Conghaileach
27th September 2003, 17:23
The Plough
- E-mail newsletter of the Irish Republican Socialist Party -
Number 7
Date: 26th September 2003
1. IRSP Mourn The Death of Edward Said
2. Loyalist watch
3. Sunday World
4. Aids Information
5. The Sovereignty of Cuba
6. The Ireland-Information Group in Sweden.
7. IRSP Belfast Meeting
8. Anti War News
9. Jailing of Bin Tax campaigners
10. More trouble for Fianna Fail.
11. What's On
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IRSP Mourn the Death of Edward Said
It was with great sadness that the Irish Republican Socialist Party heard
of the death of Edward Said, professor, author, and tireless champion of
the Palestinian Intifada.
Edward Said made significant contributions to a number of fields of
intellectual inquiry, but reached beyond the world of academia in a manner,
which few accomplish. Edward Said helped transform the social sciences,
especially those focused on the Arab world, but he was also an activist who
ceaselessly championed the cause of justice and tirelessly sought to bring
clarity and truth regarding the struggle of the Palestinian people and the
Arab nation to the world.
Edward Said was among the most effective voices for bringing to light the
reality of the Palestinian cause in the West through his newspaper columns,
scholarly essays, books, and interviews. Said made errors in his time, as
all men do, but his works were important for helping to humanise the
reality of the Palestinian struggle and for adding the credibility that is
bestowed by the work of a genuine scholars. His voice and intellect will be
missed.
Peter Urban
Irish Republican Socialist Party
International Department Co-Secretary
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Loyalist Watch. Sectarian Watch
Saturday 20th. Kieran Conlon while leaving Ballyskeagh greyhound track was
viciously assaulted by a loyalist gang from the nearby Seymour Hill estate.
An iron bar was used in the attack and when Kieran was on the ground a
bottle was smashed on him. The owner of the track said he had no plans to
increase security at the track and denied there was sectarian motive.
Four Catholic families were petrol bombed in Newtownabbey. One family who
had a 10-day-old baby were unaware their front door was on fire until a
local girl warned the family. The attacks are linked to the attacks on
nearby Carnmoney cemetery.
Sunday 21st An 18 year old Catholic was beaten in a sectarian attack as he
walked along the Albertbridge Road in East Belfast. Five men were involved
in the attack. The young man was hospitalised.
A suspected pipe bomb was left in the Mc Clure street area of the lower
Ormeau Road, a predominantly nationalist and catholic area. The hoax bomb
was left by loyalists from the Donegall Pass area. Clashes had occurred
previously between youths from both areas as golf balls ball bearings and
paint had been thrown.
Tuesday23rd. A hoax bomb warning from the Catholic Reaction Force disrupted
two state schools in Larne. State schools in the North are predominantly
protestant and the hoax was believed to be in retaliation for a similar
hoax on Catholic schools in Larne five days before.
Wednesday 24th. It emerged that the Red Hand Commandos had played a leading
role in the protests and riots against the Catholic prayer service in
Carnmoney Cemetery. The RHC is a loyalist terror organisation under the
direct control of the UVF and closely linked to the Progressive Unionist
Party¹ leadership of Billy Hutchinson and David Ervine. Hutchinson had to
go to the RHC and let them know in no uncertain terms that their activities
were embarrassing the loyalist organisations. In an effort to minimise the
damage he spun the story that the actions did not have Œofficial sanctions¹
Thursday 25th Rival groups of youths clashed in sectarian trouble in the
Donegall Pass /McClure street. This is generally known as Œrecreational
rioting² that has the potential to escalate into serious sectarianism. On
the ground local republicans have been trying to defuse the situation.
A pipe bomb device was left at the gates of The Dominican College, a
Catholic grammar school in North Belfast. This was the second such incident
within a week.
Friday 26th.
2 school buses carrying pupils from the Girls Model school , a state school
wwere stoned and a number of girls taken to hospital with head wounds and
shock. Sectarian clashes then took place on the Crumlin road
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Sunday World
On Sunday 21st of September the Northern Edition of the SW carried a
ghoulish front page picture of the body of Billy Wright, loyalist murderer
after he was killed by the INLA. Inside there followed nine more pages all
about the killing of Wright. The story was presented as a world exclusive.
However nothing that was in the paper was new. The whole story was a
rehash of everything that has been written before including the fact that
Wright had traces of cannabis in his bloodstream. This fact was released by
the IRSP a good few years ago. The tabloid journalists in the SW must have
nothing better to do than to run through the back copies of their paper and
rehash old stories If they were serious investigative journalists they
would be uncovering the corrupt practices associated with planning
applications, landlords and building companies. But maybe that¹s not sexy
enough for the SW. The Œjournalists¹ involved in the SW articles on the
Wright killing were Richard Sullivan, Steven Moore and editor of the SW Jim
McDowell. Relatives of Billy Wright protested to the Sunday World about the
publication of the picture of the dead body.
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Aids Information
A major international conference on AIDS opened in Nairobi, Kenya. There
are currently 42 million HIV positive people worldwide. More than three
quarter of them (29.4 million) is in Africa. In Africa, AIDS infects one
adult out of eleven, and 15 million have already died. Fourteen million
children have lost one of their parents because of the disease, and this
will grow to 25 million by 2010. The scandal is that only one percent of
HIV positive people in Africa have access to some form of health care! In
Asia, the situation is not better, only five percent have access to
treatment. Stephen Lewis, the special envoy of the Secretary General of the
UN has pointed that while it has not been a problem for the US government
to find the necessary 40 billion dollars to fight their so-called ³war on
terror² in Iraq, Western governments are reluctant to invest the 10.5
billion dollars necessary for proper preventive health care and medical
treatment. (Le Monde, 22 September 2003) Things are made even more
difficult for African governments as the International Monetary Fund and
the World Bank are pressurising them to introduce further ³structural
reforms² to repay their debts, resulting in massive cuts in desperately
needed health care. It is time that we once again pressurise our
governments to cancel the debts of those poor countries and invest in human
development rather than imperial wars.
