches through Ardoyne and the unacceptable negative impact that such actions have on our people, all of which could be avoided by banning the Loyal Order marches. One of the most salient points of our submission was the fact that the Parades Commission are failing to follow their own guidelines for making determinations by failing to take into account breaches of their determinations in previous years and the impact that sectarian parades have on local residents’ day to day lives, and the frustration that this causes for the people of Ardoyne, Mountainview and The Dales.

However despite submissions by GARC, other Residents and Political Representatives of the area the Parades Commission has still granted the Orange Order permission to trample over the people of this area yet again.

With experience of the Parades Commissions previous determinations and disregard for the rights of Ardoyne Residents, GARC had anticipated such a decision and had applied for a parade of our own prior to the Orange Order march where people from this area could demand an end to unwanted sectarian Loyal Order parades through our area - a constructive peaceful parade that would demonstrate to the wider public the strength of opposition within the area. This decision was taken following a highly successful parade last year that was attended by almost a thousand people. This year’s parade, like last years, is not a contentious parade as it is not entering any Loyalist or Unionist area, it is the people of Ardoyne walking in their own area. The dispersal point of our parade was also consciously chosen to be within the area yet away from the flashpoint where the Orange march passes, in order to draw young people away from conflict.

However the Parades Commission has ruled that instead of taking place prior to the Orange Order march, our parade must take place afterwards. History shows us that the Orange Order march passing results in violence, violence that GARC is opposed to and has consistently stated that is totally unacceptable and only serves to take the onus of responsibility away from Loyal Orders. This being the case we view with cynicism the Parades Commission’s determination to grant us permission to access the Crumlin and Ardoyne Roads. Should trouble break out prior to our parade setting off, it will be the senior PSNI officer in charge on the day who determines our route. What the Parades Commission have done is ban our parade “by proxy”, granting permission but setting in motion a train of events that they hope will ensure it is unable to take place on the day.

They will fail. GARC remains determined to demonstrate through our peaceful protest parade and strength of numbers that the people of Ardoyne refuse to be subjected to the repeated denial of our rights to live free from sectarian harassment and intimidation that Loyal Order marches through our community causes. Let us see if the PSNI will protect Ardoyne Residents in their own area from Loyalists with the same ruthlessness that they force Orange marches through our area. We are asking that Ardoyne Residents and all others who support the Human Rights of our community to assemble at the bottom of Ardoyne Avenue at 5pm on Thursday the 12th of July. We cannot stress enough that we only wish people to take part in our parade who are going to act peacefully, with dignity and in a manner that respects the people of Ardoyne. If you care, you’ll be there!

Anyone who has aspirations of violence on the day is not welcome and we would ask that you stay away, and that the people of Ardoyne are allowed to live in peace. We wish to see people taking part in our parade who represent all that is good about our community – inner strength, dignity, co-operation, respect, determination and resistance. The people of Ardoyne do not want violence and GARC want to yet again re-emphasise that point. Violence only serves the interests of those who demand sectarian marches through our area, causes undue suffering to the people of Ardoyne and criminalises our community.

Criticism of Stormont will not be tolerated

Many will no doubt be accustomed to the ongoing battle being waged by parties within the Stormont Executive to stamp out dissent and criticism from republican quarters.

Indeed, most observers will be all too familiar with the Stormont parties’ attacks on political opposition to the Executive’s role in the maintenance of partition and union with Britain, its role in maintaining injustices against Irish citizens, and its implementation of right-wing economic policies.

However, an increasing and disturbing trend is emerging whereby any form of criticism of, or dissent from, the Stormont narrative is now coming under attack.

Those at the receiving end of this wider Stormont offensive are not republicans, no matter how far one might stretch one's imagination.

The most recent salvo fired in this offensive against the not-so-usual suspects came from none other than Stormont’s deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness.

A judgment from a Fair Employment Tribunal hearing in June found that his party colleague, Conor Murphy, had discriminated against a protestant job applicant while Murphy was minister of regional development.

In a BBC interview shortly after the tribunal’s findings, McGuinness attempted to place the Stormont Executive above and beyond the reach of established equality and fair employment legislation by stating, “What this calls into question, in this particular case, is whether or not a minister has a right to make a ministerial appointment or are ministerial appointments going to be dictated by a body which, effectively, is not part of the government?”

A strange question for him to pose. After all, this was the same equality and fair employment legislation that McGuinness’ party had once advocated and had also enlisted the support of Irish-America to reinforce through the adoption of the MacBride principles.

Earlier this year, in February, SDLP environment minister Alex Attwood announced the go-ahead for construction of a £100 million privately-owned golf resort a mile away from the entrance to the Giant’s Causeway world heritage site.

Friends of the Earth warned that building a golf course within sight of the UNESCO-recognised Giant’s Causeway site on the North Antrim coast would be akin to constructing a drive-through burger bar near the Taj Mahal.

The National Trust publicly opposed those plans and initiated a legal challenge against the proposal. UNESCO itself has asked for project to be stopped.

The DUP sent out their attack terrier in the form of DUP MP Ian Paisley Junior, who bluntly stated: “Thanks National Trust, at a time of economic depression, you put the two fingers up to everyone in Northern Ireland and say you’re going to try to hurt rather than help the economy. You are a disgrace to Northern Ireland.”

