IRA AMEND CONSTITUTION 9 * %■ v.

Photo from A PRN

THE IRISH Republican against the administration of Army recently held its first the twenty-six counties or its General Army Convention forces. for sixteen years. As well as amending the This is a further indication Constitution to support the of the changing attitudes of taking of parliamentary Republicans to the struggle seats in the Leinster House in Ireland and their reap­ Government, which was pas­ praisal of the tactics neces­ sed with more than the sary to achieve a United two-thirds majority re­ Democratic Socialist Ire­ quired, the Convention land. agreed that the IRA Con­ Several very significant stitution be modernised so changes were made to the that it reads in non-sexist Constitution of Oglaigh na language. hEireann. A statement issued by the Language IRA after the Convention said: ‘The Convention The objective of restoring opened with a unanimous the Irish language as the pledge of rededication to the everyday language of the Ir­ armed struggle and confi­ ish people was reaffirmed dence in the armed struggle and a secret ballot elected a as being the means of break­ twelve person Army Execu­ ing the British connection tive. and bringing about Irish in­ The Convention was held dependence.’ in secret and delegates from all over Ireland attended. Army These changes make it clear that the direction being taken by Sinn Fein towards a At the same time it was more overall involvement in reaffirmed that the Army social issues is supported by prohibits offensive action the IRA. South Londoners prepare boycott fight

A MEETING of labour movement activists discus­ BY LYNN BEATON ‘These extraordinary you people . . . ’ and that’s sed ways for British trade unionists to fight against on profit levels recorded in actly what they are. apartheid last Monday in Brixton. the computerised tills. Their principled solidar It opened with a video on the Dunnes Store Strike in The meeting was the be­ puts many an old time ‘act Dublin where shopworkers have been on strike for just ginning of a campaign in the ist’ to shame. over two years to stop the store handling South African labour movement to give Cathryn O’Reilly explain goods. confidence to shop workers to the meeting, ‘When w eft to carry out union policy to decided to refuse to ham trators of the meeting room boycott South African goods Cathryn O’Reilly, one to ‘expect trouble’. South African goods we wi of the strikers, discussed in the stores. just following our unions ■ the best ways to organise Dot Gibson, secretary of The video, which is very struction about something ■ the South-west London inspiring and would make a knew was right, we did: anti-apartheid boycotts USDAW, drew, attention to good start for anyone else even know very much abc from her experience. the difficulties of shopwor­ wishing to organise, is avail­ South Africa, but we so Leaflets had been distri­ kers trying to organise. able from Brendon Archbold, learned, we learned a i buted to shopworkers around Many are women and 9 Cavendish Row, O’Lehane more as well. Brixton which had, it youth on short-term con­ Hall, DUBLIN 1. Telephone • NEXT week, Worke seemed, worried the police, tracts and flexi-hours, orga­ 0001 74321. Press will print an intervii who informed the adminis­ nised by management based The history of the Dunnes with Cathryn about the stri Store strike is quite unique. and the lessons it has taug The strikers are introduced as her. SILK CUTS OUT Robert Kilroy-Silk MP for Knowsley North, declar last Thursday that he would resign his seat in autumn, to begin a new ‘career’ with BBC televisit The 44-year-old former his constituency party for h golden boy of Kinnock and the labour Party rightwing, seat. declared that ‘Militant have This arrogant middlt driven me out of politics.’ class careerist, who accuse others of vilification, he He said he had been he been in the vanguard of tt victim of three years of ‘mis­ witchhunt, denouncing a ery and vilification’, and his opponents as ‘Militants that his ‘enthusiasm for poli­ tics had been destroyed.’ The Constituency Labor Party is leftwing and su] A large part of his consti­ ported Liverpool council, bi tuency is formed by Kirkby, local CLP members say th; which knows the type of mis­ out of 140 delegates, on] ery and poverty Kilroy-Silk four are Militant supporter, himself has never experi­ enced. Even Knowsley council leader, Jim Lloyd, who is He lives in Buckingham­ rightwinger, was denounce shire in a mansion with two 'as a ‘Militant’ because I acres of ground and is rarely stood against Kilroy-Silk. seen in Kirkby. Troops out of Ireland! He has not m ade an The constituency force appearance at the consti­ Kilroy-Silk to stand for r< tuency Labour Party for ten selection, but the Labor months. leaders came to his aid b Prisoners out of jail! postponing the reselectio Kilroy-Silk has been an conference. MP since 1974, and declared •Saturday 9 August 1986# in the past that he meant to No wonder Kinnock burs be prime minister. out in chagrin and anger i lpm Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, Londor .Ml Kilroy-Silk’s resignation. Republican marching band • Phone 01-729 0414 He was to be a future Labour Minister and res­ It broke up the rightwin igned as shadow minister of tactics which were meant t Law and Order two years prevent the reselection tal Irish Freedom Movement ago to devote time to fighting ing place before the ne> election. The Workers Press Saturday April 12 1986 PAGfc LIFE IN SANDINIST WE WERE hearing a fair 1972 earthquake. A lot of the amount a few weeks ago in families in the area worked the media about Nicar­ at the nearby market which was uncontrolled so there agua, or at least, President were no controlled wages Reagan's hysterical rav­ and the people were re­ ings. moved from the revolution- He was trying to justify his ary process of re­ NICARAGUA proposal that the US Senate organisation. grant £100,000 in military aid ‘The new school building ‘Directly, not at all. Over the to the Contras. This request was being built by people last year the Sandinista was refused by a very