Irish Repub Info Svc #188 3/4/97 


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 Irish Republican Information Service, No. 188
 Teach Daithi O Conaill, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
 Phone: +353-1-872 9747; FAX: 872 9757
 e-mail:  saoirse@indigo.ie saoirse@iol.ie

 Republican Sinn Fein homepage: http://indigo.ie/~saoirse 
 View our SAOIRSE homepage: http://iol.ie/~saoirse

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Irish in Britain should use electoral strength to promote British withdrawal
2. Sean Keenan remembered in Derry City
3. Scots Guards release campaign: Irish lives count for little 
4. Brits to decide if McAliskey 'fit to be a mother'
5. Family call for inquiry into O'Neill death
6. Dunloy residents dismiss Harryville 'deal'
7. No trembles from Trimble as Tories lose English By-Election
8. Bloody Sunday campaigners for US
9. Trimble Says Unionists have Achieved Almost "All of our Agenda"

1. IRISH IN BRITAIN SHOULD USE ELECTORAL STRENGTH TO PROMOTE BRITISH WITHDRAWAL

BELOW is the address delivered by Republican Sinn Fein Ard-Chomhairle
member, Sean O Se, at a public meeting in Liverpool on Monday, March 3,
1997. The meeting was entitled `A New Ireland not a New Stormont' and
coincided with the setting up of a new Republican Sinn Fein Cumann
(branch) in Liverpool. 

"The only political party in Ireland today calling for a British
withdrawal is Republican Sinn Fein. As some of you here are well aware
Sinn Fein Poblachtach was formed in November 1986 after walking out of the
Sinn Fein Ard-Fheis at the Mansion House in Dublin. 

"The reason for the walk-out was that one-third of the delegates loyal to
the Republic couldn't support proposal 162 which read: `That this
Ard-Fheis drops its abstentionist attitude to Leinster House.' By the very
wording of this proposal alone without any debate whatsoever it
contravened Sinn Fein constitutional rules, ie Rule (b) on Membership,
which reads: No person who is a member of any political party,
organisation or who approves of or supports the candidature of persons,
who if elected, intend taking part in the proceedings of the British
parliament or partition assemblies by which Ireland is ruled, or who
approves of or supports the candidature of persons who sign any form or
give any written or verbal undertaking of intention to take their seat in
these institutions shall be admitted to membership or allowed to retain
membership. Any such person automatically dismisses himself/herself from
membership. 

"Since 1986 Republican Sinn Fein has maintained the right of the Irish
people as a whole to self-determination and upholds with dignity the 1916
Proclamation and the memory of all those who suffered and died for the
cause. No decent Irish person should have to apologise for being Irish,
Ireland belongs to the Irish people not Britain or England to put a finer
point on it. 

"On February 22 last Republican Sinn Fein held the first of many planned
conferences throughout the Six Occupied Counties in Derry's Guildhall
which was open to the public. At that meeting the call for a British
withdrawal from Ireland was unanimous, also the call for revolutionary
change as against reform was unanimous. 

"It is as plain as the nose on my face who the reformists in Ireland are.
We come to expect this type of thing from Free State politicians who say
the way to peace in Ireland is by consent, but there are those who seek
parity of esteem, a place at the negotiating table where everything but a
British withdrawal can be mentioned. 

"Let us not fool ourselves, Irish freedom is what it's all about. How, in
the name of God, can that be achieved without a British withdrawal? 

"The leadership of Republican Sinn Fein are not begrudgers, there are no
`sour grapes' over the split in 1986, although we still maintain it was a
great mistake and put the cause of Irish freedom back twenty years. The
leadership of Republican Sinn Fein are not a belligerent crowd of
warmongers as some commentators suggest and above all they are not against
peace. On the contrary, peace will always be on the top of its agenda. 