Paisley’s party colleague, Stormont minister Arlene Foster, said she and her executive colleagues from all parties were “highly disappointed” by the legal challenge.

There is no record of any of the other Stormont parties expressing disagreement with either Paisley’s or Foster’s views.

It then emerged in June that the same DUP minister, Arlene Foster, had previously attacked the Co-operative Group over the showing of a documentary opposing fracking. Fracking is the controversial method of extracting gas from shale rock. Critics of fracking state that the controversial method of gas extraction can pollute water and cause minor earthquakes.



Foster claimed the film, Gasland, was biased, and said the Co-op’s decision to sponsor the screening was misplaced.

The Co-op rejected her criticism. In its response, Co-op regional secretary Gerard Hill told the minister: “The Co-operative is campaigning for a moratorium on the exploration of shale gas, at least until all the risks and impacts are properly identified and addressed. The event comprises a screening of Gasland followed by an open discussion on what shale gas development might mean.”

Obviously, Foster is adverse to ‘open discussion’ or debate on a subject which has widespread implications for thousands of families in Fermanagh and adjacent counties. Once again, there was silence from her ministerial colleagues in Stormont’s Executive.

And, of course, there is the ongoing saga of the Stormont parties’ collective campaign aimed at lowering corporation in the Six Counties while they simultaneously and hypocritically penalise the poor and less well off in society.

At a time when families, the young, the old, the ill, the low-paid and the unemployed are all facing cut-backs as a result of Stormont’s cuts in public expenditure, all parties in the Executive are united in their attempts to secure even greater tax breaks for those large companies, banks and financial institutions that can well afford to pay increased tax rates.

Disagreeing with this policy, however, also means incurring Stormont’s displeasure.

Opposition by many community and voluntary sector organisations to cuts in social welfare benefits were met with a warning from Stormont finance minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson.

“We need to ensure that we do not create unnecessary alarm,” he said.

It might have escaped the attention of Wilson and his other colleagues from all parties within the Stormont Executive that alarm already exists throughout communities and within families in every one of the Six Counties. There is real and genuine concern about the impact all these cut-backs will have.

Alarm also exists within Stormont, but for different reasons.

At the last election, the five parties which make up the Stormont executive polled a total of 608,350 votes out of a possible electorate of 1,210,009. That means just over 50.2% of all those eligible to vote actually cast their ballots for those parties.

As disillusionment and despair increases within working class communities at the failure of the Stormont executive to effect real political, social or economic change, the Stormont parties are keenly aware that, before long, they could well become a minority government in the truest sense of the word.

That is why any and all criticism, from whatever quarter, is collectively viewed by all of Stormont’s parties as not being beneficial to their political project.

And therein lies the real challenge for Socialist Republicans and for all other progressives.

It is the challenge to harness that growing disillusionment, to reverse that sense of impotency among our communities in order to genuinely give them a real sense of empowerment, and to build a real and effective alternative to Britain’s neo-colonial Stormont project – a project which, in most people's daily experiences, is fast becoming a failure.

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest080712.html

Orange Order’s sinister ploy hidden behind the charm

éirígí Rúnaí Ginearálta Breandán Mac Cionnaith gives his view of the Orange Order’s recent visit to Dublin.

This week saw the latest charm offensive launched by the Orange Order.

It remains to be seen if this latest PR mission will end up in a mess similar to the annual Orangefest and blue-bag display or even that which surrounded by Orange Order’s plagiarism of a well-known cartoon character back in 2008 in a previous PR failure. The latter was quietly dropped by the Order, unlike their contentious parades.

On Tuesday of this week, Drew Nelson, Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, addressed members of the 26-County Seanad in Dublin.

As expected, Nelson’s speech glossed over the inherent sectarian nature of the organisation and its role in fomenting sectarian violence, murder, intimidation and division or in advocating and implementing religious and political discrimination during the two centuries-old history of the Order.

Anyone naive enough to have expected that Nelson was prepared to don the sackcloth and ashes would have been sorely disappointed.

Nelson used the occasion to point the finger of blame for the Orange Order’s woes at others, namely various British military and political figures who, at different times, “used” the Order. He conveniently forgot to mention the evidence which shows that the Order very actively lobbied those same military and political figures urging them to make “use” of those loyal subjects within the Order’s ranks.

Unsurprisingly, according to Nelson, contention over Orange parades was a dastardly plot thought up in the late 1980s by republicans to discredit the Order. Once again, Nelson chose to ignore demonstrable historical evidence, including several damning inquiries by his beloved Westminster parliament into the activities of the Orange Order.

He also forgot to mention a legal case taken by former British NIO minister, Adam Ingram, against George Galloway in 2004. Ingram, a member of the Orange Order in his youth, had objected to a passage in Galloway’s book, entitled I’m Not The Only One, which described the former Stormont minister as, in his youth, playing the flute in a “sectarian, anti-Catholic, Protestant-supremacist Orange Order band”.

But the Court of Session in Edinburgh rejected the motion for an injunction which would have halted publication of the book. A judge at the Court of Session ruled that the adjectives applied by Mr Galloway, such as “anti-Catholic” and “protestant-supremacist”, were fair comment.