narrow who lived near the school, army has driven the Contras margin, and he is expected to the parents of kids and the out of the coffee-growing re­ make a compromise sugges­ students at the school them­ gion. Activity now seems to tion soon. selves, which was good as it be confined to sporadic Reading the bourgeois drew the school and com­ attacks from across the Hon­ press we glean very little ab­ munity closer together. This duran border. out the gains of the Sandinist was reflected in the increas­ ‘In last year’s coffee har­ revolution or the life of Nicara­ ing numbers of children vest the Contras were able to guans since the 1979 victory, attending. kill a number of pickers — or the 'Triumph' as it is now ‘It’s exciting being in a the aim being to frighten called. place where there is a re­ people off and generally dis­ I interviewed Charles volutionary process going rupt coffee production, Fletcher, who spent three on. Where you can speak to whereas this year the Contra months in Nicaragua with the people who are involved in couldn’t interfere, so the first British Coffee Brigade, that and who are willing and only real evidence I saw of about his impressions of the the war was the number of developments in the country soldiers and armed people and the difficulties which are about. ftt-n created by the hostility of the Interview by US. Lynn Beaton Defence One of the biggest problems faced by Nicaragua is the shortage of materials but people are keen1 to build their new society. Here Jocal people ae helping to build a new school for their children SINCE the Triumph the cof­ open to talk about politics. ‘I must stress that seeing threat to US imperialism, ‘But most people I met state. fee harvest has been crucial The majority of people you to the economy and every soldiers and armed people in there’s no two ways about it. support the Sandinistas who ‘Fifty per cent of speak to know exactly what Nicaragua is very different It is a threat by example, it’s are very confident and open year for the three months of imperialism is — are very businesses in Nicaragua are the harvest, brigades of from seeing soldiers and the same threat that Grena­ about the process they are still private and so it’s not a clear about what the US is police in this country, be­ da was. It’s the threat of a Nicaraguans from the cities trying to do at the moment. engaged in. At the moment socialist country by any go out to pick the coffee cause in Nicaragua there is tiny country in Latin Amer­ they are dealing with a' means, but I’d say it’s a beans. ‘Most people told me they no distinction between sol­ ica kicking out US imperial­ mixed economy while trying country that is building were better off since the diers and other people ex­ ism and it’s the threat of to build a socialist society socialism. The harvest coincides with Triumph and of course, cept that they wear a uni­ progress. Nicaraguans with socialist institutions. the long school break and a they’re the ones who should form. On our UPE there was themselves are aware of ‘The cost to the Sandinis­ number of Ministries close know. The whole process of one member of the rural this, I saw wall paintings tas of the Contras being down or run on a skeleton building the new society has militia who was responsible there which said “Cuba there and being supported by staff to release workers, involved a large number of for defence but who was also yesterday, Nicaragua today, Process the US is that they have to teachers and students are programmes in health, involved in the harvest itself El Salvador tomorrow.” spend fifty per cent of the released for the harvest Tn- n/innntinn nViilrl o rvrvrt onrl mAot IV. ^ 1 government's income on de- aggicooivc 10 a tic tu ‘The lesson of Vietnam is overseas. ity and water - the records the UPE.’ up what the US wants to do to blockade; hospitals run show that these things have that the US couldn’t win any­ The British Brigade pick­ The bourgeois media seem preserve its exploitation of short of medicines, schools way in a war, but US policy ed coffee on an UPE (state been undertaken with zeal.’ puzzled by the venom of Central America.’ don’t have enough mate­ farm) for four weeks near has always been a combina­ Charles was reluctant to Reagan against such a small Charles felt that the Con­ rials. I visited a factory tion of the economic attack Matagalpa in the middle of generalize from his short country which hardly seems tras had very little support where they roast and grind and the military terrorist the coffee growing region to visit and experience but he a threat to the might of the in Nicaragua itself. ‘Any coffee and cocoa where there activity of the Contras. Both the north of the country. This said: ‘The only limitations US. But Charles found this support for the Contras com­ were no filters for masks, so have an enormous effect on UPE was chosen to host seem to be the materials, understandable es from the bourgeoisie who people were working without the development of the coun­ several international bri­ there are great shortages of ‘Reagan presents Nicar­ are opposed to the state in­ masks — it is those day to try and greatly hinder the gades because it was consi­ things because of the war agua as a military threat tervention of the Sandinista day shortages that you programmes they are trying dered safe from Contra and the US blockade.' which is just a lie, you can’t and who are worse off now notice and that seem to be to initiate. attack. I asked him how aware of deal with that presentation the biggest problem to the than they were before the development of the socialist ‘The Contras claimed to Contra activity he was: seriously. But Nicaragua is a Triumph. have 15,000 fighters last Triumph year. During this year 10,000 of them were either killed, Charles explained: ‘The captured or gave themselves poorest people in Nicaragua up to claim amnesty — so in are the campesinos terms of numbers the Con­ (peasants), but those I met tras are ceasing to be a real are totally behind the Sandi- military problem. Despite nista Revolution and are the amount of US money that very clear that their