Washington, DC Hunger Strike Solidarity Commemoration

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REPORT ON HUNGER STRIKE COMMEMORATION IN WASHINGTON, DC

source - Banbose Shango on CubaNews (Yahoo)

The Commemoration of Solidarity took place yesterday at Howard University in
Washington, DC. We had a small auditorium. Behind the podium we hung flags
of solidarity including the Cuban flag, the flag of the FMLN (El Salvador),
the Irish Tricolour and the Starry Plough.

Dawn-Michele Gould gave a brief overview of the events leading up to the
Hunger Strikes:

"In March 1972 Britain assumed direct rule over the North of Ireland
Nationalist organisations were banned and an alarming range of repressive
measures were sanctioned. These measures included internment without trial
and single-judge courts without juries. Moreover, the burden of proof now
shifted from the prosecution to the defendant, which not surprisingly,
produced a conviction rate of 95 percent.

"By January 1975, nearly half of the 3,000 Irish prisoners held Special
Category status, that is, they were regarded as 'political prisoners.' At
this time, however, the British began a reconstruction?both physically and
of prison policy at Long Kesh prison. The 'new' prison, renamed 'Her
Majesty's Maze', and was designed to greatly tighten security with its new
layout, shaped like the letter H and now known as 'the H Blocks.'

"Prisoners already incarcerated previous the change, were allowed to remain
in the old compounds under Special Category status. However, it was
announced that after 1st April 1976 incoming prisoners would not be held
under Special Category status.

"Protests by Republicans in prisons across the North of Ireland began. Then
on 15 September 1976, Volunteer Kierán Nugent refused to wear prison issue
clothes and covered himself with a towel. His comrades followed his example,
and this became known as the 'Blanket Protest.'

"Authorities reacted to the Blanket Protest by stripping the cells of
everything but the chamber pots. The protest then escalated into a refusal
to shower because showering meant wetting the towel which was then useless
as their only clothing. (No Wash Protest)

"Nothing was done; there was no response from the British government. The
Blanket Protests escalated into the No Wash/No Slop-Out Protest, now known
as 'The Dirty Protest.' The Dirty Protest at Long Kesh began because warders
would purposely knock over the chamber pots, spilling the contents on the
floors. To keep the floors clean of the urine and faeces, prisoners had to
slop the mess out through broken windows but the warders would clog the
windows or shovel the faeces back in. Prisoners then began smearing waste on
the walls.

"The Dirty Protests took place with no change for over two years. Hunger
Strike was to be the next step the prisoners would take?

"The first hunger strike at Long Kesh began in October 1980. The strikers
had five demands: the right to wear their own clothing; freedom from prison
work; freedom of association with fellow prisoners; the right to normal
visits and recreational facilities; and restoration of reduction of
sentences for good behaviour.

"By December three women Volunteers from Armagh prison, and 23 men at Long
Kesh, were on Hunger Strike.

"On the morning of 18 December, hunger striker Sean McKenna's seemed near
death and was removed to a military hospital. Meanwhile, Brendan Hughes (the
Officer in Command at Long Kesh) was informed by the prison authorities that
a document, which met the five demands, was to be delivered from the British
Home Office. Believing that McKenna was about to die with a settlement about
to ensue, Hughes called off the strike. The strike had lasted for 53 days.

"There was no document. The demands were not met. It was a cruel joke by the
British government.

"Another hunger strike which claimed the lives of ten young men, would soon
begin on 1 March 1981.

"From March through October 1981, 32 prisoners took part in the hunger
strike. Ten died, many others would suffer later health and psychological
problems as a result of hunger striking.

"Although the British government had not met the demands of the republican
prisoners, after the tenth death families began signing a document to pull
their sons and husbands off hunger strike.

"It would be a few more years before the right the ten men died for were
finally granted by the British government, and the prisoners were granted
the rights as POWs.

"Yet, the struggle continues today for the complete withdrawal of the
British occupied forces from the North of Ireland, and for a united Irish
Socialist Republic. And, here we are 20 years later, 2001, and Irish
Republican prisoners refusing to sign a document in support of a British-run
government, a document dubbed "The Peace Agreement" or the 'Good Friday
Agreement', have again lost political status.

"There is no peace without freedom?

"Please join us a we commemorate these 10 brave Volunteers; and unite with
us in solidarity in the present international struggle against oppression,
exploitation and imperialist domination."

I then introduced Netfa Freeman or the All-African People's Revolutionary
Party (A-APRP), the Social Action Leadership School for Activists (SALSA)
and the Washington, DC-Havana Sister City Project. The A-APRP co-sponsored
the event in solidarity with the Irish Republican Socialist Committee of
North American (IRSCNA) and the Hunger Striker Commemoration Committee
(HSCOM).

Netfa spoke of pan Africanism and the need for people of all oppressed and
exploited countries to work together in solidarity. His speech was
brilliant, and he will be emailing me a copy, which I will share.

Our next speaker was Banbose Shango, who is the organiser for the A-APRP,
organized with SNCC (Students Non-Violent Coordinating Committee); CORE
(Congress of Racial Equality); RAM (Revolutionary Action Movement); RUM
(Revolutionary Union Movement; Y/SOBU Youth/Student Organization for Black
Unity) and ALDSC (African Liberation Day Support Committee). He is also the
co-chair of the DC-Havana Sister City Project. He discussed the solidarity
efforts of the Havana Sister City Project as well as the success of
socialism in Cuba.