Nelson also urged the Twenty-Six County state to consider re-joining the British Commonwealth – music, no doubt, to ears of some among his audience.

And, of course, there was his appeal to have an Orange parade facilitated though Dublin city streets.



This was the clever and sinister ploy hidden behind the smokescreen of charm.

Nelson knows that were such a parade through a commercial part of Dublin city centre to be successfully held, then the Order would openly demand that Twenty-Six County politicians use their influence to neutralise opposition to sectarian parades in the Six Counties, much in the same way that the so-called “Derry model” was once used by some to try and facilitate Orange marches through other nationalist communities in Belfast, Portadown and elsewhere.

A march though a commercial area of any city is not comparable to one which deliberately and provocatively goes through a working-class nationalist residential area while ignoring other less contentious and non-controversial alternative routes.

It would be both foolhardy and wrong for anyone to suggest otherwise.

But that is exactly the outcome the Order hopes will eventually emerge from their Dublin visit.

Now that the Orange Order’s voice has been heard within the Seanad, the onus is clearly on those who invited Drew Nelson and his colleagues to ensure those who are most affected by the Orange Order’s annual “cultural expressions” also have their voices heard within those same confines.

Nelson’s audience in the Seanad may wish to consider comments, also made this week, by the Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, convenor of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council. She had responded on Scottish Television to a public attack by the Orange Order upon that Church’s decision to maintain a neutral stance on the forthcoming referendum there.

Foster-Fulton stated: “The Orange Order has shown itself again and again to be out of date and out of time. The Church of Scotland is proud of what our faith has given and continues to give our nation. 21st Century Scotland is a multi-cultural nation where faith, faithfulness and belief takes many forms. By celebrating difference we show confidence in who we are. It is those who demand that their voice be heard above others who have lost the moral high ground.

“Our concern in the referendum debate is to argue, whatever the outcome, for fairness in our economic system, support for the silenced and the dispossessed, care for creation, rehabilitation in our justice system and other core values of our faith. Our role in the referendum debate will be active and will be clear. We shall provide spaces where people of differing views can listen to each other in respect and in dignity. We shall support real dialogue between all the people who make up this nation as it is they, and not one institution or organisation, who shall determine our nation’s future.”

That alternative view of the Orange Order is one which those within Leinster House would do well to promote rather than engage in PR makeovers for an organisation not only discredited in Ireland but in Scotland as well.

http://www.eirigi.or...test050712.html

SINN FEIN VETERAN ANGELA NELSON QUITS OVER QUEEN HANDSHAKE

RESIGNATION STATEMENT BELOW IN FULL





A STEP TOO FAR 

Last week, Martin Mc Guinness met with the British Queen in Belfast. That “gesture” was not the result of full consultation or open debate in the party as claimed by leadership.

Pearce Doherty, TD , previously articulated Sinn Féin’s position regarding such visits by British royalty to Ireland, particularly one by the Commander in Chief of Britain’s armed forces - until such times when there would be a complete withdrawal of the British political and military presence from Ireland, and truth and justice given to victims of collusion, no welcome should be accorded to British royalty or any officer of Britain’s forces.

Last year, republicans correctly decided not to greet Britain’s head of state or acknowledge her claim of sovereignty over part of our country.

On 10th June this year, Caral Ní Chuilin denied that Sinn Fein would attend the jubilee celebrations. On 11th June, Martin Mc Guinness said a meeting would be a huge ask but there was “no doable” proposition for this. All this information came to party members via the media.

I was confident that no meeting with the Queen would occur as no open debate was taking place within the party.

On 21st June, a text message informed me of a meeting for Belfast and Lisburn councillors in the City Hall for a ‘briefing’. I instinctively knew it related to the visit. Past experience with these types of briefings indicated a deal was already done.

That morning, one of my colleagues arrived and I asked what information he had. I expressed my opposition to meeting with British royalty. I decided not to attend the briefing but, over the next two days, consistently voiced my opposition to any such meeting to party colleagues. On the second day, while in a party office, the media confirmed Martin Mc Guinness would meet the Queen.

On June 23rd, I attended a non-party political protest in Belfast addressed by families of victims of British State violence. Standing in solidarity with them, their pain and suffering was very tangible.

Eamon Cairns, speaking of the murder of his two sons, Gerard and Rory, in their family home, finished with this very poignant sentence: “It makes it very difficult for me to see how Martin Mc Guinness can go behind doors and shake the hand dripping with the blood of my children”.

His words reflected the views of many both inside and outside Sinn Féin.
I have always been able to hold my head up as a Republican. I have met and maintained contact with many relatives of dead volunteers and those murdered through collusion and British state violence.

I could not set all those to one side through acceptance of the party leadership’s most recent ‘symbolic’ ‘significant gesture’.

I joined the Republican Movement in 1970. The objective of a 32 County Socialist Republic was the basis on which our struggle was built. Many people dedicated their lives to securing that objective. Many others died for it.

Many people influenced my thinking over the years, a lot of them strong principled republicans, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice for their beliefs.

I acknowledge that many people, including many innocents, lost their lives. War is a terrible thing and many families are today without their loved ones. Irrespective of whether they are from Derry, Ballymurphy or Kingsmill; their grief is the same.