Liam O Ruairc
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The Sovereignty of Cuba
The stance by Vaclav Havel, Arpad Goncz and Lech Walesa (18/09/03) on Cuba
and the recent sentencing of 75 mercenaries is astonishing in its ignorance
and arrogance. Are we really to believe that if when they were presidents
in their respective countries of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland,
and the most senior diplomat of a major foreign nation had openly organised
and funded groups of citizens to overthrow their governments, that they
would have stood back and done nothing. Those they refer to as "dissidents"
were proven to be working to destabilise and overthrow the Cuban government
by illegal means. The trials had absolutely nothing to do with human rights
but everything to do with the protection of Cuba's national sovereignty
against external interference. These mercenaries were not imprisoned on the
basis of "mock trials", but as a result of clear evidence being produced
through internationally accepted legal channels. This evidence proved that
they were working with the chief US diplomat in Cuba, James Cason, with the
clear aim of destroying the Cuban Revolution.
The crime these mercenaries committed was not to criticise a so-called
dictatorial regime, but to conspire with a foreign government to overthrow
a democratically elected and populist state. To suggest otherwise is an
utter distortion of fact and a perversion of the term human rights. Such is
'democracy' in the eyes of Havel, Goncz and Walesa.
Cuba has suffered intensely at the hands of the US for over 40 years. As a
small country, which has managed against all the odds to pursue an
alternative socialist path of development, Cuba should be fully supported
by all those who oppose the increasing and aggressive US imperialist
domination of the world.
(The author is the Belfast Co-ordinator of Cuba Support Group * Ireland and
this article was taken from "The Blanket" an excellent on line magazine
which can be viewed at
http://lark.phoblact.net)
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The Ireland-Information Group in Sweden.
Comrades,
Our group will hold its first National Conference this autumn, on the 8/11
and it would be very appreciated if you would send us a message of
solidarity and comradeship to this conference.
Our group has developed from the remains of the Ireland Solidarity Group,
which was dissolved after the truce and the negotiations leading up to the
GFA, that group had some roots from an even earlier North of Ireland Group
formed in the late sixties.
We remain in support of the continuing struggle for Irish Freedom and the
Republic of Tone, Pearse and Connolly. We are not at present confining our
support to any special group or organization in Ireland, more to the
freedom struggle against the British occupation.
We have members and supporters in our main four cities and are steadily if
not fast, expanding. The leading comrades have been active in Irish
Solidarity for many years. Our conference is for creating a more regular
activity and a base for our work.
Our national conference will be held on Saturday the 8/11- 03 in Stockholm.
Messages of support are welcome
Our address is:
Ireland Information group
Box 201 31
S- 104 60 Stockholm
Sweden
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IRSP Belfast Meeting
A very successful meeting of IRSP activists was held in the City on Tuesday
Night. Forty comrades gathered to hear Ard Comhairle member Pol Little
speak on the current political situation, the failures of the Good Friday
Agreement the coming elections and the current problems relating to
community policing, restorative justice and young people. Gerry Ruddy gave
a quick review of the roots of Republican Socialism and the relevance of it
to the issues facing working class people. A lively discussion followed
with comrades making constructive suggestions on Party work and on the
necessity to broaden the base of the Party. A follow up meeting is being
arranged for October. If you wish to attend please contact
[email protected]
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Anti-War News
International Day of Action Dublin/Belfast Saturday 27TH
September march against the War
Press Release for Rally and March International Day of Action against the
occupation of Iraq. Saturday 27th September 2pm Art College
The Belfast Anti-War Movement is holding a Rally and March against the
occupation of Iraq by US and UK forces. Ann Fitzpatrick one of the
organizers of the rally said,
It is clear from the information being presented at the Hutton Inquiry that
the government lied to the people about the need to go to war. There were
no weapons of mass destruction, they knew that, but they went to war anyway.
“When two million people marched in London and thousands marched in Belfast
we knew that the government had no case for war she continued. “The
situation a few months on looks very bleak indeed. The troops should be
withdrawn, and the Iraqi people should be given control over their own
country. The Belfast Anti-War Movement would also back up the major trade
union figures that have called for Tony Blair’s resignation.
Ann went on to say ³the occupation, far from bringing peace and stability,
has turned into a nightmare for ordinary Iraqi's. Every day between 15 and
25 Iraqi civilians are killed. Some journalists are suggesting that as many
as one thousand Iraqi’s die every weak. No one is safe. A TV cameraman was
shot because US troops were unable to distinguish between a camera and a
rocket launcher from 50 metres away. A family was gunned down because they
misunderstood a command at a checkpoint,² she continued. She said,
³Demonstrations occur daily because the infrastructure has not been rebuilt
and hundreds of thousands of children are without water or electricity.²
She suggested, ³The effect of the occupation can be felt at home. Blair’s
lies to take us to war have meant that we are now in the situation of
having an occupation to maintain. This is costing billions of pounds, while
services and jobs are being cut and water charges are being introduced. The
millions around the world who marched against the war on February fifteenth
have been proven right that the war was unjust, unjustified and illegal. .
We are organizing a rally and march along with other anti-war movements
around the world. We were involved in a struggle to stop the war, now we
are involved in a struggle to end an occupation²
Please contact Anne Fitzpatrick for more information - 0774 0683767
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Sep 27 national demonstrations in Dublin and Belfast
Sep 28 AGM -- conference begins at 11am in the Teachers' Club.
Pre-conference report below.
Pre-conference Report from the Irish Anti-War Movement Steering Committee
The Irish Anti-War Movement came into existence soon after the launch of
George Bush¹s war on terror’ when about 400-500 meeting attended a meeting
in Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin to hear Denis Halliday, former UN co-ordinator in
Iraq, condemn the new drive to war. The campaign was formalised when nearly
80 activists came together the following week to elect a Steering Committee
and decide on the overall platform of the campaign.
We brought together activists from around the country and from many
different organisations to campaign against the war on Afghanistan and the
use of Irish facilities in that war.
Many members of the IAWM went to the European Social Forum in Florence last
year to link up with others across Europe who opposed the new colonialism.
