Republican News 27 October 97 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source:Paddy Newell IRISH NEWS ROUND-UP Weekend 25/26/27 October, 1997 1. Loyalist feud blamed for car bomb death 2. McAleese gains from leaks controversy 3. Dispute over commemoration of victims FEATURES Irish Political Prisoners -- update History: Curragh prison escape - 25 years on *********************************************** >>>> Loyalist feud blamed for car bomb death A man killed on Saturday by a booby trap bomb near his home in the north is believed to have been the victim of a turf-war between rival loyalist death-squad organisations. Although there has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, the loyalist housing estate where the attack took place has been the scene of tension between rival loyalist groups. Earlier this week, a collective loyalist umbrella group known as the "Combined Loyalist Military Command" (CLMC) collapsed amid increasing antagonism among loyalists across the Six Counties. Glen Greer died after the device exploded under the seat of his Vauxhall Cavalier in Bangor, Co Down in the estate where he lived. The victim had just driven off at Drumhirk Drive in the town's loyalist Kilcooley estate when the booby trap went off, blowing apart the front of the car as and starting a fire. Meanwhiler, the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a splinter group, warned a small number of Irish civil servants working in the Six Counties they had 48 hours to resign "or become legitimate targets". After Saturday's warning, efforts were underway to increase the security of officials working at the Anglo-Irish Secretariat in Maryfield, on the outskirts of Belfast. This is the administrative body of British and Irish civil servants set up following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. Loyalists are becoming increasingly active despite a nominal ceasefire. Last week, preparations by loyalist paramilitaries for an assasination attempt against party President Gerry Adams in West Belfast were interrupted by Sinn Fein security men. Nationalists have been asked to remain vigilant following the incident which occurred during a book launch at Sinn Fein's bookshop on the Falls Road. >>>> McAleese gains from leaks controversy Opinion polls published over the weekend have shown that northern nationalist Professor Mary McAleese has gained most from the recent controversy over her attitude towards Sinn Fein and is now set to win Thursday's Presidential election. A carefully engineered leak and subsequent anti-nationalist attacks on the government candidate have backfired badly on the Fine Gael party and their allies in the Irish media. Fine Gael leader John Bruton has seen his approval rating plummet by 17 points, while first-preference support for McAleese has increased by seven points to 45% in what is a clear setback for the reactionary neo-unionist agenda. The Queen's University Pro-Vice Chancellor and law professor is now expected to win by 57% to 43% over Fine Gael's Mary Banotti after roughly half of voters' second preferences transfer to her in the predicted second count. Banotti is currently on 32% after a six-point increase in her first preference support. McAleese said this weekend she was "heartened" by the opinion polls, while Banotti insisted today she can still make up the ground and win on Thursday. The controversy began with the leak of secret Irish government documents to two Sunday newspapers last week, allegedly by senior figures within the previous Fine Gael-led administration. But the notes of conversations by an Irish civil servant revealed little more than McAleese's role as a mediator in a peace initiative to bring about a restoration of the IRA's ceasefire. In the old-fashioned McCarthyite manner, media commentators supporting Fine Gael tried to 'smear' McAleese with suggestions that she was secretly "pushing a Sinn Fein agenda". These were quickly refuted by McAleese and, according to the poll published today, dismissed by the Irish electorate who responded only with a wave of antipathy toward Bruton and increased support for both Sinn Fein and McAleese. The abortive ambush by anti-nationalists in the 26 Counties found support only in a bizarre attack on McAleese by self-styled unionist 'moderate' Lord Alderdice of the north's Alliance Party. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said last week that, had he a vote, his first preference would go to McAleese, while nationalist and unionist MPs alike have today expressed support for the North Belfast woman. South Down nationalist MP Eddie McGrady of the SDLP said today that she "fully and ably reflects the aspirations and methods of moderate republicans," while Ulster Unionist MP John Taylor said she was "a most able person" despite their disagreements on politics and religion. The Sinn Fein 'smear' campaign was an apparent attempt to emulate the 'Presidential tapes' scandal that doomed the campaign of Fianna Fail candidate Brian Lenihan in 1990. On that occasion, Labour Party nominee Mary Robinson won a narrow victory after Lenihan's denials of improperly trying to influence the then President were contradicted by a recorded interview made some years earlier. The polls have also highlighted the continuing dramatic collapse in support for Adi Roche, the nominee of the Labour party, Democratic Left and the Greens. Roche is now the first choice of less than 10% of those surveyed. In other findings, Sinn Fein has increased its core support and is now the fourth-placed party in terms of popular support