RSF hunger strike anniversary commemoration
Posted by Jim on May 1, 2021
The following text is the oration delivered by Sinn Fein Poblachtach Ard
Cisteoir and Ard Chomhairle member Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais, Atha Cliath
at the 37th Anniversary Hunger Strike commemoration and parade in
Bundoran, County Donegal at the weekend.
“They have chosen death, for there is an old custom, that if a man be
wronged or perceive to have been wronged, and he starve himself at the
threshold of he who had wronged him, the people for all time to come
would raise a great protest against that threshold even though it be the
Kings”
That a chairde is a quote by W.B. Yeats, and it puts into words more
succinctly than I ever could the reasoning for the Hunger Strikes here
in Ireland. We as Republicans stand here to give truth to those words.
We will stand at the threshold of Westminster, of Leinster House and of
Stormont and proclaim that each of these places has wronged the people
of Ireland.
The men who died from Thomas Aghas in 1917 to Mickey Devine in 1981 used
the only weapon they had in their fight for the sovereignty and unity of
Ireland, their own bodies. They made the ultimate sacrifice in the war
against British interference in Irish affairs.
These men were not alone in this battle, many others, men and women,
undertook hunger strikes over the years, some of those men and women had
their health broken and lives shortened due to their participation in
these hunger strikes, they also had family who stood staunchly with
them. Fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters gave
the hunger strikers the willpower to stay the course. As Mary Ward,
whose husband died prematurely from the after effects of his
participation in 4 hunger strikes said “To face death in the heat of
battle surrounded by one’s comrades is a heroic thing; but to face death
alone in a prison cell, surrounded only by one’s gaolers and tormentors,
takes a supreme courage,”
The hunger strikes of 1980 and 1981 were started because the POWs in
Long Kesh refused to be treated as criminals, they rightly demanded to
be treated as political prisoners. Ultimately ten men died in 1981 and a
whole generation of Irish men and women were to be politicised before
the demands were conceded. Sadly, when the Provisionals surrendered and
got their own prisoners released, they signed away that very same
Political Status. Our POWs were forced into a criminal system where they
suffered attacks at the hands of loyalist and criminal prisoners alike.
They were under threat on a daily basis and had to start afresh in the
self-same struggle for political status. The struggle within the prison
is something all Republicans should unite on irrespective of whether we
have friends or comrades incarcerated. As Martin Luther King said
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. It is clear that
that Irish Republicans cannot get justice within the judicial systems of
both states. Special laws, special non-jury courts and special
sentencing for Republicans is an everyday occurrence.
Last month in the Twenty-Six county courts several men and one woman
were found guilty of membership of the IRA, the main “evidence” against
them was what the state calls belief evidence, in other words a senior
member of the police need just say he believes someone is a member and
it is taken as enough for conviction.
I take this opportunity to send greetings to my friend Jonathan Hawthorn
who was one of those convicted on this belief evidence, Jonathan was an
extremely active member of the anti-water-tax protest in Dublin and had
been threatened by the police for months prior to his arrest I also send
solidarity greetings to Kevin Hannaway who was similarly convicted on
belief evidence. At 70 years of age, and as one of those known as The
Hooded Men who were tortured by the british state in 1971, an almost 4
year sentence on the word of a police force that has been shown to
manufacture evidence on a wholesale basis is in itself criminal. The
growing campaign to abolish the SCC must be supported by all
Republicans.
The Six County system is no better, with similar laws, similar courts
and probably a worse prison regime. Through this system two men from
Craigavon went and they found no justice. Police who lost evidence,
intimidated and arrested a witness for the defence, they paid witness
for the prosecution…the list goes on. Suffice to say another miscarriage
of justice has occurred and once again the British state refused to
acknowledge it. Like the Birmingham Six and Guildford four, they would
rather see young men’s lives wasted away behind bars than for it to be
seen that there is no justice for many Irish in the British judicial
system.
Another relic of injustice within the judicial system is internment,
while many will say it is no longer in use, the cases of Tony Taylor,
Gabriel Mackle, Marion Price and Martin Corry are but few of those who
have been interned over the past few years. Tony Taylor, a community
activist and long-term Republican has been interned since March 2016 on
the orders of the then secretary of state without reason or
justification, it is clear that this man is languishing in jail as an
example to others to refrain from involvement in community or Republican
activity.