It would be difficult to underestimate the significance of that event for
it was there that the call for the international mobilisation against war
on February 15th took place. Supporters of the IAWM returned home with a
mission to organise 10,000 on the streets for that day.
Before then, we had conducted a number of protests at Shannon Airport and
in Dublin city centre to highlight the use of the airport by the US war
machine.
Our protest, plus significantly the actions of Mary Kelly and the Catholic
Worker Movement, and the observations by Tim Hourigan and others at
Shannon, tore apart the government’s strategy of keeping the use of Shannon
a secret. They had managed to run this covert operation in the last Gulf
war but were not successful this time, because of both the bravery of
individuals and the growing anti-war movement.
February 15th surpassed all expectations with over 150,000 marching in
Dublin and 20,000 marching in Belfast. They key to the success was the
development of a successful united front. The Steering Committee made a
conscious effort to involve broad forces such as the Labour Party, SIPTU
and representatives of religious organisations.
Our strategy was to use this broad mobilisation to promote a policy of mass
civil disobedience. This was carried on a number of occasions with pickets
and sit-downs outside the clinics of TDs. The most significant action was a
thousand strong blockade of TDs' in Dail Eireann for two hours.
However the scale of the civil disobedience was not sufficiently strong to
break the will of this government to support the US and Britain. The
campaigns nominated Day X as the key date for mass civil disobedience
starting with a 10-minute stoppage and where possible street blockades.
We estimate that approximately 20,000 people took part in actions on that
day. However, the social composition revealed a key weakness. The biggest
groups of supporters came from school students, many of whom faced
disciplinary action from their school authorities for their protest. Manual
workers who might have brought the country to a stop were significantly
absent.
None of this, however, should feed into any cynicism about the prospects
and possibilities for people power’. The anti-war movement may not have
stopped this dreadful war, and we have not yet forced a radical overhaul of
the government’s foreign policy – but we have won the hearts of thousands
to an anti-war position. We have galvanised and politicised people in a way
that few social movements have done. This is a considerable base from which
to build for the tasks ahead.
The government is currently considering sending Irish troops to bolster the
US occupation if that occupation is given UN cover. It has refused to
condemn an illegal war and a colonial occupation, ignoring a wide array of
international law. It continues to permit the passage of weapons of mass
destruction (such as Mark 77 firebombs, equivalent to napalm) through our
airports and over our airspace. And it continues to persecute peace
activists through the courts over their civil disobedience at Shannon.
The current Steering Committee has identified four key tasks that we need
to address for the future
1. Joining the global anti-war movement in resisting the occupation. This
report is written before September 27th – but we believe that sufficient
groundwork has been done to make it a success. The IAWM must continue its
enthusiastic participation in the global movement. Internationalism has
been the key to our success - and we need to keep that up.
For this reason, we should make a major effort to get as many supporters as
possible over to the European Social Forum and to follow up its decisions
for action.
2. We need to highlight the issue of Shannon. The strategy of this
government is to keep quite and give full backing to the US. They blackmail
the Irish people with fears of losing US investment - knowing full well
there was no huge of flight of US companies from countries like France.
To highlight the cover up and lies of this government we need: a) to
organise a return March on Shannon in October
b) To distribute the movement¹s pamphlet written by Colin Coulter and
Kieran Allen
c) To produce more information posters and literature on the subject.
3. We need to mount an active defence of those who took direct action
against the war machine. We recognise that the defendants will conduct
their own case and campaign as they see fit. However, we should seek to
generate the maximum of solidarity, by fundraising, distributing literature
and highlighting their cases in the media.
4. We need to mount a major information campaign to highlight the
possibility that Irish troops may be sent to Iraq. We believe that the
government is contemplating this course of action - but is hesitant because
of the extent of public opposition. We need to stiffen up that opposition
and to somehow reach out to Irish soldiers to explain what they could be
facing if the government gets its way.
5. To do all this, we need to consolidate the Irish Anti-War Movement as a
serious organisation with a national identity and a growing paid-up
membership. All too often over the past year, our activities have been
limited by lack of funds and lack of organisation. Over the next few
months, we must become a more professional organisation which has the
resources needed to mount a concerted campaign aimed at ending the
government’s support for war and the US military occupation of Shannon.
Aoife Ní Fhearghail
Secretary Irish Anti-War Movement 087 7955013
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Jailing of Bin Tax campaigners
The jailing of Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins and Cllr Clare Daly for one
month for their refusal to cease campaigning against the bin tax in Dublin
is an attack on working class peoples¹ rights to protest against injustice.
Both Joe and Clare were elected to the Dail and Fingal County Council
respectively with a mandate to oppose the introduction of bin charges and
to represent the thousands of families who are opposed to bin charges. Bin
Charges are a form of double taxation. Service charges were introduced
first in 1983 by Alan Dukes and Dick Spring and were and are opposed by
PAYE workers. More than 80% of all income tax is collected from the working
class under the PAYE system. At the same time Dukes then Minister of
Finance introduced legislation to jail tax evaders. Unfortunately no tax
evaders have been jailed. Instead since 1983 there were 3 separate
amnesties offered and availed of.
Services charges whether for bins water or whatever, are really a way of
preparing the way for the privatising of council services to provide profit
for the private sector.
The Government and the Councils try to portray the tax as an
environmentally friendly measure based on the principle that "the polluter
pays". However, the point is that the polluter manifestly does not pay in
the southern State. A couple of years ago total national waste came to 80
million tonnes. Of this, a mere 1.2 million tonnes was accounted for by
household waste. Most of the rest was accounted for by big business and
agriculture. Yet ordinary householders were hit with service charges and
big business was rewarded with the lowest corporate tax rates in
Europe. Also no owner or operator of an illegal dump has been arrested and
jailed. All around Ireland illegal dumping has taken place and members of
the Gardai have been implicated in the practice of illegal dumping. You can
be sure none of the dumpers nor the owners of the land who allowed the
dumping will go to jail.