in the 26 Counties, according to the survey by the extreme unionist Sunday Independent newspaper. Despite the heritage of decades of anti-Republican censorship and McCarthyite marginalisation, Sinn Fein has now moved ahead of Democratic Left, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats and the Worker's Party, and is now in fourth place behind Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour. Criticising the neo-unionist and partitionist agenda which inspired the leak, Adams said: "In the past censorship and revisionism made their task a relatively easy one. "Negative campaigning, misrepresentation, disinformation and campaigns of McCarthyism are the easy option. Now much more is demanded of them. Are they up to the challenge?" ______________________________________________________________ >>>> Dispute over commemoration of victims The British government is to set up a commission to examine how to commemorate victims of the conflict in the north of Ireland. But the decision to set up a commission under Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, the former head of the British government's civil service in Ireland, is already surrounded by controversy,. The erection of a memorial to those who have died during the past 28 years was always bound to incur difficulties, with unionists already lobbying for the exclusion from the monument of IRA Volunteers and a list of other victims. Sinn Fein has said that any planned memorial must be inclusive. "No one has a monopoly on suffering. The memorial must be all-inclusive. Rather than becoming a divisive issue, it should in fact assist the process of reconciliation and healing," a spokesman said. He added that the party had no problem in remembering British soldiers, RUC officers and loyalist paramilitaries who had been killed and expected unionists and the British government to respond similarly regarding the republican dead. The commission is expected to shortly begin a long period of consultation with welfare groups, the churches, the political parties, and the relatives of those killed and injured. FEATURES >>>> Irish Political Prisoners -- update * There are approximately 385 Irish political prisoners in jails in England and Ireland. * Over 60 are serving life. * Approximately 80 are serving 20 years or more. IRISH PRISONERS IN ENGLAND * There are 26 Irish political prisoners held in gaol in England. * Five prisoners -- Vincent Donnelly, Eddie Butler, Joe O'Connell, Hugh Doherty, Harry Duggan -- have served over 21 years. Vincent Donnelly will enter his 23rd year of imprisonment next May. The others will enter their 23rd year on 12 December of this year. * Six remand prisoners are currently in SSUs. The use of SSUs has been condemned by human rights bodies and medical experts. These prisoners are regularly strip-searched. * Irish political prisoners in England are denied compassionate parole. * All are seeking transfer to Ireland. The British Home Office continues to stall on repatriation/transfer despite legislation being in place to facilitate this. * Relatives of Irish prisoners who make the expensive and arduous journey to England for visits continue to be harassed under the PTA and still occasionally find that the prisoner has been 'ghosted', moved overnight to another prison without warning to either the prisoner or family. * Elderly and infirm relatives are unable to travel to England. REPUBLICAN WOMEN PRISONERS * The NIO operates a policy of discrimination against women prisoners. * Facilities available to women fall far short of those available to male prisoners in either Maghaberry or Long Kesh. * Restrictive conditions in the women's prison, which male prisoners are no longer subjected to, include lock-ups, limited association and exercise periods, confined exercise space and restrictive access to telephones. * Women POWs leaving or returning to the jail continue to be strip-searched. * Since 1982 over 4000 strip-searches have been carried out on a female POW population which has never exceeded 32 women. * Strip-searching has been condemned by many human rights bodies including Amnesty International and the National Council for Civil Liberties. OVER 60 REPUBLICAN PRISONERS ARE SERVING LIFE * Lifers in the Six Counties serve, on average, 17-20 years. * Three Republican prisoners sentenced in England to life imprisonment have been set 'whole life' tariffs. While the courts have rescinded two of these, one man is still subject to a 'whole life' tariff. Whole life tariffs should be scrapped. * British army private Ian Thain, sentenced to life, was released after two years. British paratrooper Lee Clegg, sentence to life, was released after two and a half years, reinstated in his regiment and promoted. * 60% of the current Republican prisoner population have already served twice the time Lee Clegg spent in prison. * The average length of sentence being served by republican prisoners is a little over 18 years. * Lifers are considered for release by an anonymous Review Board. * They are denied legal representation at such review hearings. * They are denied access to secret reports, compiled by unnamed prison staff, which are the basis for Review Board decisions to recommend release or not. * They are offered no explanation for a decision not to recommend release. * They cannot challenge any such decision. PORTLAOISE * Four prisoners in Portlaoise Prison are serving 40 year sentences. Three have served 13 years and one has served 17 years. * Sean Kinsella was rearrested in March of this year after having served 21 years in an English