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Irish Republican Information Service
1. ‘BRITISH ARMY STILL IN SIX COUNTIES’ DES Dalton, the recently-elected president of the anti-peace-process organisation, told the Observer newspaper on January 7 that the last piece of the devolution process “had only rearranged the furniture, but the house remains in Britain”.
“There is very little difference between this and the bureaucracy at Dublin Castle pre-1921 that administered British rule.
“I have said before that we uphold the right of the Irish people to resist British rule in any way they can, including armed resistance.
“The British army is still in the Six Counties; in fact they were actively recruiting outside Queen’s University Belfast last week. The unionist veto still exists, and the recent Tory talks with unionists show they will use their power in Westminster to continue to keep this part of Ireland under British rule. So the conditions still exist for those to resist that rule, nothing has changed that.”
Des Dalton said that comments by Provo leaders and British supremo in the Six Counties Shaun Woodward that armed Republican “dissidents” were apolitical or simply criminals was counter-productive.
“Remember the 1970s and ’80s, when Republicans were portrayed as criminals or thugs or godfathers. These were men and women who went to jail for the struggle and in the hunger strike died for their beliefs. Paining genuine Republicans today who resist British rule as criminals or thugs is making the same mistake the British made back then. Ordinary criminals don’t fire on heavily fortified and armed British army police bases.
“The Royal Irish Constabulary became the Royal Ulster Constabulary and they ultimately became the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the PSNI. But while the cap badge might change, the essential point of these forces remain the same. They are there to uphold British rule, they are integral part of the British state forces.
“It is worth remembering all the recent reports of nationalist PSNI officers being unable to live in the communities they came from. Our message to young nationalists is that your place is not there in the PSNI. The logic of the situation remains the same – if you join a force that upholds British rule then you are putting yourself in the line of fire.”
The RSF president said its activists would assist nationalist residents who wanted to allow Orange or loyalist marches to pass through their areas as a concession to the DUP.
“Republican Sinn Féin will not abandon these communities to any squalid deal reached at Stormont or Hillsborough Castle.”
2. HARASSMENT OF REPUBLICANS CONTINUES IN NEWRY
ON February 19 the PRO of the Joe Conway/Brendan Watters Cumann, Sinn Féin Poblachtach, Newry, Co Down issued the following statement:
“Following on from the recent harassment and intimidation of RSF members and their friends in the Newry/South down area, it has come to our attention that yet again a well-know Newry Republican was pulled in by the British colonial police on the Millvale Road just outside Newry on Thursday, February 18.
“When the RUC member approached the car the driver was alerted to the fact that the man was in civilian clothes. He introduced himself as a member of special branch and spoke to the driver who he knew by his first name.
“The driver immediately asked was he under arrest in which the RUC man answered no we would just like to arrange a meeting with you. The driver then told him to f##k off and that if he wasn’t under arrest then he was ringing his solicitor.
“No need for that ***** we know your under pressure [again calling him by his first name]we also know that your wife hasn’t been to well. All we are looking for is for you to provide us with information on certain Republicans that you hang around with.
“They were particularly interested in an ex-Republican POW from Newry who they kept mentioning a lot. As this kept going on for roughly another ten minutes the driver then proceeded to ring his solicitor with the cop reminding him that he would be back in touch as he left.
“We in RSF in Newry are seeing a worrying trend here in that this is becoming a regular occurrence against our members/family/and supporters of the Republican movement in the Newry/Southdown area.
“They are now using personal things like wives/girlfriends/family sickness to get at people as if to say we know everything.
“We would urge our members/supporters, and indeed the general public, that if you are approached by these forces of the crown to report it straight away to your legal representative and to your local RSF Cumann. This comes right on the backdrop of all that is happening with regard to policing and justice. We must warn the public that those up in Stormont will have no power in what MI5 and Special Branch does.
“One final observation we would like to point out is that anyone involved in spying or informing on the Republican movement will ultimately be given up by their British pay masters as history has shown us how these faceless forces operate so take heed and tell the RUC Special Branch in no uncertain terms that you would not become an informer - your life is worth more.”
3. UNDERCOVER BRITS INTIMIDATING REPUBLICANS IN SIX COUNTIES
THE Guardian newspaper said on February 20 that Republican Sinn Féin alleged at a press conference in Belfast the previous day that British Army special forces units are operating in Lurgan, Co Armagh.
Republican Sinn Féin claimed masked that undercover soldiers had carried out surveillance on two housing estates in recent weeks. They said the men were scouting the areas in white civilian vans. Republican Sinn Féin said the soldiers belong to the Special Reconnaissance Regiment.
