Irish Republican Information Service (no. 140)
Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Phone: +353-1-872 9747; FAX: +353-1-872 9757; e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie
Date: 12 Márta / March 2008
Internet resources maintained by SAOIRSE-Irish Freedom
In this issue:
1. Hamill death inquiry faces fresh delay
2. ‘Stay away from Drumboe Easter commemoration’ – Joe O’Neill
3. M&S picketed by union over meat factory workers
4. Youth attacked by loyalists in Derry city
5. Special Branch attempt to recruit youth as informer
6. Bodysnatching Provos
7. Scots lead rebellion against oath of allegiance
8. Diplomat vows to build Markievicz centre in Ukraine
9. Tara protesters in for long haul
1. HAMILL DEATH INQUIRY FACES FRESH DELAY
It was reported on March 6 that the delayed public inquiry into the death of Robert Hamill faced a new delay.
Full hearings which were due to begin in April were put on hold because British Secretary of State Shaun Woodward was still considering a request by the Hamill family to widen the inquiry’s terms of reference.
Even though the first of the oral evidence has yet to start, the inquiry has already cost £13 million. The opening hearing was almost three years ago.
Nationalist father-of-two Robert Hamill (25) died in April 1997 after a vicious attack by loyalists in the centre of Portadown. Members of the RUC in a nearby Land Rover were later accused of failing to intervene.
In January 2007 Robert Hamill’s family asked the then British Secretary of State Peter Hain to extend the inquiry’s terms of reference to include the Six-County Director of Public Prosecutions. This would allow the inquiry to decide whether the DPP was at fault in respect of any failure to prosecute individuals following the death.
One man charged with the murder was later acquitted by a court. Towards the end of last year, the inquiry, headed up by Sir Edwin Jowitt, a retired Belfast High Court judge, believed a decision on the Hamill family application by the British Secretary of State was imminent.
It is understood that 230 statements have been made, including those of eye witnesses, civilians and retired and serving members of the RUC/PSNI.
A provisional date was then set for the oral hearings to begin on April 8 but it emerged on March 6 that it will be another fortnight before Shaun Woodward announces his decision. If he agrees, the Six-County DPP will need time to prepare and if he refuses, then the Hamill family is likely to mount a legal challenge.
A spokesperson for the inquiry said: “The inquiry is naturally disappointed. The delay is likely to increase the cost of the inquiry. However by taking the decision at this stage to vacate the start date, the inquiry hopes to minimise any such increase. Until the decision is announced, the inquiry is not in a position to set a new start date. It will announce one as soon as possible.”
2. ‘STAY AWAY FROM DRUMBOE EASTER COMMEMORATION’ – JOE O’NEILL
IN an open letter sent to the Provisionals on March 10 Joe O’Neill, Bundoran, Co Donegal, National Treasurer of Republican Sinn Féin, called on them to stay away from this year’s Easter commemoration to the Drumboe Martyrs in Stranorlar, Co Donegal.
He said: “I am writing this letter to call on the leadership of the Provisionals to stay away from this year’s commemorative events at Drumboe (Donegal).
“We are asking the leadership to stop degrading both the memory of the men and women of 1916 and especially the four men who were executed at Drumboe. These men were executed by Free Staters for not recognising either the Partition of Ireland or specifically Leinster House and Stormont.
“These Provos recognise not only Leinster House but willingly work the apparatus of English rule in the Six Counties in Stormont while calling themselves Republicans. They have betrayed every one of the principles of Republicanism and all who gave their lives for that cause.
“I once again call on their leadership to show some respect and to stay away from the monument at Easter. The names Daly, Sullivan, Enright and Larkin will always be honoured, as well as all they stood for, by Republican Sinn Féin.
“The fact is that if these men had recognised Partition, Leinster House of Stormont they would not have been executed – this point must not be lost on the Provo leadership.
“The Proclamation of the Irish Republic declares: “We declare the right of the Irish people to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible”. This is in direct contrast to recognising Partition, the First and Second all-Ireland Dáil of 1919 and 1921, which was endorsed by around 75% of the Irish people.
“Republican Sinn Féin will be holding its annual Drumboe Martyrs commemoration on Easter Sunday at 2pm. Assemble at McCool’s Terrace, Stranorlar, for march to the monument.”
3. M&S PICKETED BY UNION OVER MEAT FACTORY WORKERS
MEMBERS of the Unite trade union picketed Marks and Spencer’s Grafton Street store in Dublin on March 6 in a protest over the treatment of meat factory workers and labelling of foreign meat products.
Unite claims that agency workers employed by many of the retailer’s meat suppliers in Britain are treated shamefully, with widespread discrimination against migrant workers.