I am not opposed to peace or Unionist outreach. I’m involved in a project to enhance “cross community engagement” to reduce sectarianism. That project’s work was recognised at The Aisling Awards in 2011 when it received the award for “Outstanding Community Endeavour”.

I make no apologies for being a Republican.
As Republicans, we oppose monarchy in all its forms.

As Republicans, we have no need to meet a British monarch, the Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s armed forces, while our country remains partitioned and many people are denied truth or justice about the deaths of their relatives by that same monarch’s government responsible for those murders.

Reluctantly, I have no option but to resign from Sinn Fein, a party I first joined 42 years ago.

I will remain as an Independent Councillor and continue to represent my community as I have done for the past seven years. I wish to reassure those people who elected me that I will represent their interests and will endeavour to carry out my duties to all my constituents to the best of my ability.

My contact details can be accessed through Lisburn City Council.

Le meas,
Cllr Angela Nelson

Reflections on the British Queen protests

Belfast éirígí activist and republican ex-prisoner Pádraic Mac Coitir reflects on the week leading up to that British “visit”.

When it was announced by the British government on May 31st that Elizabeth Windsor was to visit her Six-County colony, we, in éirígí, along with other republicans, discussed the most effective manner to protest against this ‘visit’.

We met with like-minded republicans from other parts of the Six Counties and the first thing all agreed on was to involve those most affected by the British presence – the families of Britain’s victims.

Consultations with a number of families who had lost relatives at the hands of state forces were central to the format, date, and location of any protest. This again required several meetings over a period of time in order to reach consensus and finally agreement was reached on holding a march and rally in Belfast on Saturday 23rd June.

Although the Windsors, their hangers-on and their cronies, would be meeting their supporters in Enniskillen and Belfast, it was decided to concentrate our energies in Belfast where it was felt the protest would have greater impact.

Over 20,000 leaflets were printed, as well as numerous posters, asking people to attend a march starting on the Falls Road and ending with a rally at the City Hall. Given that there were only five days to deliver the leaflets, most parts of the city were covered – and this despite the heavy rain, PSNI harassment and in one case, an activist being bitten by a dog. Luckily, it wasn’t a corgi!

Although many statements were repeatedly issued to all media outlets in the week leading up to the march and rally on Saturday 23rd, few were prepared to report or afford any type of pre-publicity to the planned protest.



It was obvious that a conscious and collective decision had been taken by the media to ignore victims of British state violence and to whitewash over the many injustices which Elizabeth Windsor’s forces had been responsible for.

Instead, the media maximised on the propaganda of ‘normalisation’ as they focussed on the artificially constructed “will they/won’t they” saga being churned as Sinn Féin attempted to portray Martin Mc Guinness’ handshake with Elizabeth Windsor as being ‘a positive thing for Ireland’.

éirígí, meanwhile, had earlier published its own incisive analysis of the Sinn Féin position on Friday June 22nd. (Mac Cionnaith responds to announcement of SF/British queen meeting)

While delivering the leaflets advertising the protest across Belfast, there was a palpable sense of anger and dismay being expressed by ordinary people at the Sinn Féin publicity stunt, with quite a few saying the McGuinness/Windsor meeting was a step too far. Many felt that the injustices and suffering inflicted upon our communities by the British state were being deliberately ignored by the re-branded constitutional nationalist party.

On the day of the Belfast march and rally, many families from across the Six Counties who had lost mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters turned up. They were joined by several hundred others who stood with the families in their demand for truth and justice.

Although it had been raining heavily and the weather conditions were atrocious, the organisers and, more importantly, the families were delighted with the turn-out with reports putting a figure of between 1,000 to 1,500 participating in the actual march.

At Belfast City Hall, which had a large union jack flying, we listened as family members of those killed by the British Army and by the British police force addressed the crowd. The speakers came from each one of the Six Counties and some denounced McGuinness for meeting the commander-in-chief of an army that was responsible for the killing of their loved ones and hundreds of others.



On Tuesday 26th June, the day Elizabeth Windsor arrived in Ireland, a group of community artists and political activists erected a massive tri-colour measuring 120ft x 60ft on Sliabh Dubh overlooking Belfast.

Many unionist politicians reacted to this act of defiance by encouraging a gang of their paramilitaries to attack those on the mountain.

Inevitably, this did happen when a unionist gang attacked the protest and seriously assaulted one of the protestors, leaving him in a serious condition. The man, a former H-Block prisoner and blanketman, was very lucky to escape with his life.

As word circulated out about the attack, many republicans responded by going to the mountain to join the protest and strengthen the show of defiance.



The following day, Wednesday 27th June, the flag was once more erected and many more protestors joined with those already on the mountain. Both the PSNI and the unionists were deterred from taking any further action to disrupt the protest because of the presence of so many on the mountain.

Later that day, we gathered in support of a vigil outside Belfast City Hall organised by victims of British state violence, including relatives of all those killed in the Ballymurphy Massacre, who handed out leaflets to passers-by calling for an independent investigation into the killing of their loved ones.