The alleged presence of SRR soldiers – formerly known as the 14th Intelligence Unit – is controversial because British troops are meant to have been pulled off the streets, especially in nationalist areas.
Martin Duffy, press officer for Republican Sinn Féin in Lurgan, said the sightings of the elite military unit should be seen as part of a wider strategy to suppress Republican resistance in the north Armagh area.
He said that 14 of the 24 Continuity IRA prisoners held in the top-security Maghaberry prison outside Belfast are from the Lurgan area. As well as being subjected to surveillance, Martin Duffy said that the prisoners' relatives and friends have been subjected to drug searches by sniffer dogs during visits. He also claimed that under the stop and search powers of Article 44 of the Terrorism Act hundreds of mainly young people have been stopped and searched.
”In the Lurgan area we are selling up to 600 copies of Republican Sinn Féin's newspaper SAOIRSE a month. Support for Republican resistance is high in Lurgan and Craigavon especially among the young people. So it is not a surprise the Brits and the RUC/PSNI targeting our areas.
”On the Tullygalley estate a couple of weeks ago, a white van was spotted going around the area. When it reached the back of the local youth centre, men in boiler suits, armed with rifles and wearing ski masks got out. They were not members of the Republican Movement. Nor were they ordinary police or British soldiers. They wore no uniform or had any badge markings. We believe they were the SRR brought in to intimidate Republicans.”
The housing estates of nationalist north Lurgan have been the focal points for rioting, bomb attacks on the Belfast to Dublin rail line and shootings at police patrols over the past 12 months. Republican Sinn Féin Vice-President Geraldine Taylor said that Lurgan is a “town under siege”
One of the men [who attended the press conference] who visited a relative in Maghaberry a fortnight ago said that he was strip-searched after being threatened with arrest by the RUC. Gerard said he was forced to strip naked and then pin himself against a wall where members of the British colonial police made him lift each leg up so they could even inspect his anus. A EUC/PSNI spokesman said the police could not comment on the alleged presence of military units.
Geraldine Taylor, however predicted there would be protests in the jail over the use of sniffer dogs as too many people were being stopped their visits. [When the sniffer dog sits beside a visitor, their vast is cancelled. No drugs have ever been found on visitors to the Republican POWs or on the POWs themselves.]
4. ANNUAL CLONMULT MARTYRS COMMEMORATION
THE Annual Clonmult Martyrs Commemoration was held in Midleton, Co Cork on Sunday February 21st 2010.
The commemoration Assembled outside the Courthouse at 2.30pm and lead by a colour party marched to Saint John the Baptist Churchyard where the proceedings were chaired by Donal Varian. After welcoming everyone Donal asked Tony Horgan to lay a wreath on behalf of Republican Sinn Fein and the Republican Movement on the grave of Volunteer Deasy.
The Commemoration then continued to the Republican Plot, Holy Rosary Churchyard. Donal Dennehy on behalf of the families of the Clonmult Martyrs laid a wreath. The Chairman then asked Tomás Ó Curraoin, Galway County Councillor Sinn Féin Poblachtach to lay a wreath on the gave of Commandant Diarmuid O’Hurley OC who was killed by Crown Forces three months after his comrades. Tomás also gave a very fitting and stirring oration.
Donal spoke about the sacrifice the Clonmult men made along with the men and women of 1916 and the generations since. “Until British Forces cease their illegal occupation of part of this country the fight for freedom will continue,” said Donal and concluded: “We will not be bought by the Queens shilling, the fight for freedom is yet to be concluded regardless of what former comrades may think”
5. RSF EXTENDS SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT TO PAT O´DONNELL
THE Ard Chomhairle of Republican Sinn Féin extended solidarity greetings to Shell-to-Sea activist Pat O´Donnell at its monthly meeting held on February 20.
Pat O´ Donnell was sentenced to seven months imprisonment on February 10 by Castlebar Circuit Court and is currently held in Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon. In June 2009 Pat O´Donnell´s fishing boat was sunk by four armed and masked men in Broadhaven bay. Later the same month he and his son were arrested shortly before the arrival of the Shell pipe-laying vessel the Solitaire.
“Pat `The Chief´ O´Donnell and the people of the Shell-to-Sea campaign are to be applauded for the moral courage and exemplary leadership they have displayed in the face of attack by both Shell and the 26-County State. The imprisonment of Pat `Donnell comes at a time when Shell are preparing to carry out more pipe laying work in Broadhaven Bay. The jailing of Pat O´Donnell is an act of collaboration in order to facilitate Shell´s theft of the Irish peoples’ natural resources.