"What's the way forward? By far the best proposals yet are contained in
Republican Sinn Fein's EIRE NUA/New Ireland document for a federation of
four provinces and SAOL NUA/A New Way of Life which contains a futuristic
social and economic programme. These documents have been scrutinised by
the Six County politicians, clergy, armed groups on all sides with a view
to discrediting it but none were able. 

"EIRE NUA and SAOL NUA hold the key to what our president, Ruairi O
Bradaigh calls `the door to permanent peace in Ireland'. Three keys in
fact: the British key, the Republican/nationalist key and the
loyalist/unionist key, but the British key must be inserted in that door
first. 

"The so-called `peace process' has been suspended now to make room for
more important matters, ie the Westminster elections. 

"Once more, the Irish Question goes on the back burner. If predictions are
correct and Tony Blair's Labour Party forms the next British government
then we must assume from their track record of late that we can expect
little or no change in their all-party agreement on the Six Counties.
That's where you people here come in. Let those who seek election hear
those dissenting Irish voices on the doorstep, at public meetings, shop
floors, council chambers etc. 

"Don't be afraid to voice your opinion, wherever you are, use every
opportunity to say your piece. Remember a substantial majority of people
in Britain want a British withdrawal from Ireland. Liverpool is Ireland's
capital in England and there's no doubt the Irish connection is very
strong indeed. Use this strength to see justice being done for the Irish
Nation." 

2. SEAN KEENAN REMEMBERED IN DERRY CITY

UPWARDS of 100 people gathered in Derry Cemetery on Sunday, March 2 for
the annual Sean Keenan Commemoration while an oration was delivered during
a heavy downpour of hail. Before the oration, delivered by Sean Mac
Oscair, a member of the Ard-Chomhairle of Republican Sinn Fein, several
floral tributes were placed on the grave. 

Various wreaths included those from members of the Keenan family and
Republican Sinn Fein cumainn from throughout the Occupied area. The
largest was placed on behalf of the HQ Staff of the Continuity IRA. 

Within the plot are buried Sean Keenan, a founder-member and former
Honorary Vice-President of Republican Sinn Fein, who died in 1993, his
wife Nancy, (nee Ward) a leader of Cumann na mBan, and their son, Colm an
IRA Volunteer whose gravestone inscription reads: "killed in action with
his comrade Eugene McGillen, defending Free Derry on March 14, 1972". 

In a lengthy address Sean Mac Oscair of Fermanagh outlined "the
outstanding contribution to the Republican cause by successive generations
of the Keenan and Ward families". Sean Keenan was interned for a total of
16 years, and his wife Nancy spent long periods in Armagh jail, also
without charge or trial. 

Sean Keenan travelled to the US at Easter 1970 along with the late Daithi
O Conaill to set up Noraid with others like Mike Flannery, Jack McCarthy
and John McGowan. 

The Ard-Chomhairle representative went on to criticise the Fine Gael
leader John Bruton and leading politicians on both sides of the border. Of
the SDLP leader he enquired: "Would Mr Hume like to tell the world what it
is that is so appealing to you and your party now, in the current peace
process, 2000 lives later, which did not appeal to you and your party
during the IRA truce of 1975 when British disengagement was on the table?" 

He continued: "In tandem with Bruton, John Hume is pushing on down the
road endeavouring to legitimise the Six County State by means of a
retrospective constitutional referendum north and south of the Border. No
doubt this, if it comes to pass, shall be in line with the British agenda,
ie the National Question couched so that 600,000 nationalists here are
constitutionally dispatched to history, at their own behest, and at the
behest of the south also." 

Over the Plot flew a large Irish tricolour, known as 'the shroud' which
had been loaned for the ceremony. This was used as late as 1989 to cover
the coffin of one of the last of the local Irish Volunteers, who served
during the 1916-23 era. 