Last year Gabrial Mackle stood here and said a few words as a recently
released Republican POW, within a few weeks he was dragged from his
house and interned. Luckily for him (if I can use that phrase that) he
was released after a few months. In his case it was acknowledged that
whatever secret evidence that was shown to the court did not justify his
internment, the inherent unreliability of secret evidence and
unchallenged nature of such evidence was in this case not accepted. I
welcome Gabriel home again and only wish a little more solidarity was
shown to him during his term of internment.
The issue of political extradition is not part of history either, Liam
Campbell and his family are still facing the threat of him being
extradited to Lithuania in a case involving MI5 and an allegation of
entrapment and stretches back 10 years. Liam has already spent years in
jail fighting extradition, both in the Occupied Six Counties and Twenty
Six County State, he is now fighting the third attempt to extradite him.
This past year saw DD Mc Loughlin extradited from the 26 county state,
luckily for DD luckily for him the case fell when the judge criticized
the 26 county police for “aggressive, oppressive, hectoring and
bullying” when interviewing the main witness against DD.
This is not the first time in recent years that someone extradited from
the Twenty Six Counties had had his trial collapse, Ryan McKenna was
freed in 2014 after being extradited from the Twenty Six Counties. These
two cases show the ease at which the Twenty Six county state will
extradite Irish Republicans, it is incumbent on all Republicans to work
together on the issues of; special laws for Republicans, SCC,
Extradition, and Internment
From Henry Joy McCraken, through Wolfe Tone, Emmet and on to Parnell,
many of the early leaders of Irish nationalism and Republicanism were of
the protestant faith, they knew that for the people of Ireland to
prosper it had to become a sovereign, independent country.
This quote from Wolfe Tone sums it up best; to break the connection with
England the never failing source of all our political evils. England
introduced sectarianism into Irish politics, they nurtured it, they
fostered it and they encourage it to today. From the gerrymandering of
constituencies to the counting of votes in terms of
pro-unionist/loyalist votes being Protestant votes and pro
nationalist/Republican votes being Catholic votes. As Republicans we
should play no part in sectarianism, racism or sexism.
We should judge people on their character and nothing else. Our goal
must be as Tone said “To unite the whole people of Ireland, to abolish
the memory of all past dissensions, and to substitute the common name of
Irishman in place of the denominations of Protestant, Catholic and
Dissenter”.
Now is the time to engage with people on the basis of a future within a
United Ireland being better for all the people of Ireland. Looking at
the exit of the UK from the EU it is clear that the politicians of
Westminster have no idea what they are doing, but we can be sure of one
thing;- whether it is, no deal, a bad deal or a good deal, the
politicians there will look after England first, Wales and Scotland
second and third. Last will be the Six Counties of Ireland, for they
know that as sure as the sun sets, Ireland will be united. Now is the
time for those who want what is best for themselves and the people of
Ireland to engage in the debate for a United Ireland.
It is interesting to see Mike Nesbitt and Peter Robinson indicate that,
the realisation is there that a United Ireland is on the horizon. As
strange as it may sound, now is the time for our Unionist brothers and
sisters to engage in dialogue with Republicans, not the so-called
republicans of Leinster house, but those who have consistently argued
for the abolition of that den of greed, we have argued for a socialist
Ireland, an Ireland of equals. For myself and those of Sinn Fein
Poblachtach, we have being arguing for a federal Ireland, an Eire Nua.
This is not, as G Adams and his cronies have said “a sop to Protestants”
but is a good basis for a way forward with equality, with fairness.
Those who developed it had only the best of hope for a United Ireland,
they were neither sectarian nor greedy unlike to politicians that now
infest the administrations in both states. It may not be a panacea for
all our troubles, but it is a sound basis towards a peaceful Ireland and
I know our leadership will be only too happy to engage in discussions
around this.
