Posted by Jim on March 14, 2019
Museum of Free Derry1 hr
‘Justice for one family is justice for all of us’, say Bloody Sunday families
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”, said Nelson Mandela.
We have walked a long journey since our fathers and brothers were brutally slaughtered on the streets of Derry on Bloody Sunday. Over that passage of time all of the parents of the deceased have died. We are here to take their place.
Bloody Sunday was not just a wanton act carried out by a trained army against defenceless civil rights activists. It also created a deep legacy of hurt and injustice and deepened and prolonged a bloody conflict unimaginable even in those dark winter days of 1972.
The full cost of Bloody Sunday cannot be measured just in terms of those who suffered that day but must also be measured in terms of those who suffered because of that terrible day.
We have just been informed of this series of charges:
We, the families of those murdered and wounded in Derry on Bloody Sunday, today heard the decision by the PPS to charge just one British paratrooper for his murderous actions on 30 January 1972.
This announcement is vindication of our decades-long campaign to clear the names of our loved ones and to bring those responsible for their deaths and injuries to justice.
When the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign was launched in 1992 we had three clear demands – to have the Widgery whitewash overturned and replaced by an independent inquiry; to gain a formal acknowledgement of the innocence of all our loved ones, and to prosecute those responsible.
With today’s news, we now achieve our third aim.
However, we have also faced the disappointing news that in some cases there will not be prosecutions, and we are mindful of those families who received that news today.
We would like to remind everyone that no prosecution, or if it comes to it, no conviction, does not mean not guilty. It does not mean that no crime was committed. It does not mean that those soldiers acted “in a dignified and appropriate way.”
It simply means that if these crimes had been investigated properly when they happened, and evidence gathered at the time, then the outcome would have been different.
We note the Saville Report’s findings on the actions of soldiers that day, that all the casualties were either “the intended targets of the soldiers or the result of shots fired indiscriminately at people”; that no soldiers “fired in response to attacks or threatened attacks”; that no soldiers fired “in a state of fear or panic” and that soldiers opened fire “either in the belief that no-one in the areas towards which they respectively fired was posing a threat of causing death or serious injury, or not caring whether or not anyone there was posing such a threat”. These are not the sort of comments levelled at innocent people.
The passage of time has made charges difficult in this case, and in other cases. But the passage of time should not be used as a form of blanket immunity to block proper investigations. Everyone deserves justice, including those whose loved ones were murdered by the British state. There can be no statute of limitations used to deny justice, no new laws to protect state killers.
But, for us here today, it is important to point out that justice for one family is justice for all of us. We stand in full solidarity with those of us whose loved-one’s death or injury has not been included in the announcement of prosecutions. We also stand in complete solidarity with the hundreds of families who have had to endure decades without an inquest, without a criminal investigation and who have been left to struggle for their basic human right to justice. We hope our campaign continues to be an inspiration to them.
Today’s decision, although 47 years overdue, was necessary if we are to uphold the rule of law and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
However, we also say that the scope of the new police investigation was not wide enough, and we assert that the repeated failure to properly investigate the actions of those who planted nail bombs on the body of my uncle, 17-year-old Gerald Donaghey is unacceptable. The Saville Report left a stain on Gerald’s innocence that this investigation could have removed, but it did not do so. We repeat our call for this injustice to be addressed.
And while we as a group of families and individuals may have differing views on whether or not the soldiers who carried out the shootings should face jail, or how long they should spend in jail, we are all agreed that they should face the due process of the law.
And they should do so in public. The very few British soldiers that were charged during the conflict here were named, and the same should apply to those being charged now. Killers should not benefit from anonymity.
We maintain that key individuals in the army, in politics and beyond, should also be held to account for their actions on that day and afterwards. This affront must also be rectified if justice is to be truly done, and seen to be done.
If the police officer in charge on the day of the Hillsborough tragedy can face prosecution then so too can those who were in charge on Bloody Sunday. There cannot be one law for the military and political elite and one law for others.