A proper waste management policy has to be implemented that will include
the collection of all bins adequate recycling facilities nation wide taxes
on producers to reduce wasteful packaging. We believe that like education
and health care the collection of everybody¹s waste is necessary for the
health not only of the individual but for the greater good. Accordingly a
progressive tax should be levied so that those who earn more pay more
The jailing of Joe Higgins and Clare Daly for fighting for the rights of
the working class is at the same time that millionaire tax dodgers have
been found to have cheated the taxman of a small fortune by hiding money in
offshore Ansbacher bank accounts. Not a single Ansbacher Man has seen the
inside of a prison cell. That¹s Ireland today
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More trouble for Fianna Fail.
On a day when opinion polls showed a fall in support for Fianna Fail and a
drop in the popularity of Bertie Ahearn, two Fianna Fail Td¹s were in
trouble, one for drunken driving and another for tax avoidance. The
arrogance of those in power who think they can flaunt the law while genuine
defenders of the interests of the working class like Joe Higgins and Clare
Daly languish in jail. Meanwhile the lickspittle leader of the Labour
Party, former Workers Party member, Pat Rabbitte tried to carpet Labour TD
Tommy Broughan who has admitted he does not pay his bin tax. Remember
Rabbitte was a member of the Workers Party when its military wing was
carrying out robberies and operating control of a large number of building
sites. There was silence then at illegal activities but now Rabbitte
reminds Broughan that Labour ³did not advocate now or in the past the non
payment of legitimately imposed state charges.²
The IRSP salutes Tony Gregory, Finian McGrath, Sean Crowe and John Gormley
for expressing solidarity with the jailed protesters by visiting them.
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What's On
The Annual Seamus Costello Anniversary Commemoration will take place on
Sunday 5th of October, Assembly Point Old Town Hall Little Bray. March and
Rally with Band and Colour Party. Main Speaker will be Ex Political
Prisoner and Blanket man, IRSP Ard Comhairle Member, Paul Little.
Seamus Costello Remembered
26th Anniversary Commemoration
Organized By the IRSP Commemoration Committee. Contact and Transport
Details, Contact Daithi on 0877570109 or [email protected] All Welcome.
"I Owe My allegiance to the Working Class" Seamus Costello
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Subject: Talk on Guyana
GUYANA: COMMENTS ON A DIVIDED SOCIETY
Speaker: Michael Mahadeo
Venue: One World Centre (4 Lower Crescent, Belfast - off Botanic Avenue)
Date: Wednesday, 8 October 2003
Time: 7.30pm
Everyone Welcome....................................Stephen
McCloskey-Co-ordinator-One World Centre for Northern Ireland-4 Lower
Crescents-Belfast-BT7 1NR 028 9024 1879
http://www.owcni.org.uk
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GEORGE MONBIOT
George Monbiot, a regular feature writer in The Guardian, is the author of
Captive State and The Age of Consent. The One World Centre, The New Ireland
Group and The de Borda Institute have organised the following events:
1 GEORGE MONBIOT The 2nd One World Centre annual lecture, 12 noon to 2
p.m., Thursday 9th October, Room G07, Peter Frogatt Building, Queen¹s
University. Everyone welcome.
Further information available from The One World Centre, 4 Lower Crescent,
Belfast BT7 1NR, Tel 90241879, e-mail [email protected]
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2 GEORGE MONBIOT ³Unionism, Nationalism or Globalisation?² 7.30 for
7.45 p.m. on Thursday 9th October, in The Elmwood Hall, Belfast Tickets £5
(concessions £2.50), includes a free glass of organic wine from the Belfast
Food Co-op.
Tickets and further information available from either The New Ireland
Group, 7 Slievedarragh Park, Belfast BT14 8J
[email protected] or The de Borda Institute, 36 Ballysillan
Road, Belfast BT14 7QQ [email protected]
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Amnesty International Annual Lecture 2003
Xanana Gusmão,
President of East Timor
Peace, justice and reconciliation
Queen's University Belfast, G06 -Thursday 16th October, 7pm
-All welcome -Admission free but by ticket only
Supported by QUB Human Rights Centre
To book tickets, tel 028 9064 3000 / email: [email protected]
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Bobby Sands memorial lecture, Teachers Club, Dublin.
October 21st 8pm.
Speaker: Seán Ó Brádaigh. Lecture is about the lives of Robert Emmet and
Thomas Russell.
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Sunday 26th October 2pm
A talk on Robert Emmett by Ruan O'Donnell.
Ruan is the author of a new biography on Robert Emmett, to be published
this autumn. This event will take place in the Library Annexe and is free.
Working Class Movement Library, 51 The Crescent, Salford, U.K. M5 4WX
0161 736 3601
www.wcml.org.uk/
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James Byrne Commemoration Committee
1st November 2003-09-11 Monument Unveiling & 90th Anniversary Commemoration
Assemble 2pm Main Entrance Deansgrange Cemetery, Deansgrange, Co. Dublin,
Ireland. The newly-commissioned monument over the grave of Trade Union
Martyr, James Byrne, District Organiser, ITG&WU, who died on 1st November
1913 following a hunger & thirst strike during the Great Lock-Out 1913 will
be unveiled by Des Geraghty, President, SIPTU. All trade unionists,
political activists and members of the Public welcome!
[No Party Political Banners, please!]
The James Byrne Commemoration Committee has organised the erection of a
fitting memorial over the grave in Deansgrange Cemetery [Co. Dublin,
Ireland] of James Byrne, a trade union martyr who died on 1st November 1913
as a result of the effects of a hunger and thirst strike during
imprisonment for his role in the Great Lock-Out of that year. James was
District Organiser of the Irish Transport & General Workers Union and held
leadership roles in both Bray and Kingstown [Dún Laoghaire] Trades Councils.
In the course of James Byrne¹s funeral oration James Connolly said:
²James Byrne truly died a martyr as any man who ever died for Ireland²
The Committee believes that the monument is a fitting tribute to James
Byrne and hopes that his grave may become a place of pilgrimage and source
of inspiration for trade unionists and socialists in the future. We are
particularly pleased that the descendants of James Byrne are fully
supportive of the work of the >Committee.
Jason Mc Lean. PRO- James Byrne Commemoration Committee.