The union said it was highlighting the company’s use of imported meat from Thailand and Brazil, saying it was driving down conditions for low-paid workers employed in the supply chain.
A spokeswoman for M&S said the company had a clear policy on labelling, showing country of origin on the front of all fresh meat products. Prepared food was clearly labelled with country of origin of the meat components on the back.
4. YOUTH ATTACKED BY LOYALISTS IN DERRY CITY
A TEENAGER injured in a sectarian attack in Derry city centre on March 8 said his attackers wore loyalist band uniforms and UVF regalia. The 18 year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, said he and two of his friends were set upon by the gang at John Street in the early hours of the morning.
He said they were punched and kicked by the gang who also shouted sectarian abuse at them.
“As we walked alongside John Street, we saw a large group of men standing outside a takeaway and they seemed to be arguing amongst themselves. Some of them were wearing loyalist band uniforms and T-shirts with the UVF slogan, ‘Simply the Best’, printed on them. As I was standing in the takeaway, someone punched me on the back of the head. The crowd then started attacking my friends. At one stage there were two or three of them hitting me,” he said.
The youth said he had to jump over the counter of the takeaway to escape his attackers. “There was a load of them and we couldn’t get out so we jumped over the counter to get away and managed to call the police. When they arrived they escorted us from the takeaway and put us in a Land Rover and we were able to identify the people who attacked us as they walked over the bridge towards the Waterside,” he said.
He said that he and his friends later saw a number of the gang while they were being treated for their injuries at Altnagelvin Hospital. “We had cuts and bruises from the attack and we were taken to the hospital but, while we were waiting, some of the people who attacked us came in as well. We told the police and the doctors and they moved us into a different room. The police said they had started fighting amongst themselves,” he said.
The injured teenager added: “It was very scary. I didn’t know what was going to happen. My uncle was badly beaten in an attack in the city centre last year and he was left with brain damage and I was worried that was going to happen to me, too,” he said.
5. SPECIAL BRANCH ATTEMPT TO RECRUIT YOUTH AS INFORMER
A MEMBER of Republican Sinn Féin in Dublin was approached by the Special Branch at the beginning of March to become an informer. He was asked to spy on Republican Sinn Féin and report the dates and times of meetings etc.
The young man refused to even consider it and told them so. He was told that he and his family ‘could suffer’ because of his refusal, ie places of work would be contacted by them and family members would not be employed for long.
He was also told that ‘several arrests will be made in the near future’ and that he would be among those arrested and possibly charged with membership. This type of harassment and intimidation is nothing new but young men and women should be on their guard and not allow themselves to be intimidated by threats to themselves or their families.
6. BODYSNATCHING PROVOS
IN the Sunday Independent, March 9, 2008 an article, under the heading Media fooled by Sinn Féin’s funeral ‘body snatching’ was written by Jim Cusack.
He said that the Provisionals’ operation in attempting to hijack the funeral of former hunger striker, Brendan ‘Darkie’ Hughes a couple of weeks ago is being dubbed the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ by the wits of West Belfast.
Brendan Hughes’ 53 days on hunger strike in 1980 brought on his premature death and he was one of the last real icons of Provisional Republicanism. He also hated Adams and actually said in an interview last year that he would “put a bullet” in him.
Cusack said: “[Provisional] Sinn Féin was fearful that their opponents would use the opportunity of a grave-side oration to attack their leader and mounted a military-style operation to cut through mourners and, literally, grab Hughes’ coffin. At the same time, equally skilful PR teams manoeuvred press and photographers into line to catch the shot as Gerry grabbed the coffin of his old “comrade”.
“The press contingent, most of whom were unaware of Hughes’ deep hatred of Adams and [Provisional] Sinn Féin, were well and truly suckered. RTÉ, for instance, was able to report that the image of Adams carrying the coffin “was taken as a sign any rift had been healed” – by [Provisional] Sinn Féin anyway.
“[Provisional] SF’s spin machine also put it out – and Adams himself went on to repeat – that he had visited the ex-hunger striker as he lay dying in hospital. They didn’t mention the fact that Hughes was unconscious on both occasions, and would not have allowed Adams near him awake.
“Hughes’ hatred for Sinn Féin and Adams grew in the years after his release from prison. He was an old-fashioned socialist and against the corruption he saw around him in west Belfast. He spent the lat years of his life increasingly disillusioned and filled with hatred for those in Sinn Féin and the IRA who had made millions from corruption during the peace process.”
Brendan Hughes was highly thought of by both Republicans and the British Army as one of the most skilful military commanders in the conflict in the Six Occupied Counties.
7. SCOTS LEAD REBELLION AGAINST OATH OF ALLEGIANCE
IT was reported on March 10 that plans to make school-leavers swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen of England were unravelling last night under a barrage of criticism in Scotland, Wales and the Six Counties.