As I look at the two states we have today here in Ireland, it is clear
that it bears no semblance to the Ireland our hunger strikers died for,
nor the Ireland that the men, women and children of 1916 died for. All
died for a United Ireland, a Socialist Ireland and an Ireland of equals.
The two states we have today bear no resemblance to what was envisioned.
James Connolly. He was right when he said “if you remove the English
army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin castle, unless you
set bout organizing a socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain”
While both states differ slightly the following is true of one or both
of them;
There is no money for the poor– but plenty for the political wages
There is no money for social housing–but tax cuts for builders and
developers
Schools lack resources and funding— but travel junkets can be funded
Hospitals have ever-growing waiting lists–but political expenses and
perks continue.
A chairde, I have lost the figures, but the politicians of Stormont have
not sat and worked since 2017 yet they still collect wages, this to me
is theft. It is excused because the political elite can excuse it.
Leinster House passed a 5000 euro pay rise for themselves in the last
budget, yet delayed a 5 euro rise for pensioners for several months.
Not since the Great Hunger of the 1840’s have so many been dispossessed
of their homes by absentee landlords (in the guise of vulture/pension
funds) and all eagerly aided by an ever more vicious police. We have a
whole generation now who will grow up and not know what it is like to
have a home, they will be moving from B+B to B+B, from one temporary
hostel to another. They cannot build proper friendships or even develop
proper family relationships due to lack of kitchen facilities, play
areas etc. As the situation increases in desperation the political class
pays little more than lip-service to those suffering. Empty statements
from many calling for rent control or increased house building are
nothing more that window-dressing for their collective indifference to
the plight of the ordinary person.
This past year has seen an increase in attacks on Republicanism, an
increase in the normalization of the occupation and attempts to
encourage engagement in talks on entering the Commonwealth. In Lurgan
this Easter a peaceful assembly was attacked by the unreformed police
now known as the PSNI, there was no show of Republican strength, no
parade and no controversy. Just a simple commemoration. The one issue
was that these Republicans continually refuse to ask permission to
commemorate our patriot dead,
After this attack on a small commemoration, the police felt brave enough
to threaten the same for a planned Easter commemoration in Derry, this
time however they had fore-warned the Republicans there. A strong and
organised resistance was put up, those commemorating and parading were
protected. I commend all who ensured that this event was held and I
comment those in Lurgan who refuse to be intimidated off our streets.
In the past few weeks the Twenty Six county administration have
indicated that the new commissioner of their police will be Drew Harris
of the RUC. In less than 100 years of partial independence the state
has reintroduced British led policing in the state. This man is linked
through his positions within both the Six County police and MI5 to the
murders of the innocent in the six Counties, shoot to kill and in the
collusion to cover-up state involvement in the murders of people in
Dublin and Monaghan. For any self-respecting state to put a senior
member of another states secret services is unheard of. It is clear
that the present day FG party is only following in the footsteps of
Collins, when he too orders from London to open up on Republicans who
were defending the Republic.
At Easter this year in Derry I said it was not a Republican act to enter
Leinster house and it was an act of betrayal to actually administer
British administration in the Occupied Six Counties yet claim to be a
Republican. Well a chairde that betrayal was confirmed when the leader
of the Provisionals suggested a United Ireland within the commonwealth
was an option her party would consider. The years of struggle were not
about unity, we had that right up to 1922. The struggle is for
sovereignty, for independence.
The continual trips from members of British aristocracy is being
propagated as “the maturing as a nation” and just “normalization of
relations”, there can be no normalization for as long as an abnormal
border crosses Ireland, and Ireland matured when we proclaimed our
independence under arms in 1916. When our country in once again united,
when it is sovereign and when outside interferences in our internal
affairs cease, then and then alone will there be normal relations
between these islands.
Comrades, we cannot rely on the EU to protect against a border here in
Ireland, we need only look at the events in Catalonia, when the people
tried to exercised their democratic right to vote only to have it
crushed by the Spanish state, the EU have no real interest in democracy,
it is an imperialist construct and has a selfish interest. The EU now
openly backs a fascist (if not Nazi) government in the Ukraine.
It is incumbent on Republicans to ensure no border, no one else will do
this.
An Phoblacht Abu