3. SCOTS GUARDS RELEASE CAMPAIGN:  IRISH LIVES COUNT FOR LITTLE

In a statement on February 25 last RuairI O Bradaigh, President,
Republican Sinn Fein said that following on the early release from prison
of British soldiers Ian Thain and Lee Clegg convicted in British courts
for the murder of Irish citizens, the military establishment now seeks the
release of two Scots Guards who were similarly convicted for the murder of
Peter MacBride (18) in the New Lodge area of Belfast while he was running
away from them, an unarmed man. 

He went on: "Truly it can be said that the English Ruling Class looks
after those who protect it. The treatment of British soldiers convicted of
the murder of Irish citizens contrasts sharply with that of Irish
political prisoners who have served 22 years actual imprisonment with no
prospect of release. 

"These two British soldiers have been four-and-a-half years in prison for
murder - Thain served a mere two years - and already the Establishment is
seeking their release. As in the Thain and Clegg cases the lives of Irish
citizens count for little," he ended. 

The release of these two members of the British Occupation Forces
convicted of murder by a British court in February 1994 is expected to
take place "within weeks" according to a report in the English `Sunday
Telegraph'. The `Sunday Telegraph' is closely allied to the Conservative
Party and British Military Intelligence. 

The move to free Scots Guards Mark Wright and James Fisher is being
spearheaded by a group of retired generals. The group was set up in
February and includes Tory MPs such as David Scott-Barrett, a former
general officer commanding in Scotland. 

On Sunday, March 2 Peter McBride's mother, Jean, told the Belfast media
"If they release these two then it will allow the British to just send
over another band of soldiers to murder another mother's innocent child.
They have a licence to kill and if a soldier murders someone then they
know that their backs will be covered. Since Peter was killed it has been
a nightmare to me. 

"I was surprised when these boys were charged with murder and more
surprised when they were found guilty, convicted of murder and sentenced."
Speaking of the mockery that is the British judicial system in Ireland,
Jean McBride said that it was obvious that judges in the Six Counties
"don't count for anything because any decision they make can be overturned
by the Secretary of State". 

She added "My son was so important to me and what the British government
is saying is that he didn't matter and they just sweep it under the
carpet." Jean McBride has organised a petition demanding that the soldiers
who murdered her son be kept in prison. They are being held in Maghaberry
jail, County Antrim. 

However, Tory empire-monger, David Scott-Barrett in justifying their
imminent release said "They have already served a year longer in prison
than any other soldier in comparable circumstances." 

4. BRITS TO DECIDE IF McALISKEY `FIT TO BE A MOTHER'

TO THE horrendous crimes of Britain's present phase of colonialism in
Ireland are to be added that of baby-snatching. A social services board at
the behest of the British imperial government will take it upon themselves
to decide if 7 months pregnant Roisin McAliskey is fit to be a mother. The
board are expected to announce their decision after March 4, a date set
for the review. The 25-year-old Roisin McAliskey is being held on remand
in Britain's Holloway prison. Already in a poor state of health and denied
access to proper exercise or medical attention her case is one that cries
out to all who believe in human decency irrespective of political
opinions. 

The continued detention of this sick woman in evil dungeon conditions and
heavily pregnant is the very negation of humanity. It is a plunging into
the darkness by those who call themselves the leaders of British
civilisation. Roisin McAliskey has not been charged with any offence. Her
incarceration is meant to get at her mother Bernadette, a tireless
campaigner for Irish freedom and a thorn in the side of the British
imperial establishment and also as a device to weaken nationalist
resistance to a British settlement in occupied Ireland. Speaking on
Monday, March 3, Bernadette McAliskey said "I spoke to Roisin this morning
and I think she felt down about this . . . Roisin has not been charged
with anything and she finds herself before social services being
questioned about her right to be a mother. She is being treated like some
kind of social deviant as if she is the problem but she is not the
problem." On Sunday, March 2 a crowd of over 100 held a picket outside 10
Downing Street, the office of the British Prime Minister, demanding Roisin
McAliskey's release. 