Finally, there should be no further delay in dealing with the outstanding demand of the families of Bloody Sunday and the people of Derry. We call on all of those who will administer the next stage to move with all speed to bring this to a conclusion. We call on all involved to cooperate fully and not indulge in any more delaying tactics.
We call on the Crown Prosecution Service to complete its process and reach a decision on whether or not anyone is to be charged with perjury in relation to their evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
We call on the Attorney General to investigate recent comments about these prosecutions made by prominent politicians, including the British Minister of Defence, and decide if they too broke the law. If they have, they should be charged. They cannot attempt to interfere in a judicial process just because they don’t like it, or because their voters don’t like it.
The dead cannot cry out for justice, it is the duty of the living to do so for them. We have cried out for them for many years, and now we have succeeded for them.
Do not deny us justice any longer.
Posted by Jim on
The Voice of the Irish in America
FREEDOM for ALL IRELAND
BULLETIN
March 2019
A chairde:
FFAI CHRISTMAS APPEAL APPLICANTS
1-Relatives for
Justice-supports the relatives of those killed or injured in the
conflict-fights for legacy justice-provides counseling and support services
with offices in Belfast and Dungannon-involved with campaigns like Ballymurphy
inquest-, headed by Mark Thompson, and Carmel Quinn is one of the trustees.
2-Pat Finucane Centre-Human
Rights Advocacy group-based in Derry named after slain civil rights lawyer Pat
Finucane- headed by Paul O’Connor, and connected to campaigns like Bloody
Sunday.
3-Holy Cross Ardoyne-headed
by Fr. Gary Donegan, is actually the Houben Centre dedicated to peace with
justice in the sectarian flashpoint of Ardoyne.
4- EALU-(means Escape in
Irish)is a center for Republican ex-political prisoners located in Dungannon,
East Tyrone, we visited their offices and they provide an array of services
including job training ,counseling for ex-prisoners and families, legacy
issues, education classes in Irish culture, language and history.
5-Greater New Lodge
Commemoration Committee-maintains a memorial garden and commemorations for IRA
Volunteers and Republicans who were killed by the British in the New Lodge area
of Belfast.
6-Conway Mill Trust-located
in Pittsburgh funds 8 community based organizations in the north including one
in the Garvaghy Road, four in Belfast and three in Derry.
7-Tyrone AOH- foster Irish
history ,culture, language and issues in
an area of Tyrone where all things Irish were suppressed-they hold a special
memorial for a local Hibernian killed in 1916,campaign against the
environmental destruction of the Mass Rock and Sperrins area and also assist on
legacy issues and other issues.
8-Cairde Strabane-serves
Republican ex-political prisoners in West Tyrone which provides job training,
education, counseling, and a historical museum.
9-St. Patrick Centre-cross
community charity and exhibition, and cultural centre about St. Patrick in
Downpatrick.
10-Duchas Oiriall-South
Armagh organization promoting and studying the unique culture and history of
South Armagh.
11-Bridges beyond
Boxing-cross-community boxing club based in Belfast.
12-Down Patriot
Graves-maintains graves, organizes commemorations and promotes history of Irish
patriots in South Down.
13-Green Cross-provides
money and help to the families who lost loved ones during the conflict.
14- Belfast National
Graves-to commemorate and maintain the graves of those who gave their lives for
Irish freedom.
15-Omagh
Basketball-cross-community basketball team in Omagh.
16-Omagh
Choir-cross-community choir
e
Posted by Jim on March 13, 2019
In a day of dramatic developments, the Westminster parliament has
rejected leaving the European Union without a deal under any
circumstances. It is a heavy defeat for British Prime Minister Theresa
May, just as her government sought to threaten Ireland and the EU with
that very scenario.