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European Social Forum Paris, St Denis 12-15 November
__________________________________________
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- E-mail newsletter of the Irish Republican Socialist Party -
Number 7
Date: 26th September 2003
1. IRSP Mourn The Death of Edward Said
2. Loyalist watch
3. Sunday World
4. Aids Information
5. The Sovereignty of Cuba
6. The Ireland-Information Group in Sweden.
7. IRSP Belfast Meeting
8. Anti War News
9. Jailing of Bin Tax campaigners
10. More trouble for Fianna Fail.
11. What's On
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IRSP Mourn the Death of Edward Said
It was with great sadness that the Irish Republican Socialist Party heard
of the death of Edward Said, professor, author, and tireless champion of
the Palestinian Intifada.
Edward Said made significant contributions to a number of fields of
intellectual inquiry, but reached beyond the world of academia in a manner,
which few accomplish. Edward Said helped transform the social sciences,
especially those focused on the Arab world, but he was also an activist who
ceaselessly championed the cause of justice and tirelessly sought to bring
clarity and truth regarding the struggle of the Palestinian people and the
Arab nation to the world.
Edward Said was among the most effective voices for bringing to light the
reality of the Palestinian cause in the West through his newspaper columns,
scholarly essays, books, and interviews. Said made errors in his time, as
all men do, but his works were important for helping to humanise the
reality of the Palestinian struggle and for adding the credibility that is
bestowed by the work of a genuine scholars. His voice and intellect will be
missed.
Peter Urban
Irish Republican Socialist Party
International Department Co-Secretary
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Loyalist Watch. Sectarian Watch
Saturday 20th. Kieran Conlon while leaving Ballyskeagh greyhound track was
viciously assaulted by a loyalist gang from the nearby Seymour Hill estate.
An iron bar was used in the attack and when Kieran was on the ground a
bottle was smashed on him. The owner of the track said he had no plans to
increase security at the track and denied there was sectarian motive.
Four Catholic families were petrol bombed in Newtownabbey. One family who
had a 10-day-old baby were unaware their front door was on fire until a
local girl warned the family. The attacks are linked to the attacks on
nearby Carnmoney cemetery.
Sunday 21st An 18 year old Catholic was beaten in a sectarian attack as he
walked along the Albertbridge Road in East Belfast. Five men were involved
in the attack. The young man was hospitalised.
A suspected pipe bomb was left in the Mc Clure street area of the lower
Ormeau Road, a predominantly nationalist and catholic area. The hoax bomb
was left by loyalists from the Donegall Pass area. Clashes had occurred
previously between youths from both areas as golf balls ball bearings and
paint had been thrown.
Tuesday23rd. A hoax bomb warning from the Catholic Reaction Force disrupted
two state schools in Larne. State schools in the North are predominantly
protestant and the hoax was believed to be in retaliation for a similar
hoax on Catholic schools in Larne five days before.
Wednesday 24th. It emerged that the Red Hand Commandos had played a leading
role in the protests and riots against the Catholic prayer service in
Carnmoney Cemetery. The RHC is a loyalist terror organisation under the
direct control of the UVF and closely linked to the Progressive Unionist
Party¹ leadership of Billy Hutchinson and David Ervine. Hutchinson had to
go to the RHC and let them know in no uncertain terms that their activities
were embarrassing the loyalist organisations. In an effort to minimise the
damage he spun the story that the actions did not have Œofficial sanctions¹
Thursday 25th Rival groups of youths clashed in sectarian trouble in the
Donegall Pass /McClure street. This is generally known as Œrecreational
rioting² that has the potential to escalate into serious sectarianism. On
the ground local republicans have been trying to defuse the situation.
A pipe bomb device was left at the gates of The Dominican College, a
Catholic grammar school in North Belfast. This was the second such incident
within a week.
Friday 26th.
2 school buses carrying pupils from the Girls Model school , a state school
wwere stoned and a number of girls taken to hospital with head wounds and
shock. Sectarian clashes then took place on the Crumlin road
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Sunday World
On Sunday 21st of September the Northern Edition of the SW carried a
ghoulish front page picture of the body of Billy Wright, loyalist murderer
after he was killed by the INLA. Inside there followed nine more pages all
about the killing of Wright. The story was presented as a world exclusive.
However nothing that was in the paper was new. The whole story was a
rehash of everything that has been written before including the fact that
Wright had traces of cannabis in his bloodstream. This fact was released by
the IRSP a good few years ago. The tabloid journalists in the SW must have
nothing better to do than to run through the back copies of their paper and
rehash old stories If they were serious investigative journalists they
would be uncovering the corrupt practices associated with planning
applications, landlords and building companies. But maybe that¹s not sexy
enough for the SW. The Œjournalists¹ involved in the SW articles on the
Wright killing were Richard Sullivan, Steven Moore and editor of the SW Jim
McDowell. Relatives of Billy Wright protested to the Sunday World about the
publication of the picture of the dead body.
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Aids Information
A major international conference on AIDS opened in Nairobi, Kenya. There
are currently 42 million HIV positive people worldwide. More than three
quarter of them (29.4 million) is in Africa. In Africa, AIDS infects one
adult out of eleven, and 15 million have already died. Fourteen million
children have lost one of their parents because of the disease, and this
will grow to 25 million by 2010. The scandal is that only one percent of
HIV positive people in Africa have access to some form of health care! In
Asia, the situation is not better, only five percent have access to
treatment. Stephen Lewis, the special envoy of the Secretary General of the
UN has pointed that while it has not been a problem for the US government
to find the necessary 40 billion dollars to fight their so-called ³war on
terror² in Iraq, Western governments are reluctant to invest the 10.5
billion dollars necessary for proper preventive health care and medical
treatment. (Le Monde, 22 September 2003) Things are made even more
difficult for African governments as the International Monetary Fund and
the World Bank are pressurising them to introduce further ³structural
reforms² to repay their debts, resulting in massive cuts in desperately
needed health care. It is time that we once again pressurise our
governments to cancel the debts of those poor countries and invest in human
development rather than imperial wars.