This vigil was held outside a building which was then flying the “armed forces” flag in support of the British army – an army that murdered hundreds of Irish people, an army which continues to carry out massacres in Afghanistan; the same army of which Elizabeth Windsor is the commander-in-chief and whose hand a representative of constitutional nationalism thought fit to shake politely.

 http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest290612.html

Britain Out Of Ireland

As you will have no doubt learned by now, the British monarch, Elizabeth Windsor, is currently in the north of Ireland.  These types of 'visits' have traditionally engendered the righteous indignation of republicans, socialists, victims of British state violence and their families.

 
On this occasion, however, different forces are at play.  A part of a normalisation process, driven by the British establishment, it is being cloaked in language of 'reconciliation'.
 
I, for one, cannot be reconciled with such a system.  Elizabeth Windsor is not only the Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces but the mother and grandmother to some of the most enthusiastic participants in these forces and their unjust wars and occupations - seen Andrew in the Malvinas, Harry in Afghanistan and William in...the Malvinas again.
 
She rewarded those that murdered Irish civilians on the streets of Derry on Bloody Sunday and in the communities of Springhill and Ballymurphy in Belfast.
 
She continues to be the chief patron and proponent to those that obstruct and deny the truth about what happened in Ireland and elsewhere.
 
On top of this, she is the embodiment of what is wrong with the social system under which many toil.  She is the holder of an office which reinforces sectarianism, believes in blood line superiority and upholds the right of inherited power and privilege.
 
Some spin meeting such a person as progression rather than regression.  
 
I am not one of those and I trust neither are you.
 
Please take a few minutes to the watch the following video and listen to the words of others who feel likewise - families of the victims of her murderous forces.

 

Having watched this, pass it on to your friends and family.  These are the words that should ring most loudly over the next two days.

HONOUR OUR DEAD NOT YOUR SOLDIERS-BALLYMURPHY MASSACRE FAMILIES

The British Queen, the Commander-In-Chief of Britain's armed forces, has arrived in the Six Counties.

For more than 40 years, in her name and during her reign, those forces have murdered, injured, tortured many Irish citizens.

For their part in the murders of our loved ones in Ballymurphy these same soldiers were honoured by the Queen

The attorney general recently reopened all original inquests with the evidence the families of the victims put before him

last week British sectary of state denied the families a proper investigation into the 11 inocent victims even though with new evidence and the fact that there has never been any police investigation in the past 40 years, Peter Robinson by this fact was shocked by this when we met him last year

This is why the Ballymurphy massacre families took to the streets to protest this week, to continue their search for a proper and just independent investigation

these protest are not against our unionist neighbours ,far from it there was two Innocent civilian's shot dead by same parachute regiment in September 1972 on the Shankill Road Belfast

The State and their agents are responsible for ten percent of the murders in the conflict but have yet to acknowledge and apologise to the families effected for the part they played.

we ask

MRS WINDSOR HONOUR OUR DEAD NOT YOUR SOLDIERS

BALLYMURPHY MASSACRE FAMILIES

Video of the Truth and Justice – not Jubilation March/Rally

Over 1000 people attended a rally in Belfast on Saturday, 23 June 2012 in support of victims of British state violence and against the visit of Elizabeth Windsor, commander-in-chief of Britain's armed forces.

Mac Cionnaith responds to announcement of SF/British queen meeting

 

éirígí’s Rúnaí Ginearálta Breandán Mac Cionnaith has responded to the decision by the Sinn Féin leadership to endorse a meeting with the British queen, Elizabeth Windsor, commander-in-chief of Britain’s armed forces.

Mac Cionnaith said, “The decision by Sinn Féin to meet with the British queen is not in the least unsurprising, unanticipated or unexpected. However, that decision needs to be examined in a broader context.

“The Sinn Féin leadership previously took the strategic decision to gradually and consciously move that party away from its former role as a vanguard of the anti-imperialist struggle in Ireland. That leadership has also proven itself, in recent times, to be a willing ally of modern neo-con imperialists by assisting the undermining and subversion of anti-imperialist liberation struggles in other countries.

“One calculated outworking of that strategic decision in domestic terms has been the unprecedented acceptance and copper-fastening of partition by that party, and its consent to continuing British government control over part of Ireland, to such an extent that the party is now a willing and integral participant in operating the mechanics of partition and injustice.

“Paying lip-service to demands by families of British state violence for justice and truth while simultaneously acting as a prop for maintaining British injustice has now become one of the hall-marks of the Sinn Féin party.

“The reality of the unchanged nature of British control and the inefficacy of the Sinn Féin approach was highlighted on Monday (June 18th) when incontrovertible proof in the form of official British government documents revealed how, in July 1972, the state at the highest levels officially sanctioned the use of deadly force by its troops against Irish citizens and ensured that members of the Crown forces would receive indemnity from prosecution.

“Further evidence that the 1972 policy is not a mere “legacy issue” but an ongoing and central part of current British policy was demonstrated by the revelation on Wednesday (June 20th) that the British government had rejected a request by the families of the victims of the Ballymurphy Massacre for a public inquiry into those state murders.

“Sinn Féin has also moved away from its working class base and from any semblance of even a thin veneer of socialist politics to a position where it can freely and frequently advocate and ally itself with the interests of the domestic and international business and financial communities.

“It has consistently proved to be a willing tool in the imposition of private finance initiatives and the implementation of the British government’s austerity measures which penalise the young, the old, the sick, the unemployed and those workers on low wages. At the same time, that party has the audacity to hypocritically criticise other parties in the 26 Counties for implementing exactly the same policies at the behest of the Troika.