In a surprise move, the Commons voted 312 to 308 — a majority of just
four — in favour of an amendment blocking a no-deal Brexit. The vote
was later confirmed when the Tory government opposed its its own
amended motion with a three-line whip, and incredibly lost by an even
more emphatic 321 votes to 278.
There is still considerable uncertainty, however, as the Withdrawal
Agreement as currently negotiated was voted down yesterday by a large
majority of 149 MPs. That rejection came despite May securing a
last-minute dilution of the ‘backstop’, the policy intended to prevent
a remilitarisation of the border through Ireland. That is still opposed
by hardline Tories and the unionist DUP, on whom May’s government
depends for support.
MPs are expected to vote tomorrow to delay Brexit until mid-May,
although the situation at Westminster remain fluid and unpredictable,
and tonight’s votes are not considered to be legally binding on the
government.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition British Labour party, said that
the parliament must now take full control of the Brexit process. He
said his party will work across the House of Commons to seek a
compromise solution, which would see Britain and the north of Ireland
remain in the EU Customs Union and without new controls at the border
through Ireland.
But if no cross-party deal can be reached, Labour has said a proposal
for a second Brexit referendum also remains a very strong possibility.
Tonight’s votes took place shortly after Britain threatened proposals
for heavy tariffs on trade with Ireland in a no-deal scenario. Business
leaders in the North said the plan would lead to economic chaos and
create a black-market economy around the Border.
The proposals claimed that there were would be no “new checks or
controls on goods at the land border”, including no customs
requirements for “nearly all goods”. This would leave the EU and Dublin
to take the wrath of border residents for imposing their border checks,
at least initially.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development,
Ireland’s Phil Hogan, condemned the “draconian regime” of tariffs,
which he said were intended to “frighten Ireland” into further
concessions ahead of a no-deal Brexit on March 29.
The Irish Farmers Association said the tariffs, if implemented, would
destroy Ireland’s beef industry and would decimate Ireland’s
agribusiness generally.
Incredibly, the plans also indicated Britain would treat trade across
the border substantially differently to trade across the Irish Sea,
despite this being a key factor in the DUP’s opposition to the
negotiated deal.
Hogan said the contradictions of the proposal “beggars belief”.
“We don’t even know if it’s legal, if it’s compatible with the World
Trade Organisation rules,” Mr Hogan said. “I think this is an
ill-thought out proposal to change the news cycle in London.”
Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy described the proposal as the latest example of
‘game-playing’ on the part of Theresa May’s government.
Separately, British Minister Michael Gove threatened his government
would impose full Direct Rule on the north of Ireland in the event of a
no-deal Brexit. Sinn Fein said this showed the British government had
abandoned any pretence of commitment to the Good Friday Agreement.
Sinn Fein’s leader in the North, Michelle O’Neill, said the comments,
coming on the back of what she said were “blatant attempts” by Tories
to defend the “illegal actions” of British Crown Forces during the
conflict, were conclusive evidence that the London government had
“turned its back on the principles underpinning the Good Friday
Agreement”.
But the Tory strategy appears to have been compromised by the votes
tonight at Westminster.
Speaking from the US, where he has begun the traditional meetings and
engagements for St Patrick’s Day, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said
tonight the situation was “brighter”. But he was also highly critical
of the British approach.
“There is a supreme irony in that the proposals produced by the British
government today propose to treat Northern Ireland differently from the
United Kingdom when it comes to customs,” he said.
He also insisted the tariff proposals would not put his government
under pressure.
“I think that it’s evident from events across the water that its the UK
that’s under pressure. The UK government in particular is under
pressure with members of the governing party and many cabinet ministers
not voting with the government so I think they’re the ones that are
under pressure, not us.”
Posted by Jim on
In our motto, James F. McKay President AOH.
Subject: FFAI ACTION ALERT!