jail and he is now in Portlaoise, from where he escaped in 1974. >>>> History: Curragh prison escape - 25 years on 25 years ago on the 25th of October 1972, seven men tunnelled their way from the cells of the Curragh prison camp. The following is an interview with one of those escapees - James Hazlett. He was interviewed by his son Seamus in February 1997. What were you convicted of and for how long were you sentenced? I was arrested on the 14th. of May, 1971 in connection with an armed robbery on a gun shop in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. I was detained in Mountjoy Jail for six months. I was tried after this period in a court which I failed to recognise, and the jury failed to reach a verdict . I was re-tried six weeks later and convicted on the word of a so-called fingerprint expert. I was one of the first ever to be convicted in a 26 county court in this phase of armed struggle. I was sentenced to six years penal servitude. The next day I was sent to Port Laoise Prison. Was your time in jail harsh? If so how badly were you treated? On arrival to Port Laoise I was strip searched, and thrown into a cold shower. My clothes were confiscated and I was presented with a convicts uniform which I refused to wear as I was a political prisoner. The screws failed to recognise my status. I was locked up in a cell and thrown a blanket which I wore for three months. I was subjected to strip searches and cell searches weekly. Because I refused to wear a convicts uniform, visits were prohibited. Describe your time on hunger strike and explain what your protest was about. As time went on, two other volunteers arrived in Port Laoise for possession of weapons. They were subjected to the same harsh treatment. We decided among ourselves to go on hunger strike for political status. As a result of the hunger strike ten of us were transferred to the Curragh Camp or more better known as "The Glasshouse" where we joined another twenty comrades. My 21 days of hunger strike ended after the transfer as we were given our political status. How long were you in jail before you escaped? I spent between May and December of 1971 in Mountjoy, between December 1971 and May of 1972 in Port Laoise, and between May and October of 1972 in the Curragh. A total of 18 months before I escaped. How did you come to be involved in the escape? On arrival to the Curragh, escaping was a priority. I heard a rumour that escape plans were in progress. The Free-State forces also heard of the plans. As a result they brought in carpenters to remove floor boards in cells at random. When we discovered the empty space which lay under these floor boards, the escape plans began to evolve. How did you escape? The original plan was to dig down underneath the foundations and tunnel all the way to the perimeter wall, but as time went by, adverse weather conditions were a threat to this plan. It was now decided to bring the tunnel up in the middle of the yard. Seven of us successfully escaped through this tunnel and scaled a 20 feet wall by means of a rope ladder. How many other people did you escape with? I escaped with six other people. Another four of my comrades were apprehended in the yard by an armed Free State soldier. Describe the events of the escape. The escape was originally planned for Saturday night the 28th. of October 1972 but had to be abandoned at the last minute because of the untimely arrival of a sentry on the wall. A meeting was called the next morning by our O.C. and it was agreed that too much effort had been put into the escape so we decided to escape after 4 o'clock tea that evening regardless of the consequences. Describe what happened after the escape The seven of us split up into two groups after our successful scaling of the wall. My two comrades and I travelled on foot from dusk that night until dawn the next morning when we took cover during daybreak in a haybarn approximately thirty miles from the Curragh. We set off again that evening. We made contact with a sympathiser and we stayed in his house for two weeks. We were then contacted by an O.C. and we were all sent to different counties where we took up active service on the run. How was life on the run? Life on the run was tough. You were on active service and always on alert for your own safety and security. Two of my fellow escapees have been killed on active service since. At several times over the years I would be tipped off at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning that raids by security forces were imminent. I always managed to escape and was never apprehended on the run. However many years later I was subsequently arrested under 'The Prevention of Terrorism Act' in Liverpool and I was sent back to Ireland. Do you have any regrets? No. I knew at the time of joining that at all times I would remain loyal and committed to the movement as my aim was to see complete disengagement of British forces from this island. In terms of the current political situation, what do you think will be the outcome? As far as I am concerned the only language the British understands is that coming from the barrel of a gun. However I am open to persuasion that a united Ireland can be achieved by peaceful means. Do you think a United Ireland is still achievable? Yes. As long as the Republican Movement has Volunteers willing to fight, the goal of a united Ireland will always remain achievable. >From RM_Distribution an Irish Republican news and information service. http://irlnet.com/rmlist/ ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-10.28.97-13:33:33-31819