“In many respects, Sinn Féin today is mirroring and replicating the gradual and total abandonment of core Irish republican ideals in very much the same manner as was practiced by Fianna Fáil in its early history.

“Given that Sinn Féin has decided to target Fianna Fáil’s electoral constituency in the Twenty-Six Counties, it should be no surprise for anyone to learn that Sinn Féin’s current primary objective is to re-create and re-brand itself as some sort of 21st century version of Fianna Fáil with all that particular and discredited political direction entails.

“Meeting with and recognising Elizabeth Windsor as head of the British state in Ireland is but another step along the disreputable path of reformism and one more premeditated and calculated step further away from the revolutionary goal of establishing a free, sovereign and socialist Republic in Ireland.

“But then nothing else could ever be expected from a party which, when correctly politically analysed, amounted only to a modern form of old Catholic ‘defenderism’ and militant nationalist hibernianism.”

Mac Cionnaith pledges support for victims of state violence

The General Secretary of the socialist republican party éirígí, Breandán Mac Cionnaith, has said that the party’s members and supporters will give their full support to the planned “Truth and Justice – Not Jubilation” march and rally in Belfast this Saturday [June 23].

In a statement, Mac Cionnaith said, “It is quite apt that a public event focussing on the victims of state violence should be held in Belfast this weekend – just days before the visit by Elizabeth Windsor to her Irish colony. Our party members and supporters will attend the march and rally in solidarity with those many hundreds of families across Ireland who lost parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters at the hands of all those forces of which Elizabeth Windsor is the Commander-in-Chief.

“On Monday of this week, further proof was produced in the form of official British government documents which demonstrated how in July 1972, the state at the highest levels officially sanctioned the use of deadly force by its troops against Irish citizens and ensured that members of the Crown forces would receive indemnity from prosecution.

“On Wednesday of this week, the ongoing outworking of that forty year old policy was reinforced when it was revealed that the British government had refused to hold a public inquiry into the murder of eleven innocent people, including a mother of eight and a Catholic priest, in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast by British paratroopers.

“It is therefore highly unlikely that Elizabeth Windsor, whose successive governments, forces and agents were responsible for hundreds of deaths, will be wearing any sackcloth or ashes as she flaunts herself throughout the Six Counties in a display of imperialist triumphalism, designed to underpin and reinforce the partition of Ireland.

“It is also highly unlikely that all those families of British state violence will ever receive the truth and justice they deserve while Britain remains in control of the Six Counties. That is why it is important that Saturday’s march and rally, with its clear and primary focus on Britain’s victims, receives the support it deserves.”

http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest210612.html

Cllr Hyland Harassed by PSNI

Independent republican councillor Davy Hyland has slammed the PSNI after he was stopped and questioned by them last week along with a number of other members of the public.

The elected representative was stopped and questioned by the PSNI using section 21 of the Justice & Security act outside Newry City Hall after he had checked on the welfare of three members of the public who were being harassed.

Davy explained “I noticed a man, his wife and sister in-law being harassed by the PSNI outside Newry City Hall. As an elected representative and friend of the victims i approached to check on their welfare.

“I was then harassed and questioned, my movements were recorded and my identity noted. The PSNI members in this patrol were very aggressive and bullish. I’d like to know what was achieved by harassing those people and myself ?”

Davy continued “No doubt the PSNI will come out with the usual generic response about tackling “crime” etc. I’d like to know what “crime” was prevented by taking the details and recording the movements of an elected councillor? If anything it’s blatant harassment and also an intelligence gathering exercise.”

“In Newry we have éirígí members being tortured as well as men, women and children being regularly stopped and searched, arrested and assaulted and now elected councillors can be added to the list of victims.

Hyland concluded by saying “It’s obvious that the PSNI can do as they please and harass people at their leisure, they are a completely unaccountable force and should be treated with nothing but contempt.

http://davyhylandindependentvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/cllr-davy-hyland-harassed-by-psni.html

Republicans from Newry to mobilise for Vol. Seán O'Callaghan Commemoration

Republicans from across Newry will be mobilising for this Sunday's commemoration in Crossmaglen for Vol. Sean O'Callaghan.

A bus will be going from Newry to this event. Leaving the sorting office, Upper Edward St at 2pm. £3 per head

Truth and Justice - not Jubilation Demonstration

On June 26th and 27th, the British Queen will arrive in the Six Counties to view her Irish colony.

A major demonstration is to be held in Belfast just days before the British royal visit to the North. The demonstration on Saturday 23rd June will have as its theme “Truth and Justice – not Jubilation” and the organisers say the focus of the protest will be on victims of British state violence.

The demonstration will take the form of a silent march, led by a solitary piper, from Dunville Park, Falls Road, at 2.00pm on Saturday and conclude with a rally outside Belfast city hall. The rally will be addressed by speakers from each of the 6 Counties who lost close relatives at the hands of the British state, or who were themselves actual victims of state violence.

The organisers believe the event provides a unique opportunity for everyone within the broad nationalist community, those with differing political opinions and those with none, along with other progressives, to stand shoulder to shoulder in an unparalleled show of support and solidarity with victims’ families of British state violence in their ongoing struggles for Truth and Justice.

