Sinn Féin called on to re-think Opposition to Anti-Royal Protests

The socialist republican party éirígí have called on Sinn Féin to re-think their publicly stated opposition to protests against the forthcoming visit by the English Monarch Elizabeth Windsor.

Their call comes in the wake of recent comments carried in various national and local media outlets by newly elected Sinn Féin TD for Sligo/North Leitrim, Michael Colreavy, in which he called for “no protests” against the visit.  Deputy First Minister of Britain's puppet parliament at Stormont, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness made similar public statements in recent days.

Responding to Deputy Colreavy's remarks éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey said: “The decision by Sinn Féin to publicly call on people not to protest about the upcoming visit by the British Head of State and Commander in Chief of the British army defies all logic."

“The purpose of this visit is an attempt to legitimise and normalise the continued occupation of the six counties by her government and thousands of her troops. It is a further attempt to copper-fasten partition and continue to deny the right of self-determination to the Irish people as a whole.”

Casey added: “This woman and the sectarian institution that she represents is an apologist for illegal military occupations and war crimes carried out by her troops, not just in Ireland but in Iraq and Afghanistan also."

“She believes that she and her family have a god-given right to rule and live a life of luxury funded by the labour of working people whom she considers her ‘subjects’.  Everyone that considers themselves a republican, a socialist and a democrat should, not only be appalled at the prospect of this visit, but should be actively protesting and organising resistance to it.”

 

He continued: “Our position is clear - it is that of James Connolly and of Bobby Sands. Britain has no right to occupy the six counties or any part of Ireland.  Until there is a complete British military and political withdrawal from our country it must be consistently and vociferously challenged. 

“There cannot and will not be any ‘normalisation’ of British – Irish relations. As such, this and future British state visits will be met with vigorous opposition.”

Casey concluded: “I would urge Deputy Colreavy to urgently re-examine the stance he and the leaders of his party have taken; a stance clearly at odds with the views of his own party’s grassroots members in this region.  It is not too late for them to do the right thing and to join the growing opposition and resistance to this visit.”

Internment Anniversary Marked in Dublin and Enniskillen

The thirty-eighth anniversary of the introduction of internment was marked yesterday (Saturday) with éirígí protests in Dublin and Enniskillen. At both locations the theme of protest was the same – demanding an end to 28-day detention and the use of plastic bullets by the occupation forces.

Over 60 éirígí activists and supporters attended the protest outside the British Embassy in Dublin, while 25 people joined the protest at the PSNI barracks in Enniskillen.

Banners and placards bearing the slogans ‘End 28-day detention’, ‘Plastic bullets kill’, ‘Britain out of Ireland’ and ‘PSNI - RUC No Change’ were well received in both locations with many motorists beeping their car horns in support.

At the Dublin protest éirígí’s Ursula Ní Shionnain read the names of all seventeen people killed by plastic bullets, before a minute’s silence was observed in their memory.

Speaking outside of the British Embassy, éirígí chairperson Brian Leeson said: “It is encouraging to see so many people here today. 28-day detention is simply internment by a different name. Its introduction marks a significant roll-back of basic civil liberties that were hard fought for over many years. The fact that a 17 year old was detained under this legislation earlier this year is a particularly worrying development.”

Brian continued, “It is no coincidence that in the last six months we have seen the introduction of 28 detentions, the re-deployment of British Army Special Forces and plastic bullets being used again. All of these measures are part of the wider British counter-insurgency strategy in Ireland. Protests like today’s are important in highlighting the fact that the nature of the occupation remains fundamentally unchanged, despite the veneer of normalisation that Britain is so keen to promote.”

Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey, who attended the Enniskillen demonstration, said that "those politicians and political parties that support the Good Friday Agreement and who have now given their full support to the PSNI claimed an era of supposedly “accountable” policing was at hand."

He added: "The repressive tactics of the PSNI in recent months however have left those claims lying in tatters. While they may have changed their name and uniform, the PSNI remain the same discredited, human rights abusing, British paramilitary police force, intent on stifling all political opposition to the British occupation."

He concluded: "Sinn Fein and the SDLP must now admit that they have failed to reform the PSNI as they claimed they would do. They must now withdraw their support for British policing in Ireland."