Alejandro Miranda spoke next. He is a member of the Washington, DC-Havana
Sister City Project, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation (FMLN), and the
Puerto Rico Independence Party. He discussed the Sister City Project and its
effort to encompass activist and leftist groups in the Washington DC area.
He also discussed Cuban-American relations.

Our next speaker was Olivia Burlingame of the Committee in Solidarity with
the People of El Salvador (CISPES) and the Pastors for Peace. She spoke of
the groups' solidarity efforts and work to bring together people of various
cultures as well as a broad front to address racist, homophobic, and other
bigoted issues that affect our society. She invited the group to a
Solidarity barbecue next month.

Nomalanga Dalili of the All-African Women's Revolutionary Party Union
(A-AWRPU) the women's wing of the A-APRP, gave a briefing on the activism of
Malcolm X, and how it affected women within the context of the
anti-imperialist and socialist struggle. She closed by quoting Bernadette
Devlin McAliskey, who, when she visited the US in the early 1970's said: "I
was not very long there until, like water, I found my own level. 'My people'
-- the people who know about oppression, discrimination, prejudice, poverty
and the frustration and despair that they produce -- were not Irish
Americans. They were black, Puerto Rican, Chicano. And those who were
supposed to be 'my people', the Irish Americans who know about English
misrule and the Famine and supported the civil-rights movement at home, and
knew that Partition and England were the cause of the problem, looked and
sounded to me like Orangemen. They said exactly the same things about blacks
that the loyalists said about us at home. In New York, I was given the key
to the city by the mayor, an honour not to be sneezed at. I gave it to the
Black Panthers."

Edel Kelly, niece of 1981 hunger striker Patsy O Hara, spoke next. Her other
uncles, Sean and Tony O Hara, were also INLA POWs. Her Uncle Tony was also a
Blanketman, and he is the founder of the HSCOM.

Edel said: "In two days time, we commemorate the 20th anniversaries of the
deaths of Raymond Mc Creesh and Patsy O Hara.

"I was only 3 when my uncle Patsy died. But as I grew older I got to know
more about him and his Comrades. And, I got to know that he was something
special without really understanding why. In the Last few years I have been,
given the honour of people pointing me out as the 'niece of Patsy O Hara.'
And that is a source of pride to me and all my family.

"I read and learn and have come to realise the impact that Patsy and his 9
Comrades made on the world by their unselfish sacrifice, the more I realise
that we must preserve this heritage of freedom and courage, by taking an
example from these men, and saying no matter what the odds courage and
conviction will conquer all in the end.

"Patsy was a republican Socialist -- not a republican in the US sense -- an
Irish republican that wanted unity for his country. A Socialist that wanted
his country free from exploitation. A new place for all citizens to grow in
unity without poverty, bigotry or exclusion due to race, creed or gender. An
Ireland Gaelic, Socialist and free.

"Patsy was also an internationalist, with a bond for all the people the
world over that suffered repression and torture. And sadly 20 years after
his death, people are still dying on Hunger Strike in Turkey against the
same repression and torture that Patsy and his Comrades died to end. So as
we honour Patsy and his Comrades, I ask you to think that as we speak,
another prisoner may die in the Turkish prison protest that has already
taken 23 lives, including that of a 19-year-old girl.

"For the injustice being perpetrated against these people could be
perpetrated against you or me tomorrow. For all the oppressed people in the
world - let the fight go on."

Oscar Ordenes, a Bolivian activist in Washington, DC, New York City, and
Paris, France, spoke next. Oscar is a Latin American Arts and Humanities
specialist. He is also the liaison with the Bolivian Coordinator for the
Defence of Nature and Life in Bolivia, as well a member of the DC-Havana
Sister City Project. Oscar discussed the similarities between the Irish
struggle and the struggles in other Latin American countries. He focused on
the San Patricios, who were Irish men who helped Mexico fight during the
Spanish-American Civil War. He will be emailing an article about the San
Patricios who are honoured with a celebration every year on St Patrick's day
in Mexico.

Representatives of Pathfinder Press, who produce the weekly socialist
newspaper, The Militant, also participated in the event.

I then asked everyone to join us now in a minute of silence to commemorate
the deaths of Patsy O Hara and Raymond McCreesh.

I closed by saying:

"As you may know, President Bush signed a document last week, which would
make certain support groups for prisoners and their families illegal in the
United States. Therefore, before I close, I would like to read a statement I
received before I left my house this morning, from my comrades in the 32
County Sovereignty Movement (32 CSM). The 32 CSM have recently petitioned
the United Nations to recognise the illegal British occupation of Ireland,
as well as the blatant British disregard for human rights.

"The 32CSM, sends its greetings to the event and wishes everyone a
successful day. This criminalising of families of republicans is a violation
of human rights, perhaps this is why America was voted of the Human Rights
Commission? Republicans have faced many situations in the past and have
overcome them as various states have under estimated the will of 'The Risen
People.'

"England, America and all Imperialist countries, know that: 'the higher you
build the barrier, the taller we become." [at this point there was great
applause in the auditorium]

"I would like to thank everyone for coming and participating, with a special
thanks to the HSCOM, the IRSCNA and the AAPRP for sponsoring the event.

"Tiocfaidh Ár Lá (Our Day will come)!"

We had a brief intermission with refreshments and then went back to the
auditorium to watch the documentary, The Last Hunger Strike. Then Michaela
McCafferty sang 'Men of '81' and she autographed CDs for those who wished to
purchase one.

Nearly ever attendee came up to me and said it was a wonderful start, and
that if we plan early we might make this a yearly solidarity event?an event
which can only get bigger and better.
 
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