Liam O Ruairc
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The Sovereignty of Cuba
The stance by Vaclav Havel, Arpad Goncz and Lech Walesa (18/09/03) on Cuba
and the recent sentencing of 75 mercenaries is astonishing in its ignorance
and arrogance. Are we really to believe that if when they were presidents
in their respective countries of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland,
and the most senior diplomat of a major foreign nation had openly organised
and funded groups of citizens to overthrow their governments, that they
would have stood back and done nothing. Those they refer to as "dissidents"
were proven to be working to destabilise and overthrow the Cuban government
by illegal means. The trials had absolutely nothing to do with human rights
but everything to do with the protection of Cuba's national sovereignty
against external interference. These mercenaries were not imprisoned on the
basis of "mock trials", but as a result of clear evidence being produced
through internationally accepted legal channels. This evidence proved that
they were working with the chief US diplomat in Cuba, James Cason, with the
clear aim of destroying the Cuban Revolution.
The crime these mercenaries committed was not to criticise a so-called
dictatorial regime, but to conspire with a foreign government to overthrow
a democratically elected and populist state. To suggest otherwise is an
utter distortion of fact and a perversion of the term human rights. Such is
'democracy' in the eyes of Havel, Goncz and Walesa.
Cuba has suffered intensely at the hands of the US for over 40 years. As a
small country, which has managed against all the odds to pursue an
alternative socialist path of development, Cuba should be fully supported
by all those who oppose the increasing and aggressive US imperialist
domination of the world.
(The author is the Belfast Co-ordinator of Cuba Support Group * Ireland and
this article was taken from "The Blanket" an excellent on line magazine
which can be viewed at
http://lark.phoblact.net)
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The Ireland-Information Group in Sweden.
Comrades,
Our group will hold its first National Conference this autumn, on the 8/11
and it would be very appreciated if you would send us a message of
solidarity and comradeship to this conference.
Our group has developed from the remains of the Ireland Solidarity Group,
which was dissolved after the truce and the negotiations leading up to the
GFA, that group had some roots from an even earlier North of Ireland Group
formed in the late sixties.
We remain in support of the continuing struggle for Irish Freedom and the
Republic of Tone, Pearse and Connolly. We are not at present confining our
support to any special group or organization in Ireland, more to the
freedom struggle against the British occupation.
We have members and supporters in our main four cities and are steadily if
not fast, expanding. The leading comrades have been active in Irish
Solidarity for many years. Our conference is for creating a more regular
activity and a base for our work.
Our national conference will be held on Saturday the 8/11- 03 in Stockholm.
Messages of support are welcome
Our address is:
Ireland Information group
Box 201 31
S- 104 60 Stockholm
Sweden
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IRSP Belfast Meeting
A very successful meeting of IRSP activists was held in the City on Tuesday
Night. Forty comrades gathered to hear Ard Comhairle member Pol Little
speak on the current political situation, the failures of the Good Friday
Agreement the coming elections and the current problems relating to
community policing, restorative justice and young people. Gerry Ruddy gave
a quick review of the roots of Republican Socialism and the relevance of it
to the issues facing working class people. A lively discussion followed
with comrades making constructive suggestions on Party work and on the
necessity to broaden the base of the Party. A follow up meeting is being
arranged for October. If you wish to attend please contact
[email protected]
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Anti-War News
International Day of Action Dublin/Belfast Saturday 27TH
September march against the War
Press Release for Rally and March International Day of Action against the
occupation of Iraq. Saturday 27th September 2pm Art College
The Belfast Anti-War Movement is holding a Rally and March against the
occupation of Iraq by US and UK forces. Ann Fitzpatrick one of the
organizers of the rally said,
It is clear from the information being presented at the Hutton Inquiry that
the government lied to the people about the need to go to war. There were
no weapons of mass destruction, they knew that, but they went to war anyway.
“When two million people marched in London and thousands marched in Belfast
we knew that the government had no case for war she continued. “The
situation a few months on looks very bleak indeed. The troops should be
withdrawn, and the Iraqi people should be given control over their own
country. The Belfast Anti-War Movement would also back up the major trade
union figures that have called for Tony Blair’s resignation.
Ann went on to say ³the occupation, far from bringing peace and stability,
has turned into a nightmare for ordinary Iraqi's. Every day between 15 and
25 Iraqi civilians are killed. Some journalists are suggesting that as many
as one thousand Iraqi’s die every weak. No one is safe. A TV cameraman was
shot because US troops were unable to distinguish between a camera and a
rocket launcher from 50 metres away. A family was gunned down because they
misunderstood a command at a checkpoint,² she continued. She said,
³Demonstrations occur daily because the infrastructure has not been rebuilt
and hundreds of thousands of children are without water or electricity.²
She suggested, ³The effect of the occupation can be felt at home. Blair’s
lies to take us to war have meant that we are now in the situation of
having an occupation to maintain. This is costing billions of pounds, while
services and jobs are being cut and water charges are being introduced. The
millions around the world who marched against the war on February fifteenth
have been proven right that the war was unjust, unjustified and illegal. .
We are organizing a rally and march along with other anti-war movements
around the world. We were involved in a struggle to stop the war, now we
are involved in a struggle to end an occupation²
Please contact Anne Fitzpatrick for more information - 0774 0683767
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sep 27 national demonstrations in Dublin and Belfast
Sep 28 AGM -- conference begins at 11am in the Teachers' Club.
Pre-conference report below.
Pre-conference Report from the Irish Anti-War Movement Steering Committee
The Irish Anti-War Movement came into existence soon after the launch of
George Bush¹s war on terror’ when about 400-500 meeting attended a meeting
in Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin to hear Denis Halliday, former UN co-ordinator in
Iraq, condemn the new drive to war. The campaign was formalised when nearly
80 activists came together the following week to elect a Steering Committee
and decide on the overall platform of the campaign.
We brought together activists from around the country and from many
different organisations to campaign against the war on Afghanistan and the
use of Irish facilities in that war.
Many members of the IAWM went to the European Social Forum in Florence last
year to link up with others across Europe who opposed the new colonialism.