living they’ve had, they haven’t conditions are much better been able to claim control of now than they were before a village, let alone an area. the Triumph. ‘The agrarian reform which has been taking place Amnesty since the Triumph has meant that campesinos have ‘Their actions are the ac­ been given land to farm co­ tions of terrorists, I mean operatively which belonged during the literacy cam­ to Somoza. On this land they paign teachers were always are able to grow food for a target for Contra attack. themselves as well as crops Teachers were killed, for sale, whereas before the schools were burnt down. So Triumph these campesinos they don’t appear to have were dependent on the sea­ anything positive to offer. sonal work of harvesting. ‘In the last elections, 80 ‘Each UPE has a number per cent voted and of those 70 of permanent workers who per cent voted for the Sandi- receive a wage throughout nistas — that seems to show the year. Some of these are the support that they have. involved in the harvest as ‘The Triumph is seven well as the brigades, but years old now and half the they are responsible for population in Nicaragua is making the decisions about under 15, so in every way it’s the running of the UPE.’ a very young country. The After Charles had been on pride in the revolution is the UPE for a couple of very strong and people say weeks he learnt about a pro­ that, they will defend it with ject in Managua to build a their lives and it is clear that school and decided to extend is true.’ his stay to work on that after Nicaragua is greatly in the harvest. The project was need of support from Bri­ mainly funded by money tain. Coffee and building bri­ from Britain and involved gades as well as material building a new pre-school aid, is organised by thei unit in a poor area of the Nicaraguan Solidarity Cam­ city. paign, 20-21 Cornwall Ter­ ‘The school was in a region race, London, Nl. that uia c HpctrnvpH in thp GENERAL COUNCIL LOBBY BUILDS CAMPAIGN

A LIVELY lobby of trade unionists demanded of TUC delegates to the General Council Meeting on Wednesday July 23 that they launch a campaign for immediate sanctions to blockade the Apartheid Jim Bevan (left) Mid Glamorgan AEU District Secretary with two striking Tudor Products workers regime. massive European-wide day ‘Not only shopworkers, but Even if they did impose that the British TUC can ex­ The lobby was inspired by the call for action of the of trade union solidarity and all workers should start sanctions they wouldn’t be in ert in the form of sanctions British working class made at the NUM Conference in strike action in support of fighting. If we wait for Mar­ by its own membership will the gaoled South African the class interest, they would Tenby by two South African miners, Cyril Ramaphosa garet Thatcher we’ll be left work out some way to get be beneficial to workers in trade unionists. waiting and waiting.’ around it. South Africa who have them­ and James Motlatsi. That they demand the selves made this call. Jim Bevan, an AEU Offi­ ‘We have to rely on our Motlatsi, President of the REPORT BY ICFTU approaches the cial from South Wales was own class to impose sanc­ ‘Willis and Todd have seen South African NUM, said: LYNN BEATON WFTU and WCL to launch a optimistic. He said it was for themselves first hand the ‘We are calling for interna­ united similar action tions. If we build a big important to raise this issue enough movement and get real conditions in South Afri­ tional solidarity action all throughout the world’s of sanctions against South enough people calling for ca and not had to rely on over the world. and from South Africa, cut trades unions.’ Africa as the only effective sanctions in the trade union filtered lies from South Afri­ ‘We are calling on the all financial and commercial Cathryn O’Reilly, a Dun­ way of striking a blow for movement, at branch meet­ ca through our media. working class of the world to links — stop the flights, post, nes shopworker from Dublin South African workers. ings and so on, the TUC will ‘They surely must realise take action. Workers in telex, etc. (The only excep­ who has been involved in ‘I have spoken to all the be forced to act. the seriousness of the situa­ South Africa are starting to tions being links which aid direct action against South delegates from my own un­ tion and act immediately. doubt the TUC for not taking the liberation movement). Africa for over a year said, T ‘Our group was set up in ion coming here today. They support of the printworkers I’m sure British unionists revolutionary solidarity ac­ ‘That they give immediate think the lobby is great. This all support the call for sanc­ will respond to that call.’ tion.’ is what the TUC needs. to make sure that people in financial aid to the black tions whilst recognising that lesbian and gay communi­ The lobby of TUC dele­ As delegates approached trade unions and all the li- ‘It’s no good having paper members may lose their jobs ties know what is happening gates was supported by We 111 U 61 ucmaiiu uui leaders act on their fine ‘That they campaign for they will support tnem it that could be lost; tnat is We are setting up a Lett words. We demand of the the adoption of jailed trade they take action. how serious my union is. wham NUT, Lambeth NAL- I TUC leaders: unionists by the British Out Group in London which ‘They should be taking a ‘You can’t be other than will be for lesbians and gays GO; Trades Councils includ­ ‘That they launch a cam­ labour movement, to fight lead now, making sure that moved by the plight of work­ ing, Oxford, Merthyr Tydfil. for their release and send to organise around class paign now throughout the their members have all the ers no matter how hard you issues and link up with a Birmingham and political trade union movement for financial aid to their fami­ information available on are and no matter if it causes groups including the Work­ lies. group already operating in immediate workers’ sanc­ South Africa. It’s no good hardship.’ Leicester. ers Revolutionary Party, tions to blockade South Afri­ ‘That they immediately only dragging out their poli­ Chris Brind from the Les­ Workers Power, Internation­ ca — block all goods going to take the lead in calling for a cies when they are entertain­ Tom Hosey, a NALGO al Communist Party, Labour bian and Gays in Support of member from Lambeth said, ing visitors from the ANC. the Printworkers said, Party Young Socialists, the ‘The trade union movement Leninist , supporters of ‘They’ve been lagging now has a responsibility to fellow for 25 years. It’s not enough ‘Our group want to see Socialist Viewpoint and the sanctions imposed now: we trade unionists in South Afri­ International Group. to talk, we need action now. can’t wait for Thatcher. ca and I think any presssure PAGE 4 The Workers Press Saturday October 25 1986 When Knowsley came to Walworth: evcmea iasx weanesaay, uctODer zz, wnen nearly a dozen women chained themselves to Labour Party headquarters in London. Two mini-bus loads of Labour Party members from the Knowsley North constituency, representing five Labour Party wards and four Transport and General Workers Union branches, arrived in London to protest at the National Executive Committee meeting which was usurping their right to reselect a candidate for the area. The women, who were dressed in period costume being a base for Militant, but and sported sashes of suf­ Alan Kelly denied this, fragette colours — green, saying, ‘This is just non­ white and purple — said: sense, there is not one Mili­ tant supporter that works ‘The suffragettes fought for the right to vote and now there’. we are fighting to exercise ‘Les Huckfield, who has no that right. connection with Militant, would almost certainly win We demand the right to selection for North Knows­ choose who will represent ley; the Militant candidate Knowsley North.’ would probably come in This is the second time second or third.' that the NEC has usurped Alan Kelly said the the right to select the candi­ reasons given by the party date for Knowsley North. leadership for the enquiry One of the women, Mar­ are fabrications. garet Carney, said, The Merseyside East ‘In 1983, Kilroy-Silk was Euro-constituency was ac­ im posed on us without cused of not providing the choice. Twelve months ago necessary seven days notice our reselection process was of a meeting. suspended pending an en­ But Frank Kelly told quiry. Workers Press that they now ‘Now Kilroy-Silk has res­ have proof from the Post igned and once again our Office that the notices were reselection process has been sent seven days in advance. suspended with all the in­ Kinnock has also stated dications showing that the that he doesn’t believe that NEC is about to impose yet Huckfield has the backing of another candidate. the Transport and General ‘As women are an integral Workers Union but militants part of the Labour Party, we in the area say everyone will be staying chained until knows he has had the union’s we hear the result of the backing for eighteen years. NEC meeting. At the same time as the It is well known among left left are being accused of ger­ wingers in the area that this rymandering, the EETPU move is to prevent the selec­ sent eighteen new delegates tion of left wing nominees, into the constituency branch (see letter, pl3) at the time Kilroy-Silk was It is believed that the NEC trying to get re-election. hope the Liberals will de-- Local party activists are mand a by-election to give not even convinced that all of them the opportunity to these ‘delegates’ come from claim lack of time for the the Mersey area. constituency selection pro­ Alan Kelly said that if the cess to take place. NEC tries to impose a candi­ Alan Kelly, from the Kirby date on the constituency they Unemployed Centre, told will refuse to recognise the Workers Press: nomination. ‘This is a warning to the ‘We have more right to be whole left of the Labour Par­ in the party than any im­ ty: it’s not just Militant that posed candidate and so we is being witch-hunted, Kin- won’t resign. nock is out to crush any ‘But we know how they opposition in the party.’ work and it will lead to ex­ The Unemployed Centre pulsions. We’re not going to has been accused by the sit back and let Kinnock tell right wing of the party as us what to do.’

PAGE 2 The Workers Press Saturday October 4 1986 Workers Press at the Labour Party Conference fringe meetings One year out on Broadwater Farm

moulded it to meet their own He was handcuffed, taken OCTOBER FIFTH is anniversary of the Broadwater REPORTS BY LYNN BEATON needs. Farm riot; October 4th of Cynthia Jarrett’s death. to the police station and the The estate provided no­ a crime). Arrest led to cnmi- Nothing happened on the key to his mother’s flat was Martha Osamoor, a resident of Broadwater Farm, told where for anyone to meet, nalisation. Farm without the commun­ taken by police. the Labour Campaign for Criminal Justice fringe meeting nowhere for the children to At the end of 1980, the ity group being consulted. The rest of the story is well at the Labour Party conference of the background to the play — only the corridors. police decided to establish a As a result, the crime rate known. Martha said that, decreased. The police con­ events of last October which culminated in the death of As soon as the residents mini-police station on the since October 5, the police moved in, the police moved Farm because the Haringey tinued their harassment. harassment is worse than Cynthia Jarrett and PC Blakelock. in after them. station couldn't handle it. A visit was arranged to the ever. Harassment of children The local media published West Indies so the youth Martha told the meeting irate landlady asking if she led to their criminalisation, the story with a headline : could see where they came Using the excuse that they the problems faced by couldn’t understand English. which increased the police ‘Mini Police Station For from. Several of the com­ were looking for Blakeloek’s blacks arriving in England The black community of presence. Crime Estate’. munity group leaders went murderers, police smashed in the early 60s. Haringey was forced to con­ The residents had come The community group at too. in people’s doors. She arrived from Nigeria fine itself to poor quality from a number of different the farm called a meeting. When they returned, drugs They could easily have ac­ in 1963. Her husband had a overcrowded housing. backgrounds and Martha People were insensed at this quired keys from the com­ small one-room flat in a very They needed Council hous­ said: ‘Our colonial masters description; Demands were had been pushed all around the estate and had become a munity group if they had had run-down area of Haringey. ing because private housing made sure that the different taken to the Haringey warrants. The search for a better was denied them outright. cultures were divided.’ council. real problem. The residents asked the Martha asked why people place to live was made The racism of Council A group was set up to over­ The community group pro­ don’t listen to the cries for almost impossible by the housing officials meant that come the cultural divisions ceeded to set up a youth club, police why they hadn’t stop­ ped this. help that come from groups racism of landlords who fre­ black families were only and to work together for im­ a nursery, many projects suffering police intimidation quently displayed signs given one offer and again provements in the condi­ were developed offering In turn, they started a and oppression. which said: ‘No Irish, No forced to accept sub­ tions. training for the youth and rumour that there would be Dogs, No Niggers’. riots at Broadwater Farm. She said: ‘Why did the standard housing. As the group met it be­ co-ops such as a shop, a laun­ miners have to go through it, She didn’t know what the Places like Broadwater came obvious tht the chil­ dry and a hairdressing salon On October 3, 1985, Floyd why did the printers have to word ‘nigger’ meant. Farm were built — but with­ dren were nearly always provided employment. Jarrett, one of the youth go through it before they When she first saw it, she out any consideration for the arrested for the first time on The residents of Broadwa­ leaders, was picked up by knew that it was happening knocked on a door which was residents’ needs or back­ ‘sus ’ (suspicion that the ter took their environment police for a regular car to us?‘ slammed in her face by an ground. arrested is going to commit into their own hands and check. Social chauvinism — SWAPO calls alive and well in for trade unions to the Labour Party imnose sanctions ■ ■ viunvi KUO ivMiimovwiu ui a t)iuup ui CIUCI o the RUC. discussing what to do about their wayward sons. Archer said that if the Party spokesman on Ireland Stuart Bell sent his Labour Party was accused of being just hot air, just apologies and said he might arrive late, but didn’t. It was talk, he wuld agree because therefore left to Peter Archer to make the main apologies that is what we need right of the meeting — that the Parliamentary Committee on now to solve the situation. Ireland had still not produced a statement. Lots of talk. He assured us that this to make the transition. Alvin McGuinness, SDLP chairman, spent his allo­ was due only to secretarial More debates and receiv­ difficulties and he was pre­ cated time justifying the ing more submissions was Anglo-Irish Agreement and pared to ‘stick his neck out’ the way ahead. There must and say that there would be a assured us that the SDLP be no committment to a rigid was making inroads into statement — within six timetable. months. Protestant groups. He said He called for a reserve of nothing about the recent The Labour Party obvious­ ideas which would ensure gains of Sinn Fein. ly has very severe secreta­ that the Labour Party re­ rial problems. These have shown that tained the initiative! many of the Nationalist com­ Archer thought we Archer condemned equal­ munity see Sinn Fein as their shouldn’t waste our time ly the violence of both sides. political representatives. talking about the Anglo-Irish 11c said nothing about the accord because it has been At question time many organised violence of the frustrated Labour Party de­ talked about a great deal capitalist state. already. legates raised objections to No mention of the tragedy the handling of the Irish que- He said that the British of children and innocent sion by the speakers. presence, of course, must be adults being killed by plastic But no one dared to men­ ended, but that any solution and rubber bullets. No men­ must be a process. tion openly, let alone sup­ tion of the brutality of strip­ port, the right of the Irish Because the Labour Party searching and the torture of people to determine their cares so much, they want to prisoners. own future or to take up make sure they get it right Or of the continued harass­ arms against the imperialist and develop the right policy ment and intimidation of the state which oppresses them.

Salford family LONDON STUDENT MARX­ IST FORUM Sunday October 5: A Marxist Analysis of faces deportation Money' — trip around ‘Money' exhibition at British Museum. Meet on the Museum steps, 3.30 pm. Organised by N Lon­ A SALFORD FAMILY and new evidence has now don WRP faces deportation to Iran. forced the Home Office to reconsider the case. EL SALVADOR SOLIDRAITY The Mashadimirza fami­ CAMPAIGN Sixth Anniversary ly came to Britain for of formation of FMLN. LSE, medical treatment. Confirms Houghton Street, WC2, 7PM. Friday October 10. FILM: ‘In Before leaving Iran they the Name of the People' fol­ sheltered a leading opponent This evidence, conveyed lowed by Rally and a Fiesta' of the Ayatollah Khomeni by Stan Orme the family’s with food, drinks and LA music regime, who has since been MP, confirms the danger imprisonned and tortured. LPYS MASS DEMONSTRA­ they would face if deported TION TORIES OUT'Saturday to Tehran. October 18. Assemble: The family believes that 11.30am Southwark Park for Penalty there is other evidence March to Trafalgar Square — against the deportation Rally and Bands. The penalty for harbour order but this has to remain MANCHESTER IMMIGRA­ ing opponents of the regime confidential for the moment. TION WIVES AND FIANCEES is death without trial. The case is far from won CAMPAIGNA National De­ Although the family are and the Support Group are monstration