“Pat O'Donnell and the Shell-to-Sea Campaign are true upholders of the 1916 Proclamation and its declaration of `The right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland.´ We extend them our ongoing solidarity and support," the statement said.
6. NEWS FROM BELFAST
APPROXIMATELY 100 strong people turned out on February 21 to commemorate Republican icon Brendan “the Dark” Hughes on the second anniversary of his death. The wreath-laying ceremony took place in the Garden of Remembrance in Brendan's native Lower Falls. Speeches were delivered by his old comrades in the D company. The event was organized and chaired by Brendan's family, friends and comrades and it was a fitting event to the Dark, a man who was unmovable in his love for his country and his people.
In the latest update in the sectarian murder of schoolboy Thomas Devlin in north Belfast, it emerged from the trial that the two accused had been “intending to act as a team and that their intention was to kill school boy Thomas Devlin”, and that their intentions on that night were described as “crystal clear”. Such brutal murders are not just a thing of the past in the Occupied Six Counties but a thing of the present and most definitely the future, the court case continues.
The British
government publicly apologized to the family of a
13-year-old schoolboy for the “gross intrusion” caused when
the RUC used “flawed evidence” to raid his home eight hours
after he was killed in a UVF car bomb in Dungannon, Co
Tyrone. 13-year-old James McCaughey was so badly injured his
father had to identify him by the pioneer pin his son wore
on his jacket lapel.
Speaking after a special meeting of the Orange Order on February 21, Grand Master Robert Salters said reservations were voiced about new proposals on controversial parades drawn up by a DUP and Provo working group.
The DUP and the Provisionals set up a six-strong group to review parading following the Hillsborough Agreement. That working group is due to report to deliver its report to the office of the first and deputy first minister on February 23.
About 100 members attended this weekend's meeting of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in Tamnamore near Dungannon which lasted two-and-a-half hours.
Speaking before the Orange Lodge meeting, the grand secretary of the Orange Lodge, Drew Nelson, said members were determined that the Parades Commission should be abolished.
However, nationalist groups representing residents in Portadown and on the Lower Ormeau Road have delivered a 24 page document to the Provo members on the Parades working group outlining their concerns.
7. FAMILIES CONCERNED ABOUT TIMING OF SAVILLE REPORT
IN A statement on February 23, 2010, the Bloody Sunday Families and Wounded issued a statement raising their concerns in relation to the release of the Saville inquiry in particular they have two main concerns. One is that the report will be held by the British Six-County Direct Ruler Shaun Woodward for 14 days before it is published.
“This means that
the securocrats within the NIO and other government
departments will see the report before we do.” The families
say. Secondly the families feel that with the report due to
be released only weeks before a British General Election it
will remain in the hands of British officials until after
that election which is due in May.
“To make matters worse, the report will be in the hands of officials within the NIO for a period of several months without any political control from above. This is a frightening prospect for the families as we believe that the report will fall victim to selective leakage and other partisan usage long before the full report sees the light of day,” the statement said.
8. PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PAT FINUCANE CENTRE
THE Pat Finucane Centre supports the Bloody Sunday families in their concerns about the proposals to submit the report of the Saville Inquiry to the Ministry of Defence prior to releasing it to the families.
The Pat Finucane Centre work with families engaging with the Historic Enquiries Team (HET). These include people whose relatives were killed by the British army.
Paul O'Connor of the Pat Finucane Centre said: “These families receive reports from the HET of their findings on the circumstances of the death and the investigations carried out after the killing. The HET reports are not submitted for vetting to the British Government or for approval to the Ministry of Defence. We are deeply concerned that the Bloody Sunday Inquiry report is to be submitted for what amounts to vetting by the Ministry of Defence.”
9. COLM MURPHY CLEARED OF OMAGH CONSPIRACY CHARGE
Colm Murphy walked free from the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on February 24 after he was cleared of a conspiracy charge in relation to the 1998 Omagh bombing.
The three-judge non-jury court ruled that there was no evidence upon which the court could have convicted Murphy after it ruled that all the evidence of 15 garda interviews with Murphy following his arrest in February 1999 was inadmissible.
The court said that the fact that notes of an interview conducted by Detective Garda John Fahy and Detective Garda Liam Donnelly were falsified, combined with the fact that there was no explanation of why this had happened, combined with the fact that this was part of a series of interviews being conducted by three teams of two garda detectives, tainted all of the interviews.