Support needed for House Resolution 1547
A brother Hibernian and former Irish Republican Prisoner needs our urgent help. Malachy McAllister is being threatened with deportation to Northern Ireland. Malachy has resided in New Jersey with his wife and three children for decades. He is a small business owner, dedicated Hibernian, active in many charitable efforts since he legally emigrated to our country in the 1990’s. He has come to this country legally and has complied with every required Immigration regulation asked of him for the past 30 years. This threat of deportation is not new. Because of Malachy’s Irish Republican activism, the British government has continually harassed Malachy and pressured the United States for his deportation several times since he came to this country. If the crown is able to have Malachy successfully deported, they will use this precedent as a tool to continue to harass and intimidate those who choose to stand up to their repressive regime. Malachy’s local US Representative Pascrell is submitting a Resolution to ensure Malachy is not deported. Contact your local congressman and urge them to support this bill allowing Brother McAllister to stay, safe, with his family in his adopted home. You can find your congressional representative and their contact information here by following the link and entering your address: https://www.callmycongress.com/ The bill is titled: H.R. 1547 A BILL For the relief of Malachy McAllister, Nicola McAllister, and Sean Ryan McAllister. HR 1547 was created by New Jersey Congressman Pascrell. A copy of the bill is attached for your reference. 2•HR 1547 IH1 alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon fil2ing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa under3 section 204 of such Act or for adjustment of status to4 lawful permanent resident.5 (b) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.—If Malachy McAllis6ter, Nicola McAllister, or Sean Ryan McAllister enters the7 United States before the filing deadline specified in sub8section (d), he or she shall be considered to have entered9 and remained lawfully and shall, if otherwise eligible, be10 eligible for adjustment of status under section 245 of the11 Immigration and Nationality Act as of the date of the en12actment of this Act.13 (c) WAIVER OF GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL OF, OR DE14NIAL OF ADMISSION TO, MALACHY MCALLISTER, NICOLA15 MCALLISTER, AND SEAN RYAN MCALLISTER.—16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sections17 212(a) and 237(a) of the Immigration and Nation18ality Act, Malachy McAllister, Nicola McAllister, and19 Sean Ryan McAllister may not be removed from the20 United States, or denied admission to the United21 States, by reason of any act of any of such individ22uals that is a ground for removal or denial of admis23sion and is reflected in the records of the Depart24ment of Homeland Security, or the Visa Office ofVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:37 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1547.IH H1547 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS3•HR 1547 IH1 the Department of State, on the date of the enact2ment of this Act.3 (2) RESCISSION OF OUTSTANDING ORDER OF4 REMOVAL.—The Secretary of Homeland Security5 shall rescind any outstanding order of removal or de6portation, or any finding of deportability, that has7 been entered against Malachy McAllister, Nicola8 McAllister, or Sean Ryan McAllister by reason of9 any act described in paragraph (1).10 (d) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF11 FEES.—Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply only if the ap12plication for issuance of an immigrant visa or the applica13tion for adjustment of status is filed with appropriate fees14 within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.15 (e) REDUCTION OF IMMIGRANT VISA NUMBER.—16 Upon the granting of an immigrant visa or permanent res17idence to Malachy McAllister, Nicola McAllister, and Sean18 Ryan McAllister, the Secretary of State shall instruct the19 proper officer to reduce by 3, during the current or next20 following fiscal year, the total number of immigrant visas21 that are made available to natives of the country of the22 aliens’ birth under section 203(a) of the Immigration and23 Nationality Act or, if applicable, the total number of immi-VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:37 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1547.IH H1547 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS4•HR 1547 IH1 grant visas that are made available to natives of the coun2try of the aliens’ birth under section 202(e) of such Act.ÆVerDate Sep
Posted by Jim on
“Brian Feeney, columnist for the Irish News of Belfast, continues to speak truth to power, cutting through all the nonsense. As Blessed Martin Luther King, Jr. liked to quote, ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice’ (Theodore Parker,1810-1860). That arc is now finally bending toward a United Ireland—without England’s damn Border, symbol of sectarianism, division, anti-Catholicism, and denial of national self-determination and democracy. The attached article is important reading for all Members of Congress committed to solidarity, justice, unity, and peace on the island nation of St. Patrick.A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.”—Fr. Sean Mc Manus A border poll is inevitable, it is just a question of when
Joe Brolly said the GAA’s ‘endorsement and support for a unity poll… is entirely legitimate, peaceable and reflective of our membership’s views.’… For the first time an Irish Times columnist, Una Mullally, has tried to raise consciousness in the Republic of why it’s an important matter for Northerners, a far cry from that newspaper’s usual wide of the mark editorial line on The North.Brian Feeney. Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Now we have three famous influential GAA figures, Peter Canavan, Jarlath Burns and Joe Brolly, supporting a Border Poll, or advocating that the GAA support Irish unity in a Border Poll….