and Rally against now living in fear of their appealing for help from any Racist Immigration Laws. lives, the Home Office has individual or organisation. October 11, Assemble: Long- refused their application for • Please write to Mizra site Library, Stockport Road, political asylum. Family Support Campaign, Manchester at 12.30 pm. (For They were due to be de­ c/o South Manchester Law further information ring Loretta ported on September 23 but Centre, 584 Stockport Road, Loach, 061-225 5111.) considerable public pressure Manchester. M13 ORQ. but Labourites hedge bets at AAM ’s closet meeting DENNIS Healey’s address to the Anti-Apartheid fringe meet­ ing at the Labour Party conference was significant for what it did not say. None of the expected great promises of what a Labour government would do. There was little in the way of Tory-bashing. In fact, Healey shifted the responsibility for impos­ Only the Namibian speak­ ing sanctions from the British government to the er from SWAPO made a United Nations and then to big business. clear call for sanctions His speech ended by- which he directed to the Brit­ from a future Labour gov­ ish working class. saying that the most press­ ernment. ing demand must be that He asked that the trans­ comprehensive mandatory However, Diane Abbott, port workers and the miners sanctions be passed in the prospective Labour Party refuse to handle South Afri­ : Security Council of the UN. candidate for Hackney and can imports or exports. Earlier he had put the re­ Stoke Newington, pledged He also called on the sponsibility on the US gov­ that the six Black Labour Labour Party to support ernment for their vetoing of MPs would ‘not stop until we SWAPO in its own right and the UN sanction motion see the next Labour govern­ asked that the Labour Party already moved. ment deliver on South conference came out with a Africa.’ clear position. He also lampooned the US She was obviously attack­ for not selling off its gold ing Healey, when she said stocks, saying that, if Amer- that it was easy to score j ica put some of its gold onto • Footnote : While most the open market, it would points off Thatcher while the fringe meetings battle it out bring down the price of gold Labour Party was in opposi­ for audiences, Anti-Aprtheid tion but that when it was in appeared not to want one. and affect the apartheid reg­ government it would be hard ime far more than any sanc­ to move from the moral Only conference delegates tion campaign. stand to actually taking ac­ or official visitors were British big business must tion. allowed into the meeting without a special ticket. refuse to trade with South But she didn’t indicate the | Afica. sort of action she had in When we went to get a he said nothing about the mind, or for what she consi­ special ticket we were told Labour party’s responsibil­ dered would be a ‘delivery’. that the meeting was full and there were no more left. ity. Nor that of the trade She ended by saying that union movement. she ‘sincerely hopes that the In fact, the meeting was His speech was a prepara­ next Labour government half empty from the begin­ tion for the betrayal of the pledges its commitment.’ ning — and more so after South African working class Clearly, she has her doubts. Denis Healey had spoken . Bolton support for Guildford 4 BY RICHARD KNOTT ment — to take on board the the Irish Embassy and the case of the Birmingham Six, Irish government in Dublin framed for the Birmingham to demand these gross mis­ ONE OF the Appeal pub bombings. carriages of justice be over­ Court judges who dealt A speaker from the Cam­ turned. with the Guildford Four paign told the meeting that, The meeting was re­ case was a leading Black­ after the IRA’s bomb cam­ minded that in November an shirt in the 1930’s, a meet­ paign in the early ’seventies, important television ing in Bolton, Lancs, was the Irish community began documentary concerning the undergoing a ‘sentence of si­ Guildford Four and the told last week. lence and fear’ : many fami­ Birmingham Six will be A motion to form a ‘Free lies settled in England had to shown on Channel 4 to coin­ the Guildford Four’ Cam­ uproot and return to Ireland. cide with the publication of paign in Bolton was passed The speaker urged people Robert Kee’s book on the with an important amend­ to write to the Home Office. trials. uo)eag uuA~| Aq M 9jA J9)U | AVM 3 HI QV31 SH3HH11S

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Ull UU^llO v/l U11U UU1 «. Mi V «/» LUC u ca tj clique wuuiu oiiuu- great importance not' only ance.’ assist modernisation — is der at!) is deserving of some for the field of world history. As the journal ‘Socialist having some political spin­ applause. Alternatives’ notes in report­ off. ‘The questions of the vic­ • Source: ‘Socialist Alterna­ tory of socialism in one coun­ ing this, so far the Chinese Zhu Tingguan says in his moves towards reassessing review, ‘we will need to be tives’, 22 Charles Street, Ox­ try, permanent revolution, ford, the question of socialist Trotsky have been limited to courageous in dealing with WHILE GOVERNMENTS around the world debate the pros and cons of imposing sanctions on the apartheid regime in South Africa and while the TUC mouths intentions but takes no decisive action, eleven shopworkers in Dublin celebrated the second anniversary of their strike for boycotting South African goods. I refer of course to the Dunnes shopworkers and their decisive and courageous stand against the apartheid regime. The dispute started in response to an instruction from the 1984 Conference of the Irish Distributive & Administration Trade Union calling on members to boycott South African goods and promising support for any members who took action. The Dunnes workers discussed the instruction and decided unanimously to carry out the boycott and refuse to handle any of the South African foods sold in the store. I interviewed Cathryn O’Reilly, one of the Dunnes strikers, during her recent visit to London to support a lobby of the TUC General Council to demand trade union sanctions. She talked about the strike and how it had affected those involved in it.