Detective Garda Fahy and Detective Garda Donnelly were charged with forgery and perjury after the original trial heard that their interview notes had been altered. Both gardaí were acquitted of the charges.
Colm Murphy's counsel Mr Michael O' Higgins SC had applied to the court after a 20-day trial for a direction to acquit his client because there was not enough evidence to convict him.
Colm Murphy, Ravensdale, Co Louth has pleaded not guilty to conspiring with another person to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the State or elsewhere between August 13 and 16, 1998. He was originally convicted of the charge in 2002, but the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial in 2005.
The prosecution had claimed that Colm Murphy lent two mobile phones to a man who was involved in transporting the car bomb from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan to Omagh, where it exploded on August 15, 1998 killing 29 people and injuring many more.
10. THREE MEN CHARGED WITH IRA MEMBERSHIP
THREE men were charged on February 24 with IRA membership at the Special non-jury Court in Dublin.
Desmond Donnelly, 57, of Drumall, County Fermanagh, Gerard McGarrigle, 45, of Mount Carmel Heights, Strabane and Jim Murphy were charged on February 24 and remanded in custody until March 4.
The men were arrested on Monday night, February 22, at Letterkenny and Milford in County Donegal on suspicion of membership of an illegal organisation. Two other men who were arrested as part of an ongoing operation by the Gardaí were released without charge.
A sixth man in his 30s, was arrested on February 23 night. He is being detained at Letterkenny Garda Station under The Offences Against the State Act.
11. PETITION IN SUPPORT OF GREEN ISLE WORKERS
JIM Wyse is a
58-year-old grandfather on hunger strike outside the Green
Isle Foods plant in Naas, Co Kildare, in a fight for
workplace rights on behalf of himself and his fellow
workers. We are asking you to sign this petition in support
of Jim and his colleagues.
12. HARASSMENT OF SAVE NEWGRANGE CAMPAIGN MEMBERS BY 26-COUNTY POLICE
A COMPLAINT was filed on February 22 with the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation's Computer Crime Investigation Unit (CCIU), and Facebook Ireland, on behalf of the Save Newgrange campaign (SNC), alleging harassment, intimidation and cyber-stalking by the Bypass Slane Campaign (BSC).
A number of members of BSC have made abusive comments and sent threatening emails to SNC members. When banned from the SNC Facebook group, they have repeatedly returned, using false identities, in breach of Facebook rules.
The complaint seeks to protect the safety of its 10,000 members, both on the internet and locally. An incident was reported, involving harassment of SNC members by a BSC members while attempting to make a submission at the An Bord Pleanala offices in Dublin on 17 Feb.
The complaint alleges that since the formation of the Save Newgrange Facebook group, on 23 January 2010, the group has been under constant, coordinated attack by BSC members, for purposes of deterring them from participating in the planning process for the proposed N2 Slane bypass, which is planned to be built 500m from the Bru na Boinne World Heritage Site.
The complaint
asks for:
Vincent Salafia said:
"There has been a coordinated smear campaign against the Save Newgrange group, since its formation a month ago.
"The attacks are increasing in intensity and malice, to the point where members fear for their safety when they will attend the An Bord Pleanala hearing into the Slane bypass.
"The clear aim of the Bypass Slane Campaign is to deter the public from participating in the planning process, which is a breach of Irish and EU law.
"We want the Gardai and Facebook to bring a halt to this intimidation immediately, and to perform a full investigation into the true source of the attacks.
13. COLLAPSE OF DUTCH GOVERNMENT OVER THE AFGHAN WAR WELCOMED
IN A statement on
February 24 the Malta Peace and Solidarity Council said it
gladly welcomed and supported the decision of the Dutch
Labour Party to stymie and terminate the dishonest efforts
by Prime Minister Balkenende to disregard the promised plan
to recall the Dutch troops from the military alliance of the
occupying forces in Afghanistan.
14. INHUMAN CONDITIONS IN LUKISKES PRISON
THE conditions in a Lithuanian jail where a Republican prisoner, Michael Campbell is being held on remand have been described as ‘inhuman’ and ‘degrading’ and in direct contravention of prisoners’ human rights.
These findings were included in a recently published report by Professor Rod Morgan, an independent expert in criminal justice and the former head of Britain’s Youth Justice Board.
Professor Morgan’s report re-iterated the findings of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), which in 2008 inspected the Lukiskes Prison in Vilnius where Campbell, from Dundalk, is being held since January 2008 when he was arrested during a sting operation in which it is believed MI5, the Gardaí and Lithuanian police were involved.
