Irish anarchists views on IRA/IRSP/INLA?

[leftist manson]

Dear comrades,
I just wanted to know what the irish anarchist movement's stance is on these three (or any similar groups) in general? Moreover , do they believe in the efficacy of a 'united front' with these groups against brit imperialism? Is there a printed treatise on the general anarchist stance on these groups?

[leftist manson]

come inside

[Mindtoaster]

I assume they would be critically supported, as the organizations fight (fought) for self-determination of the indigenous peoples of Ireland.

[Forward Union]

I am not Irish, I was born in England, but my fathers side of the family, my grandfather and great grandfather were IRA supporters and members. The later stockpiling arms on his farm.

Most Anarchists in the UK oppose the IRA, and for good reason. But were they still realistically active I would seriously consider supporting them.

The IRA is a complicated body, at times it's been affiliated to the communist party. At other points it worked with the Nazis (though I might add the Czec Anarchist Federation did aswell in the 1930s, we've all made mistakes)

All in all im a bit of a closit republican.

[Devrim]

There are two anarchist organisations in Ireland. The Workers Solidarity Movement (mainly based in the Republic), and Organise! mainly based in the north. Their positions are outlined below.


Republicanism
11. Republicanism seeks to create a society where there will be a fairer division of power but where capitalism and a ruling class will continue to exist. Republicanism in Ireland and internationally contained radical democratic roots but with the development of autonomous working class politics these were relegated to the fringes in order to eliminate the threat of the working class seizing the reins during any upheavel.
12.1 Irish republicanism is now based on a practise which first seeks to unite Catholic workers with Catholic bosses in a common struggle for a united Ireland. Republicanism has considerable support among sections of the catholic working class in the north but it has no attraction for Protestant workers and has no strategy for approaching Protestant workers beyond rhetorical appeals.
12.2 However, republicanism unlike loyalism often developed significant left strands within it because, at least in theory, it was based on the 'equal rights of all' rather then the 'god given destiny of the chosen people' or the secular variations on this theme. After the rise of Leninism however these strands were deeply contaminated with authoritarian socialist ideas. Still they sometimes, as with the Republican Congress movement of the 1930's, could win support from small sections of the northern protestant working class around the slogan of the workers republic. Although we and other anarchists have used that slogan as in the past, it is no longer a useful shorthand for why we have different politics to republicans, so we prefer to simply say that we are for 'an anarchist Ireland'
13.1 Left republicans talk of combining the struggle to end partition and the struggle for socialism into a single struggle. But the sectarian reality of the conflict meant that whatever the rhetoric their only audience was amongst catholic workers. And they also lack any strategy for winning over protestant workers beyond hoping they will see beyond their 'false consiousness'. This would be a weak strategy in any case but coming from organisations which promote Leninist politics and are frequently seen as infested with sectarian, criminal and thuggish behaviour it is no strategy at all. Whatever variants of republicanism can be sketched in theory the history of the last decades means that the language of republicanism is not a way to initiating a meaningful dialogue with any large number of protestant workers.
13.2 In any case because of globalisation the period when republicanism represented a viable strategy is over. The integration of the world economy means there is no longer space for a small economy to go it alone without its economy collapsing.



Nationalism

We are opposed to the ideology of nationalism and national liberation movements which claim that there is some common interest between native bosses and the working class in face of foreign domination.

We are opposed to all forms of nationalism, be that the British nationalism of Loyalism and Unionism, Irish nationalism or the Ulster nationalist current evident within Loyalism. All have as central to their ideology the nationalist myth that people in an arbitrarily drawn up nation (be it based on an island, region, language, ‘culture’, or religion, or any combination of these or other elements), have common interests which can be represented by the nation state. The nation state is in effect the government over the majority, the working class, by the wealthy few. The working class and those who hold power, the bosses and their lackeys, have no common interests.

We do support working class struggles against racism, genocide, ethnocide and political and economic colonialism. We oppose the creation of any new ruling class. We reject all forms of nationalism, as they only serve to redefine divisions in the international working class. The working class has no country and national boundaries must be eliminated.

Devrim

[PRC-UTE]

There are two anarchist organisations in Ireland. The Workers Solidarity Movement (mainly based in the Republic), and Organise! mainly based in the south. Their positions are outlined below.

Don't you mean Organise! is based in the north, comrade?

I recently saw a lot of the black n red posters in Cork city, so some anarchist group is active there.

As far as their views on republicans and republican socialists, the anarchist movement (all 20 of them) tend to look down on us.

[leftist manson]

hey thanks everybody for replying

[leftist manson]

Don't you mean Organise! is based in the north, comrade?

I recently saw a lot of the black n red posters in Cork city, so some anarchist group is active there.

As far as their views on republicans and republican socialists, the anarchist movement (all 20 of them) tend to look down on us.
:):thumbup1: Thankyou comrade for replying . Can you elucidate on this relationship though. Is it a symbiotic relationshiop. Do the IRA/IRSP have ant any point in time worked with anarchists or the anarchist movement is so small that any relationship doesn't matter to begin with. Moreover, is there a negative relationship between the two?

[Devrim]

Don't you mean Organise! is based in the north, comrade?

Yes, it was a typo. I have corrected it thanks.


I recently saw a lot of the black n red posters in Cork city, so some anarchist group is active there.

WSM I would imagine. They have a branch in Cork.


As far as their views on republicans and republican socialists, the anarchist movement (all 20 of them) tend to look down on us.

I think the WSM has about 50 members.

Devrim

[PRC-UTE]

:):thumbup1: Thankyou comrade for replying . Can you elucidate on this relationship though. Is it a symbiotic relationshiop. Do the IRA/IRSP have ant any point in time worked with anarchists or the anarchist movement is so small that any relationship doesn't matter to begin with. Moreover, is there a negative relationship between the two?

I know several individual anarchists who've worked with left republicans, and And long ago An Phoblacht/RN used to have a column written by an anarchist (I kid you not). But most of that was before there was an organised anarchist group in the country.

[leftist manson]

Thankyou so much everybody for replying:thumbup1::)