‘THE DAY after we told grapefruit and told Mary the the window of the can­ management we were called that she had five minutes to teen at us. into the office two at a time reconsider. and asked why we were ‘Most of them had been our ‘When she said that she’d friends and they started boycotting South African continue with the boycott •goods. shouting out in the street, they said they had no option personal things that we’d ‘They asked us what had but to suspend her until she told them. We tried to ignore South Africa ever done for us changed her mind.’ them and realised that they and were we prepared to put were just scabs. our jobs on the line for peo­ Mary clocked out and the ple thousands of miles away. other ten clocked out with ‘Our union backed us from her. the beginning but the Irish ‘We said we were going to Council of Trade Unions continue. Nine people back­ The union put two com­ promises to the company: gave us some placards for ed out and eleven of us said either the workers would our picket and then left us to we were going to continue. handle South African goods, get on with it. ‘We were placed on check­ provided the company ‘We asked them for sup­ outs with management agreed not to order any port but they told us that standing behind us, just more, or they would go back they were supporting the waiting for a conflict to come into the store with South British miners. Even though up. African goods there, pro­ there were eleven of us they ‘That day there were hard­ vided that they weren’t used that as an excuse.’ ly any customers in. Usually obliged to handle them. we would be put on the floor At first the company re­ to pack, but we were all left fused to talk to the union, on the checkouts all the time. Picket Cathryn said. ‘After three We were bored to tears but months there was a meeting we still weren’t allowed off.’ The company refused both between the union and the The following day, the test offers and so the workers put management of our store. came. A customer a picket on the store. ‘They said they’d make a approached the checkouts Cathryn explained: ‘at compromise when the cus­ with a South African first we didn’t really know tomers didn’t want the grapefruit in her trolley. very much at all about South goods, when the competitors ‘She hovered between two Africa but we had to learn stopped selling South Afri­ registers and then went to quickly. We learned mostly can goods and when the Gov­ Mary’s. Mary politely ex- from people who’d been ex­ ernment put a ban on them. lained that we couldn’t iled from South Africa. ‘It was obvious that cus­ andle South African goods ‘The first day we put on the tomers didn’t want South because of our union’s policy icket, the people who’d African goods. Since we’d on South Africa and because Eacked down walked past us. put on our picket, business of the system in South We all said, “ Good morn­ had fallen by 60 per cent. Africa. ing” , and they ignored us. ‘As for the competitors, ‘ T h o Plicfnmor co ir) thof ‘ T Qtnr that Hav thpv tVinxn I1TAXA a+Viax a4axaa ‘As for waiting for the Gov­ land when he was on his way trade unionists about how ernment to put a ban on, to collect his Nobel prize. the boycott was helping we’d written to Garret Fitz­ They asked him to appeal to them and to meet Winnie gerald who had been a mem­ the churches in Ireland to Mandela. ber and sponsor of the Anti- support boycotts against However the South African Apartheid movement for two South Africa. authorities refused them en­ years. Tutu said that he did not try and they had to fly ‘He referred our letter to think he ought to have to straight back. Roy Quinn, the Minister for appeal to the churches, that Labour, who looked into it it should have been second Cathryn explained that for nine months and then nature to them. they were held up at Heath­ referred it to the Labour However he did invite the row for three hours. Court. Dunnes strikers to visit They were told that British ‘The Labour Court decided South Africa and go on a tour Airways were refusing to that we’d made our point and with the South African Coun­ take them because it would it was now time to go back to cil of Churches. mean risking the plane being work. The strikers raised the impounded. ‘But we didn’t come out to money to cover the costs of An official from the South make a point — we came out the visit in the trade union African Embassy arrived to have the right to refuse to movement and through col­ with letters denying the handle South African goods.’ lections on the picket line. strikers entry to South Afri­ Two of the strikers went to They hoped to visit the ca, but they refused to speak meet Bishop Tutu in Eng­ homelands, talk to black to him because he was an Zola Budd runs on blood!

‘ZOLA BUDD runs on blood' a field of four. ing Budd to attend this event — this was the message from Demonstrators were in­ tonight. They should be sup­ Tyneside Anti-Apartheid censed when members of the porting the sports boycott of movement at the Kodak Clas­ National Front wearing ‘Zapp South Africa.’ sic Games at Gateshead Sta­ ’em Zola’ tee chirts began David Clelland, Labour MP dium on Tuesday night. taking individual photos of for Tyne Bridge, approached Protesters at the South the protesters. the large and noisy demon­ African runner’s inclusion in Brian White of Anti- stration that was taking place the games drew attention to Apartheid told Workers outside the stadium, after the decision by the Common­ Press: ‘Some people ask why congratulating the demon­ wealth Games Federation to politics should be brought strators in their protest exclude Zola Budd from the into sport but in South Africa saying he supported their Edinburgh games because blacks are not allowed to stand totally. she failed to satisfy the Brit­ participate in sport. He then proceeded to enter ish residency qualification the stadium. This hypocritic­ laid down by the federation. al behaviour was also evi­ This precedent was over­ Died dent at the weekend with a thrown by the Amateur Athle­ visit to the Edinburgh games tic Association as Budd was ‘People should also realise by Neil Kinnock in what he allowed to participate in the that in South Africa many described as a private visit. Kodak Classic meeting more children under five died After his daily bleatings in sporting a Great Britain track of malnutrition than did in the the press and television, suit. famine of Ethiopia. crying out for sanctions Budd had to be secretly Zola Budd is not in­ against South Africa, the smuggled into the stadium terested in becoming a Brit­ Labour leader in this sac- instead of arriving with the ish national. She would run tions hustings exercise has rest of the competitiors. for anyone who gave her a demonstrated clearly his lack However this subterfuge passport. of