Announcing the planned demonstration, the organising committee stated, “The forthcoming British royal visit to the North presents a very unique opportunity to publicly highlight the fact that many hundreds of people, of all ages, met their deaths at the hands of British Crown forces and their agents in Ireland during the course of the present British monarch’s reign. Many, many more were injured or endured physical and psychological abuse by those same forces.

“Countless families across Ireland still live with the painful reality of the tragedies, distress and anguish brought to their homes by those forces of which the British monarch is Commander-in Chief.

“During her reign, British forces who have taken oaths of loyalty to Elizabeth Windsor have:

• Implemented internment without trial and perpetrated mass murder against civilian protestors objecting to such human rights abuses
• Tortured, abused and unlawfully detained and imprisoned Irish citizens
• Murdered many innocent unarmed civilians
• Murdered innocent school-children with both lead and plastic bullets
• In conjunction with unionist death squads which Britain trained and armed, conducted a prolonged campaign of murder against men, women and children of all ages from within the nationalist community
• Continued to conceal and obstruct the truth about Britain’s role in the murders of many hundreds of Irish people
• Used the most draconian and repressive laws found anywhere in modern Europe

“Having held discussions with a cross-section of families from different parts of the North in recent weeks, it was clear that those families firmly believe that their loss and pain is far too often ignored or brushed aside by the British state and by the mainstream media.

“In many cases, the families of those who died at the hands of Britain’s Crown forces still find that, decades after the murders of their loved ones, the British state continues to obstruct their quest for truth and justice.

“Those families not are aware of any cause for jubilation.

“The families with whom we held discussions indicated that they would welcome and support a public demonstration highlighting the fact that the British state, of which the monarch is head, continues to wash its hands of the many crimes and injustices which it perpetrated in Ireland.

“Saturday’s demonstration will be completely non-party political and will welcome the participation of nationalists from all shades of political opinion and those with none. All we ask is that the focus and the emphasis is placed solely on the injustices still endured by victims of British state violence.

“We ask people to assemble at Dunville Park on the Falls Road at 2.00pm on Saturday 23rd June for a silent and dignified march, led by a lone piper, ending with a rally outside Belfast city hall.

“All speakers at the rally will be persons who lost a close relative at the hands of the British state, or who were themselves actual victims of state violence. The speakers come from each of the Six Counties, together with others from the two main cities, Belfast and Derry. They will be joined by a person representing those victims of British state violence which, it must never be forgotten, also extended into the South of Ireland.

“We are also publicly asking families across the country that lost loved ones at the hands of the British state and its agents to attend and to carry with them images of their murdered relatives.

“There will no bands at the demonstration, and no party political banners will be allowed. We simply ask all those attending to bring and carry black flags.

“This is a unique opportunity for nationalists, republicans, socialists and other progressives from across the Six Counties and beyond to show their support for all families of victims of British state violence, and to demonstrate their disdain and contempt for those who continue to perpetuate ongoing injustices and discrimination those same families still face.

“The British state might wish that people would simply forget about the deaths, violence and trauma that its forces and agents wreaked across communities throughout Ireland.

“We are saying to everyone within the broad nationalist community that they also have a choice – abide by Britain’s wishes, or stand shoulder to shoulder with their neighbours and their friends in an unparalleled show of support and solidarity for the families of Britain’s victims, in their ongoing struggles for Truth and Justice.”

Construction of New Wing at Maghaberry

The Construction of a new Wing in Maghaberry Gaol indicates the future intentions of the British and Stormont Governments. 



The Wing is being built beside Roe House, which houses Republican Prisoners. The number of Political Prisoners in Roe has been steadily increasing since the beginning of 2012. To cope with the numbers, the Prison Administration has 'ordered' POWs' there to 'double-up', with two POWs' allocated to one cell.

In August 2010, the POWs', Prison Regime and Stormont's 'Justice' Department collectively agreed to end controlled movement and strip-searching. Within a few months however, Republican Prisoners were still forced to endure the indignity of stripping and constantly being surrounded and escorted by four to five Screws to intimidate them. As a result, the POWs' had no choice to resume protest action in opposition to the above injustices. Since then, the vast majority of Political Prisoners (apart from those who have existing medical problems) in Maghaberry have been involved in a dirty protest. In recent months, David Ford (Stormont's Justice Minister) announced that his Department is piloting a new Technological Alternative to physical Strip-Searching. Hopefully, this new Scheme will be implemented soon.

Maghaberry and it's Regime has been criticised by numerous British officials and Human Rights organisations over the years. In the way it treats it's prisoners and their families outside. The Gaol is manned by sectarian Screws who are organised through it's racist Prisoner Officers Association (POA). Who regularly brutalise and mistreat Prisoners in particular, POWs'.

The construction of a new Wing/House in the complex is not to alleviate overcrowding in Roe House. It is because, the British and Stormont Governments are expecting a huge increase in the number of Republican Prisoners. In spite of, empty rhetoric from Politicians that the Nationalist and Republican community in the Six County State now have equality. The same people still have to suffer under Special Political Police, a special detention centre, special legislation, Internment and Diplock (Non-Jury) Courts. All used to quell legitimate opposition to British rule, Partition and the denial of Irish national sovereignty.