Among the conditions which the CPT found to be ‘totally unacceptable’ were cells in a poor state of repair and filthy, little or no access to natural light, inadequate artificial lighting, lack of ventilation, unhygienic toilets, inadequate drinking water provision and absence of outdoor exercise facilities. Levels of overcrowding were described as ‘outrageous’, with six prisoners sharing an eight metre square cell.
Since his arrest,
Michael Campbell has only been seen by his lawyers and
Prosecutors in the case against Campbell allege he was attempting to procure weapons for use by the RIRA but he insists he had traveled to Vilnius to purchase counterfeit cigarettes and that he is the victim of a conspiracy by British and Lithuanian Intelligence.
15. BREIZH: REUNIFICATION ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA
TWO Breton groups are intent on putting the issue of Breton reunification on the political agenda this weekend, by organizing a mass demonstration in the city of Naoned/Nantes.
On Saturday February 27, 2010 people are being urged to travel to Nantes from all over Breizh/Brittany to take part in a `Freque Humaine'. Bretagne Réunie and 44=BZH want to show politicians that the issue of Breton reunification should be firmly on the political agenda ahead of next month's regional elections.
The groups says that they are determined to get more political parties coming out in support of Breton reunification as part of their election campaign and want to start a debate on the issue in the run up to elections.
During the afternoon and evening there will be bands and a DJ and the mood of the day is expected to be festive. A bus will be traveling through Breizh picking people up to take them to the demonstration. The demonstration comes in the wake of a court case against two well known Breton reunification activists on 1st February in Nantes.
The two accused, Alan Haye and Jonathan William, are suspected of public disorder offences after police harassed them and their families while at a cafe in Naoned last year.
According to
Reuter’s news agency 65% of voters in the French regional
elections will be voting on local issues and 80% wanted the
Paris government to take account of the vote in setting
state wide policy.
16. BELFAST COURT REJECTS EXTRADITION WARRANT
ON February 24 the High Court in Belfast court rejected the Spanish extradition warrant for Arturo Villanueva Arteaga and the case of the state prosecution who have been trying to enforce the warrant.
The Prosecution and the Spanish state are now seeking leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Whether they can go ahead with this or not will be known in about two weeks. If they can, the Prosecution's appeal will be heard some months ahead.
Arturo Villanueva Arteaga was being sought over claims that he belonged to a youth group allegedly linked to the ETA separatists. Mr Justice McCloskey said: "Ultimately, the accusation contained in the EAW resolves to an assertion that the requested person was a member of Jarrai and that such organisation engaged in a large number of public order and other offences during a lengthy period. There is a failure to include supporting particulars of conduct, time and place attributed in express and personal terms to the requested person."
17. PELTIER APPEAL DENIED
FEBRUARY 24, 2010 http://www.FreePeltierNow.org received word that the parole decision has been affirmed by the U.S. Parole Commission. The Parole Commission made no concessions except for one -- to finally recognize Leonard's “recent prison record of good conduct”. The Parole Commission went on to say that Leonard's age, health, and release plan were all considered, but that these elements “don't warrant his release at this time” All legal arguments made by the Peltier attorney Eric Seitz were rejected.
Once again, we're told that innocence is no defence. Yet again, the government has singled out Leonard Peltier as a scapegoat. As has always been the case, they intend to force Leonard Peltier to pay the price for the killings of their agents despite the lack of evidence against him. This is nothing short of politically motivated vengeance.
Leonard won't receive another full parole hearing until he is nearly 80 years old. Already at risk for blindness, kidney failure, stroke, and certainly premature death given his diet, living conditions, and health care, this parole decision is also nothing less than a death sentence.
Don't accept the
unacceptable. Demand Leonard's freedom. Call the White House
comment line every day to express your outrage. Call: (202)
456-1111 or (202) 456-1112. You also can send an e-mail to
the White House. Go to
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
18. CONFERENCE ON SIX COUNTIES IN ITALY
ON Saturday March 13 a public meeting entitled Northern Ireland - a forgotten conflict will be held in Modena, Italy. The meeting is sponsored by the city of Modena - Circoscrizione 1 Centro Storico and will start at 4.30pm.
Journalist and book author Riccardo Michelucci and RSF spokesperson in Italy, Massimiliano Vitelli, will be the speakers. Moderation by Dr. Stefano Vergole, editor of the geopolitical studies magazine Eurasia.
The meeting will be held in Modena - Sala Conferenze - Piazzale Redecocca, 1 at 4.30pm
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