5. FAMILY CALL FOR INQUIRY INTO O'NEILL DEATH

THE family of Diarmaid O'Neill, the Provisional Volunteer who was
mercilessly gunned down when British police blasted their way into a house
in Hammersmith, London on September 23 last have backed a call for a
public inquiry into the murder. On Thursday, February 27 the Justice for
Diarmaid O'Neill Group launched its campaign outside the Home Office in
London. They are petitioning the British Home Secretary Michael Howard for
a full independent inquiry into the killing of Diarmaid O'Neill. 

6. DUNLOY RESIDENTS DISMISS HARRYWILLE `DEAL'

NATIONALISTS in Dunloy, County Antrim dismissed claims that on February 25
they had offered a deal to loyalists picketing the Catholic church in
Harryville. 

The claim was made by a source close to the Harryville Residents
Association, which has been organising the pickets outside the Church of
Our Lady, Ballymena. Loyalists claim that the picket is being mounted
outside the church in protest at the refusal of the residents of nearby
Dunloy to allow an orange parade through the village last summer. 

The loyalists claimed that the residents of Dunloy had offered to allow
three consecutive Orange parades through the village if the pickets
outside Harryville church were cancelled for three weeks. The loyalists
claimed they rejected the alleged offer because the parades were
"conditional" on the consent of the villagers. 

Nationalists in Dunloy, however, said that the claim that a deal had been
offered was "pure rubbish" and stressed that there was no connection
between Orange marches through Dunloy and pickets outside Harryville
church. 

7. NO TREMBLES FROM TRIMBLE AS TORIES LOSE ENGLISH BY-ELECTION

BRITAIN'S Conservative Party suffered a humiliating defeat with the
election of a Labour Party candidate in Wirral South on February 28. The
loss of the former Tory stronghold on a 17% swing put the Tories in a
one-vote Commons minority. 

This fuels speculation that a general election will be called for May 1.
However Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble is not worried by the
impending doom of his Tory allies in Britain. Labour party leader Tony
Blair has successfully turned his front bench into clones of the
Conservatives who are only too happy to ape Tory policies in Britain and
Occupied Ireland. 

David Trimble admitted on February 26 that the UUP had achieved almost
"all of our agenda" with the British government's announcement of the
extension of the powers of the British House of Commons `Northern Ireland
Grand Committee'. 

The lame-duck Tory government has also allowed the `Grand Committee' to
sit in Belfast and question British ministers in the colonial
administration there. The move is a further cementing of British rule
extracted from John Major as a result of his absolute reliance on the UUP
MPs for the survival of his government in the Westminster parliament. 

8. BLOODY SUNDAY CAMPAIGNERS FOR US

RELATIVES of the 14 victims of British Crown Forces on Bloody Sunday, 1972
are due to visit the US on March 14. They will take part in St Patrick's
Day parades in Boston and New York. The relatives hope to meet US
President Bill Clinton to discuss their campaign. They also hope to meet
other politicians, including Senator Ted Kennedy while a report by former
New York Police Department ballistics expert, Robert Breglio, will be
published in New York about the massacre. 

9. TRIMBLE SAYS UNIONISTS HAVE ACHIEVED ALMOST "ALL OF OUR AGENDA" 

DAVID Trimble admitted on February 27 that the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
had achieved almost "all of our agenda" with the British governments
announcement of the extension of the powers of the British House of
Commons `Northern Ireland Grand Committee'. The lame-duck Tory government
has also allowed the `Grand Committee' to sit in Belfast and question
British ministers in the colonial administration there. The move is a
further cementing of British rule extracted from John Major as a result of
his absolute reliance on the nine UUP MPs for the survival of his
government in the Westminster parliament until May 1, his preferred date
for a general election. 


                              -end-

Please circulate the information in IRIS and credit us if reprinting.  
We welcome your comments and ideas. Send them to: saoirse@iol.ie

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