It would be difficult to underestimate the significance of that event for
it was there that the call for the international mobilisation against war
on February 15th took place. Supporters of the IAWM returned home with a
mission to organise 10,000 on the streets for that day.
Before then, we had conducted a number of protests at Shannon Airport and
in Dublin city centre to highlight the use of the airport by the US war
machine.
Our protest, plus significantly the actions of Mary Kelly and the Catholic
Worker Movement, and the observations by Tim Hourigan and others at
Shannon, tore apart the government’s strategy of keeping the use of Shannon
a secret. They had managed to run this covert operation in the last Gulf
war but were not successful this time, because of both the bravery of
individuals and the growing anti-war movement.
February 15th surpassed all expectations with over 150,000 marching in
Dublin and 20,000 marching in Belfast. They key to the success was the
development of a successful united front. The Steering Committee made a
conscious effort to involve broad forces such as the Labour Party, SIPTU
and representatives of religious organisations.
Our strategy was to use this broad mobilisation to promote a policy of mass
civil disobedience. This was carried on a number of occasions with pickets
and sit-downs outside the clinics of TDs. The most significant action was a
thousand strong blockade of TDs' in Dail Eireann for two hours.
However the scale of the civil disobedience was not sufficiently strong to
break the will of this government to support the US and Britain. The
campaigns nominated Day X as the key date for mass civil disobedience
starting with a 10-minute stoppage and where possible street blockades.
We estimate that approximately 20,000 people took part in actions on that
day. However, the social composition revealed a key weakness. The biggest
groups of supporters came from school students, many of whom faced
disciplinary action from their school authorities for their protest. Manual
workers who might have brought the country to a stop were significantly
absent.
None of this, however, should feed into any cynicism about the prospects
and possibilities for people power’. The anti-war movement may not have
stopped this dreadful war, and we have not yet forced a radical overhaul of
the government’s foreign policy – but we have won the hearts of thousands
to an anti-war position. We have galvanised and politicised people in a way
that few social movements have done. This is a considerable base from which
to build for the tasks ahead.
The government is currently considering sending Irish troops to bolster the
US occupation if that occupation is given UN cover. It has refused to
condemn an illegal war and a colonial occupation, ignoring a wide array of
international law. It continues to permit the passage of weapons of mass
destruction (such as Mark 77 firebombs, equivalent to napalm) through our
airports and over our airspace. And it continues to persecute peace
activists through the courts over their civil disobedience at Shannon.
The current Steering Committee has identified four key tasks that we need
to address for the future
1. Joining the global anti-war movement in resisting the occupation. This
report is written before September 27th – but we believe that sufficient
groundwork has been done to make it a success. The IAWM must continue its
enthusiastic participation in the global movement. Internationalism has
been the key to our success - and we need to keep that up.
For this reason, we should make a major effort to get as many supporters as
possible over to the European Social Forum and to follow up its decisions
for action.
2. We need to highlight the issue of Shannon. The strategy of this
government is to keep quite and give full backing to the US. They blackmail
the Irish people with fears of losing US investment - knowing full well
there was no huge of flight of US companies from countries like France.
To highlight the cover up and lies of this government we need: a) to
organise a return March on Shannon in October
b) To distribute the movement¹s pamphlet written by Colin Coulter and
Kieran Allen
c) To produce more information posters and literature on the subject.
3. We need to mount an active defence of those who took direct action
against the war machine. We recognise that the defendants will conduct
their own case and campaign as they see fit. However, we should seek to
generate the maximum of solidarity, by fundraising, distributing literature
and highlighting their cases in the media.
4. We need to mount a major information campaign to highlight the
possibility that Irish troops may be sent to Iraq. We believe that the
government is contemplating this course of action - but is hesitant because
of the extent of public opposition. We need to stiffen up that opposition
and to somehow reach out to Irish soldiers to explain what they could be
facing if the government gets its way.
5. To do all this, we need to consolidate the Irish Anti-War Movement as a
serious organisation with a national identity and a growing paid-up
membership. All too often over the past year, our activities have been
limited by lack of funds and lack of organisation. Over the next few
months, we must become a more professional organisation which has the
resources needed to mount a concerted campaign aimed at ending the
government’s support for war and the US military occupation of Shannon.
Aoife Ní Fhearghail
Secretary Irish Anti-War Movement 087 7955013
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Jailing of Bin Tax campaigners
The jailing of Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins and Cllr Clare Daly for one
month for their refusal to cease campaigning against the bin tax in Dublin
is an attack on working class peoples¹ rights to protest against injustice.
Both Joe and Clare were elected to the Dail and Fingal County Council
respectively with a mandate to oppose the introduction of bin charges and
to represent the thousands of families who are opposed to bin charges. Bin
Charges are a form of double taxation. Service charges were introduced
first in 1983 by Alan Dukes and Dick Spring and were and are opposed by
PAYE workers. More than 80% of all income tax is collected from the working
class under the PAYE system. At the same time Dukes then Minister of
Finance introduced legislation to jail tax evaders. Unfortunately no tax
evaders have been jailed. Instead since 1983 there were 3 separate
amnesties offered and availed of.
Services charges whether for bins water or whatever, are really a way of
preparing the way for the privatising of council services to provide profit
for the private sector.
The Government and the Councils try to portray the tax as an
environmentally friendly measure based on the principle that "the polluter
pays". However, the point is that the polluter manifestly does not pay in
the southern State. A couple of years ago total national waste came to 80
million tonnes. Of this, a mere 1.2 million tonnes was accounted for by
household waste. Most of the rest was accounted for by big business and
agriculture. Yet ordinary householders were hit with service charges and
big business was rewarded with the lowest corporate tax rates in
Europe. Also no owner or operator of an illegal dump has been arrested and
jailed. All around Ireland illegal dumping has taken place and members of
the Gardai have been implicated in the practice of illegal dumping. You can
be sure none of the dumpers nor the owners of the land who allowed the
dumping will go to jail.