Nationalist politicians in Wales and Scotland pledged to use their devolved powers to block the plan. A nationalist politician in the Six Counties said that any attempt to force an oath to the Queen and United Kingdom there would be “divisive and dangerous”.
The response leaves one of the key ideas of Gordon Brown’s Britishness initiative in shreds. The idea has been seen by some as a way for the British Prime Minister to improve his credentials with Middle England, yet the response threatens to draw attention to his Scottishness.
Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, led the attack on the proposal, which comes in a far-reaching review of citizenship carried out by Lord Goldsmith, QC, the former British Attorney-General.
Alex Salmond dismissed the oath idea as “Monty Pythonesque” adding that some of the suggestions in the review looked like political desperation rather than a properly thought through plan for citizenship. One senior source said that it was the Scottish Parliament, not Westminster, that decided what went on in Scotland’s schools.
Lord Goldsmith’s review, which is aimed at boosting ‘British pride’, also recommended creating a new national day, ending voting rights for Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the 26 Counties in Westminster elections and giving people financial incentives to be good citizens by discounts on their council tax and student loans.
His report said that a new national day should be modelled on Australia Day, when citizens affirm their loyalty and celebrate the country’s successes. He recognised the sensitivity of the idea, however, in the report, which said: “There were undoubtedly issued raised about how a national day would be received in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (sic).”
8. DIPLOMAT VOWS TO BUILD MARKIEVICZ CENTRE IN UKRAINE
A MUSEUM to honour 1916 heroine Countess Constance Markievicz in her husband Casimir’s Ukrainian village was pledged on March 9.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the 26 Counties Borys Bazylevskiy, made the promise during a visit to her childhood home, Lissadell House, Co Sligo, where he was greeted by owners Eddie Walsh and Constance Cassidy.
The ambassador’s visit was prompted by personal research into the links between Lissadell and Ukraine.
Although known as a Polish count, Casimir Dunin-Markievicz’s family had close links with the Ukrainian village of Zywotowka. The couple, both artists, travelled for two years, in 1902 and 1903, after their wedding, to Ukraine.
The ambassador said that a museum will be established in Zywotowka and dedicated to Constance and Casimir. The museum will feature copies of paintings and documents from Lissadell.
Ambassador Bazylevskiy said: “There are a number of unknown pages in the history of our countries. We have many close ties and bonds.
“Ireland is on the western edge of Europe and Ukraine is on the eastern. We had some tragic pages in our history and we both struggled for independence.”
9. TARA PROTESTERS IN FOR LONG HAUL
PROTESTERS at Rath Lugh, a small hill near Tara, say they can hold out for months in a series of tunnels they have dug into a hillside to try and stop construction of the M3 motorway.
The protesters, speaking to the media on March 9, say the tunnels descend from a barricaded camp built on the slopes of Rath Lugh, a prominent forested hill capped by ancient earthworks that protesters say dates to around 300BC.
Construction work will collapse the tunnels and risks killing the protesters inside, they say.
Part of the hill will have to be excavated to allow the passage of the motorway. A temporary protection order has so far prevented motorway builders from cutting into the slope, but the protesters expect the order to be lifted imminently. The protesters say they were told at the beginning of March that they will be evicted from Rath Lugh.
The protesters, who object to a motorway cutting through an area dotted with ancient ruins and important historic sites, say they have spent six months building the tunnels, which they plan to occupy if construction work moves ahead at Rath Lugh.
“It’s taken six months to build them,” said Lisa Feeney, one of the protesters who has set up camp at Rath Lugh.
“We’ve built them with lump hammers, buckets and a string system,” she said. “It’s a labyrinth — a lot of the work was done by night over the last couple of months. Security hasn’t really noticed because we’ve been bringing out bags of sand and dumping it nearby. Real Shawshank Redemption stuff.”
The protesters would not allow a viewing of their underground excavation. “We don’t want anyone to know exactly where the tunnels are,” said Lisa Feeney.
There were plenty of places at Rath Lugh where tunnel entrances could be hidden. The site is covered with trees and dotted with tents, including a kind of canvas teepee headquarters that was warmed by a wood-burning cooker. The protesters were using it to cook a breakfast of eggs. Smoke escaped through an opening at the top of the teepee.
Lisa Feeney said that the tunnels are stocked with food, and will be occupied at the first sign of excavation work. She said it would be difficult to remove protesters because the tunnels will be considered too dangerous for gardaí or rescue personnel to enter.
Lisa Feeney said protesters were prepared to risk their safety in the tunnels. “Look, we’re not a bunch of anarchists trying to get rid of corporate greed. We’re just trying to save this valley. I don’t know if I want to live in a world that doesn’t have places like Tara in it.”
ENDS