Obviously, Maghaberry's new Wing will 'greet' future POWs'. Who will be Interned without Trial, Interned on Remand, facing Political charges based on secret 'evidence' collected by MI5, RUC/PSNI and British Army Operatives. A clear indication of what the future intentions are of the British Government, fourteen years into a so-called Peace Process.

http://ardoynerepubl...maghaberry.html

PSNI Assault Newry Republican

Sunday [June 10] was just a normal evening for the colonial forces in Newry with the continuation of an ongoing campaign of harassment, intimidation and violence being waged against the local population by the PSNI.

In the most recent incident a local republican was viciously assaulted and arrested by the PSNI during a stop and search operation in Monaghan Street. As a result of this assault, the victim had to seek hospital treatment for his injuries which included serious bruising and swelling to his arms, back and side.

Such was the ferocity of the assault that several bystanders pleaded with the PSNI assailants to stop what they were doing as the victim was clearly injured and in a lot of pain. Their pleas were ignored.

The PSNI also ignored the fact that this man was injured and in need to medical treatment. Instead, they handcuffed the man before bundling him into a patrol car which took him to a barracks. On top of being assaulted, injured and arrested he then found himself facing spurious charges of disorderly behaviour and resisting police.

éirígí’s Stephen Murney, who witnessed the incident, explained, “This man, who I know personally, was simply walking down Monaghan Street when he was singled out by this PSNI patrol. I was standing just a few feet away and, along with numerous other members of the public, witnessed the unprovoked assault and subsequent arrest.

“I also know that the particular PSNI officers behind this attack are notorious in the Newry area for targeting republicans. Indeed, I also have personally been targeted by these PSNI members.



“This is totally unsurprising behaviour from the PSNI and yet again it proves what we have been saying all along. They are unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable.”

Murney continued, “In the past three years alone over 76,000 people have been targeted by the PSNI using the British government’s so-called “Justice and Security Act”. While PSNI harassment and brutality shows no sign of stopping, that does not mean we should accept it as normal, it is far from normal.

“To help victims of harassment and to dispel the myths surrounding the various repressive legislation éirígí will be launching the party’s “Know Your Rights” campaign in the Newry area in the coming weeks. This may not stop incidents like this from happening but it will empower people as to what rights they have when they are on the receiving end of such human rights abuse.

“As well as launching this campaign locally, we will also be launching several other initiatives to counter and defy the paramilitary police, the details of which will be publicised in the near future. éirígí won’t be found wanting when it comes to exposing the abuse of rights by the state forces.”

Stephen concluded, “We urge anyone on the receiving end of similar treatment to feel free to contact éirígí and their legal representatives to have the incidents logged and recorded.”

 http://www.eirigi.org/latest/latest130612.html

Annual Brendan Hughes Commemoration Omeath

The annual Brendan Hughes commemoration will take place on Sunday the 17th June at 1.30pm, Long Woman's Grave, Omeath ,Co Louth. Main speakers will be Nuala Perry (Belfast) & Pat Mc Namee (Crossmaglen) chaired by Terry Hughes. All republican groups and individuals welcome to attend

Vol. Seán O'Callaghan Commemoration

"Maghaberry crisis reminiscent of the blanket protest" - Hyland

Independent republican councillor for Newry & Mourne, Davy Hyland, has commended the organisers of Tuesdays [June 5] peaceful and dignified protest in Newry which was organised to highlight serious human rights abuses being inflicted upon republican prisoners in Maghaberry.

Despite the extreme weather over 70 people took part in the event which called for an end to forced strip searching and internment of republican prisoners such as Marian Price and Martin Corey. Indeed recently UN appointed human rights doctors were refused access to Hydebank to examine Marian Price who is seriously ill.

Despite the event being peaceful and dignified the protesters found themselves being surrounded by scores of PSNI members with a number of the participants being threatened for trying to walk on a public footpath.

Speaking after the protest Davy said “I would like to commend the organisers for holding this peaceful protest. The situation in Maghaberry could be best described as a crisis. We have republican prisoners on 23 hour lock-up, and being beaten and forcefully stripped naked by riot clad screws, on top of that they are protest with beards and long hair which is reminiscent of the blanket protest. There are also numerous political prisoners being effectively interned by remand and by having licenses revoked.

“These type of human rights abuses were wrong in 1971, they were wrong in 1981 and they are wrong today in 2012.

Hyland continued “While the protest was a success it was unfortunate to see Mayor Casey’s comments of condemnation. He has no problem condemning a peaceful and dignified protest against human rights abuses, yet he remains noticeably silent about the torture and suffering which led to the protest being organised.

“During his term the Mayor has done absolutely nothing to highlight the internment, torture, strip searches and beatings that are commonplace in Maghaberry, i haven’t seen one single statement from him about this serious situation nor have i seen him attend any of the many events that have been organised in the Newry area over the past few years”.

Davy concluded “I pledge to do everything in my power to raise awareness and to highlight the dire situation that republican prisoners find themselves in. I would urge everyone who is opposed to, and concerned about, these serious abuses to attend any events that are organised in their areas and to speak out against the torture.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” – Martin Luther King Jr