A proper waste management policy has to be implemented that will include
the collection of all bins adequate recycling facilities nation wide taxes
on producers to reduce wasteful packaging. We believe that like education
and health care the collection of everybody¹s waste is necessary for the
health not only of the individual but for the greater good. Accordingly a
progressive tax should be levied so that those who earn more pay more
The jailing of Joe Higgins and Clare Daly for fighting for the rights of
the working class is at the same time that millionaire tax dodgers have
been found to have cheated the taxman of a small fortune by hiding money in
offshore Ansbacher bank accounts. Not a single Ansbacher Man has seen the
inside of a prison cell. That¹s Ireland today
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More trouble for Fianna Fail.
On a day when opinion polls showed a fall in support for Fianna Fail and a
drop in the popularity of Bertie Ahearn, two Fianna Fail Td¹s were in
trouble, one for drunken driving and another for tax avoidance. The
arrogance of those in power who think they can flaunt the law while genuine
defenders of the interests of the working class like Joe Higgins and Clare
Daly languish in jail. Meanwhile the lickspittle leader of the Labour
Party, former Workers Party member, Pat Rabbitte tried to carpet Labour TD
Tommy Broughan who has admitted he does not pay his bin tax. Remember
Rabbitte was a member of the Workers Party when its military wing was
carrying out robberies and operating control of a large number of building
sites. There was silence then at illegal activities but now Rabbitte
reminds Broughan that Labour ³did not advocate now or in the past the non
payment of legitimately imposed state charges.²
The IRSP salutes Tony Gregory, Finian McGrath, Sean Crowe and John Gormley
for expressing solidarity with the jailed protesters by visiting them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's On
The Annual Seamus Costello Anniversary Commemoration will take place on
Sunday 5th of October, Assembly Point Old Town Hall Little Bray. March and
Rally with Band and Colour Party. Main Speaker will be Ex Political
Prisoner and Blanket man, IRSP Ard Comhairle Member, Paul Little.
Seamus Costello Remembered
26th Anniversary Commemoration
Organized By the IRSP Commemoration Committee. Contact and Transport
Details, Contact Daithi on 0877570109 or [email protected] All Welcome.
"I Owe My allegiance to the Working Class" Seamus Costello
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Talk on Guyana
GUYANA: COMMENTS ON A DIVIDED SOCIETY
Speaker: Michael Mahadeo
Venue: One World Centre (4 Lower Crescent, Belfast - off Botanic Avenue)
Date: Wednesday, 8 October 2003
Time: 7.30pm
Everyone Welcome....................................Stephen
McCloskey-Co-ordinator-One World Centre for Northern Ireland-4 Lower
Crescents-Belfast-BT7 1NR 028 9024 1879
http://www.owcni.org.uk
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GEORGE MONBIOT
George Monbiot, a regular feature writer in The Guardian, is the author of
Captive State and The Age of Consent. The One World Centre, The New Ireland
Group and The de Borda Institute have organised the following events:
1 GEORGE MONBIOT The 2nd One World Centre annual lecture, 12 noon to 2
p.m., Thursday 9th October, Room G07, Peter Frogatt Building, Queen¹s
University. Everyone welcome.
Further information available from The One World Centre, 4 Lower Crescent,
Belfast BT7 1NR, Tel 90241879, e-mail [email protected]
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2 GEORGE MONBIOT ³Unionism, Nationalism or Globalisation?² 7.30 for
7.45 p.m. on Thursday 9th October, in The Elmwood Hall, Belfast Tickets £5
(concessions £2.50), includes a free glass of organic wine from the Belfast
Food Co-op.
Tickets and further information available from either The New Ireland
Group, 7 Slievedarragh Park, Belfast BT14 8J
[email protected] or The de Borda Institute, 36 Ballysillan
Road, Belfast BT14 7QQ [email protected]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amnesty International Annual Lecture 2003
Xanana Gusmão,
President of East Timor
Peace, justice and reconciliation
Queen's University Belfast, G06 -Thursday 16th October, 7pm
-All welcome -Admission free but by ticket only
Supported by QUB Human Rights Centre
To book tickets, tel 028 9064 3000 / email: [email protected]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bobby Sands memorial lecture, Teachers Club, Dublin.
October 21st 8pm.
Speaker: Seán Ó Brádaigh. Lecture is about the lives of Robert Emmet and
Thomas Russell.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday 26th October 2pm
A talk on Robert Emmett by Ruan O'Donnell.
Ruan is the author of a new biography on Robert Emmett, to be published
this autumn. This event will take place in the Library Annexe and is free.
Working Class Movement Library, 51 The Crescent, Salford, U.K. M5 4WX
0161 736 3601
www.wcml.org.uk/
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James Byrne Commemoration Committee
1st November 2003-09-11 Monument Unveiling & 90th Anniversary Commemoration
Assemble 2pm Main Entrance Deansgrange Cemetery, Deansgrange, Co. Dublin,
Ireland. The newly-commissioned monument over the grave of Trade Union
Martyr, James Byrne, District Organiser, ITG&WU, who died on 1st November
1913 following a hunger & thirst strike during the Great Lock-Out 1913 will
be unveiled by Des Geraghty, President, SIPTU. All trade unionists,
political activists and members of the Public welcome!
[No Party Political Banners, please!]
The James Byrne Commemoration Committee has organised the erection of a
fitting memorial over the grave in Deansgrange Cemetery [Co. Dublin,
Ireland] of James Byrne, a trade union martyr who died on 1st November 1913
as a result of the effects of a hunger and thirst strike during
imprisonment for his role in the Great Lock-Out of that year. James was
District Organiser of the Irish Transport & General Workers Union and held
leadership roles in both Bray and Kingstown [Dún Laoghaire] Trades Councils.
In the course of James Byrne¹s funeral oration James Connolly said:
²James Byrne truly died a martyr as any man who ever died for Ireland²
The Committee believes that the monument is a fitting tribute to James
Byrne and hopes that his grave may become a place of pilgrimage and source
of inspiration for trade unionists and socialists in the future. We are
particularly pleased that the descendants of James Byrne are fully
supportive of the work of the >Committee.
Jason Mc Lean. PRO- James Byrne Commemoration Committee.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
European Social Forum Paris, St Denis 12-15 November
__________________________________________
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