Characteristically Brolly is the most explicit. He says The North is, ‘a dysfunctional entity, a pretense that cannot survive’. Who could disagree?
The support of these men is more evidence of the unstoppable momentum that has built up for a poll. For the first time an Irish Times columnist, Una Mullally, has tried to raise consciousness in the Republic of why it’s an important matter for Northerners, a far cry from that newspaper’s usual wide of the mark editorial line on The North.
It’s OK to say it out loud. A Border Poll is inevitable now. It’s only a question of when. There are other critical matters, of which more anon. The present stance of the two main parties in The South is hypocritical and intellectually dishonest. The short version of their response, ‘the time is not right’ is just unforgivably disingenuous. Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil know perfectly well that if our dim, witless, proconsul [Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, MP] were to call next week for a Border Poll, it would be at least 2021 before it took place.
Let’s have a brief look at the political logistics. The two governments would have to agree on the question, or questions. Yes, a Border Poll isn’t just for The North; the south must vote too. Before any such polls, there would have to be agreement on the critical matters. Would it be a unitary state, a federal state, a confederal state? Would there be a single legislature or would The North have a legislature subordinate to the Oireachtas, as already provided for in Bunreacht na hÉireann? Depending on the answer, there might have to be a constitutional referendum in The South.
All that, and more, would need to have been agreed in a forum of some kind, a citizens assembly, all-party round table talks, some mechanism to answer questions about pensions, savings, health service, education, currency (well OK, the Euro, because we’d be in the EU again), transfer of financial obligations, and so on. Remember, the SNP produced a 602 page booklet laying out what an independent Scotland would look like. So the cant, ‘the time is not right’, is a disgraceful excuse for doing nothing.
The momentum for a Border Poll is not driven by any single motor. Yes, there is rapid demographic change, there is the catastrophe of Brexit, and there is the refusal of Unionism to operate equitably the place [the Six County State] they were given in 1921. They had a decade to behave decently: they blew it. Hence Brolly’s description of this place as dysfunctional and a pretense.
Now here are a few points you mightn’t have thought of. First, as soon as a proconsul announces a border poll, the legitimacy of The North’s existence is gone. It means the British believe most people here want out of the UK. Secondly, if Unionists had any wit, which they haven’t, they would opt for a unitary state. Here’s why. They are a community in retreat. Their current majority is like snow on a pitched roof. They are a diminishing minority in Ireland.
They would be nuts to opt to keep a Stormont assembly in which they would be an ever diminishing minority, entering Stormont at a roundabout with a statue of Bobby Sands on the pedestal. Far preferable to be constantly in government in a unitary state where they would always constitute a sufficiently large group to be a junior partner in coalition, guaranteed by The South’s electoral system. Who remembers the last single party government?
There is of course the basic democratic reason for a poll. That wouldn’t appeal to Unionists, but unification is the solution which avoids the backstop and allows the British to leave the EU and give everyone else in Europe peace and quiet. It is provided for in the Good Friday Agreement and allows the will of the majority North and South to prevail.
All we need now is for an Irish government to start thinking about it before its necessity hits them in the face after an election here.