Protests as politicians ignore Maghaberry abuses

Posted by Jim on April 28, 2016

Republican prisoners on Roe 4 wing of Maghaberry high-security prison
have been subjected to repeated raids by a riot squad in which
educational resources have been removed, according to reports this week.

On Thursday morning, the prison’s notorious heavy gang moved in and
removed all prisoners from their cells before searching individuals
cells, and then searching and removing all items from the prisoners’
classroom. Other raids saw educational resources removed from the
republican Roe 4 landing of Roe House and never returned. When the
prisoners asked what was going on, they were told by a laughing riot
squad member that it was only a “routine search”, according to the Irish
Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWA).

“It is very clear to IRPWA and the Republican Prisoners that these raids
and the continued ill treatment of Roe 4 Prisoners are deliberate
attempts by the administration to increase tensions in the jail and they
have once again demonstrated that they have no desire for a conflict
free environment,” they said.

Last week, a republican prisoner was physically assaulted when he
refused to stop listening to traditional Irish music, they added. He was
pinned down and then taken from Roe House, with other prisoners placed
on lock-down for two hours.

“This petty request to turn Irish music down is becoming more and more
common and comes on the back of Irish signs being ripped down and the
recent refusal to allow any item relating to 1916 into the jail stating
that the 1916 rising was a terrorist event and therefore will not be
tolerated in the jail,” the IRPWA said.

“It is very clear that the sectarian staff in Maghaberry have no desire
for a conflict free environment on Roe when they resort to such petty
behavior.”

In another development, two men attending outside hospital appointments
were forcibly strip searched upon leaving and returning to the jail
despite being handcuffed to a jailer throughout. Both were forced to
undergo private consultations in the company of three jailers with the
handcuffs on. Sleep disruption and new measures to control movement on
the landings are among other negative developments which have been
reported by the IRPWA recently.

The prisoners have condemned the failure of the nationalist political
parties to take issue with their treatment and have accused Sinn Fein
and the SDLP of refusing “to be seen to side with republican prisoners”
ahead of the Stormont Assembly election next month.

In a statement, the prisoners said: “On the 5th of May 1981, IRA
Volunteer Bobby Sands died on hunger strike, as he defied Britain’s
criminalisation agenda that was supported by political unionism and
constitutional nationalists in a futile attempt to break Republican
Political Prisoners and our Freedom Struggle.

“35 years later on the 5th May 2016 constitutional nationalists and
unionists will be standing for election to an anti-republican British
Assembly that is the antithesis of everything Bobby Sands represented,
as evidenced by his political activism, his commitment to armed struggle
and his own writings. An Assembly that acts as a proxy and enables
Britain to continue their criminalisation and brutalisation of
Republican Political Prisoners.”

They said that they would be organising protests against the abuses at
Maghaberry, including a white-line protest at 7pm on 5th May at
the bottom of the Whiterock Road.

“Through all this, there has not been a single utterance from the SDLP
or Sinn Fein. It is abundantly clear that both parties are no less than
pro-brit quislings and Redmondites undeserving of the support of
Republicans and the Nationalist community.”