commitment to the was to no avail ac R h HH c t ill oppressed of South Africa. The Workers Press Saturday August 9 1986 PAGE 7 Dunnes striker Cathryn O’Reilly talks to Workers Press official of the racist regime. lot of things going on you movement and different reli­ congratulating us and thank­ Eventually the plane de­ realise that it does involve gious groups. ing us for the action we’d parted, seven hours late, you. ‘Anti-Apartheid did invite taken. with the strikers on board. ‘It even opens your eyes to us to their annual conference ‘He then went on to talk ‘ When we a rriv e d in the injustices going on in and they did award us with about his wife and daughter Johannesburg the next your own country. For ex­ certificates and Mandela who’d been killed in South morning we saw lots of ample a lot of the things that medallions, so they have Africa by a parcel bomb and guards around and we are going on in the North of been good to us, but I think he described the way they assumed that was normal. In Ireland are the same things they could have been better.’ were found, just a mass of the queue to go through cus­ that are happening in South I asked Cathryn if they had pulp. toms we were asked if we Africa. any idea where the strike ‘This man had spent twen­ were the group travelling ‘People have said to me would lead them when they ty years in in prison in South from Dublin. that we shouldn’t have Sinn first started it. Africa and he had lost his ‘They brought us up six Fein on our picket line be­ ‘No, never in a million daughter and his wife and he flights of stairs. I can re­ cause they’re men of vio­ years. I can’t say why we was congratulating us. member there were only ab­ lence, but they’re no diffe­ decided to take the action, ‘We felt that we’d done CATHRYN O’REILLY out four security men when rent to the ANC. They’ve we just did, we never really nothing, but it was really we started and the more we tried a peaceful struggle for thought about it. touching, everyone came out in South African is, but it’s ‘In colleges or schools you went up the stairs the more so long it didn’t work. not just good enough to talk ‘If someone had said to me with a lump in their throat can ask them to stop selling security were joining us. ‘There were children going and crying. It made us all about it, it’s well and truly South African products in two years ago, that I’d be time to do something. ‘At one stage there were 32 out and fighting with their going on strike for people more determined.’ the canteen. armed guards around us.’ hands and they were getting thousands of miles away and Cathryn also had lots of ‘You don’t have to be em­ ‘If you do work, you can After being thoroughly plastic bullets. I mean that I was going to get up at suggestions for the sort of ployed, you can complain in refuse to handle South Afri­ searched, the strikers were there’s only so much people public meetings and go to action people could take your local supermarket if can products and make sure escorted back onto the plane. can take. South Africa I’d have while we wait for the TUC to they have South African that your union has a policy ‘As we left, we just said, ‘This strike hasn’t really laughed at them, because I impose sanctions. goods on sale and you can on South Africa and are pre­ “ We’ll be back, When South changed my attitude to the would have thought, there’s ‘Everybody you talk to ask them to take them off pared to support you if you Africa is free.” North but it’s made me try to no way. knows how wrong the system sale. do take action.’ ‘By this time the strike get people in the South to ‘I mean I would always go was a year old. realise what’s happening up and fight with any mana­ there at the moment. ger and I’d fight for what I ‘Some of us have become believe is right, but I could Pressure involved in a stop strip never imagine myself get­ search campaign, we’ve ting up at a conference or campaigned for the Repeal something. ‘We continued with the of Section 31 of the Broad­ picket; we continued to put ‘Now I’ve addressed enor­ casting Act (the ban on Re­ mous meetings at Labour pressure on the church; we publicans speaking on radio continued to put pressure on Party conferences, spoken the government. ‘We had had a lot of sup­ port from British trade un­ ions and I think that shamed the Irish TUC into giving us STOCKPORT BAN VOTE support, which they finally did. NO FOOD OR COMMOD­ Manchester, is refusing to ‘But at first everybody ITIES of any type from accept any cheques drawn wanted to cop out, every­ South Africa’ voted Stock- on Barclays. body wanted to say that it port council on July 22. They are advising cus­ wasn’t their problem. This was part of a ten- tomers who bank with Bare- 1 nup i n oiiondn thpir African goods because the It also included disinvest­ only banks not involved in next week they’d have some­ ment and non-involvement South Africa are the Co-op one asking them to ban Chi­ in any cultural or sporting Bank and Trustee Savings lean goods and then Russian links with apartheid. Bank, but it is Barclays that etc. In another move against has the greatest involve­ ‘They said they would im­ South Africa, Grassroots, a ment in South Africa. pound goods for Dunnes and well-known left bookshop in Martin Ralph they did, but Dunnes started to get their goods in from Belfast. ‘In December 1985, the or television) and got in­ at an International Women’s business figures for our store volved in a lot of other conference. Now these are were down by 80 per cent. things. things that we’ve all done.’ ‘The Government asked if ‘At the beginning of this The strike has obviously we’d lift our pickets to give strike I didn’t even know been very solid for two years them a chance to work on there was an Anti-Apartheid and I asked Cathryn whether sanctions. They said that movement. that solidarity had ever been they’d give us the results by ‘At the time they were threatened. the end of March 1986. very small, they only had ‘No, I mean, we have had ‘In March this year the four branches. Now they our arguments and if one Irish Government agreed to have 30 or something, that’s person was down the rest ihtroduce agricultural sanc­ how aware people in Ireland would rally round and try to tions next January. have become. pick them up. ‘Our store only handles ‘At the beginning not many food and so they think agri­ of the Anti-Apartheid people ‘Sometimes you get down, cultural sanctions will be came down to the picket line. and you think, God, nobody enough. gives a shit about us, we’re ‘They gave us financial .lust left here. donations but it seemed as if they were a lot of middle- ‘It was a hard time for us Consideration class people, just involved in when the Labour Court told a nice cause. They had their us to go back to work but we ‘I think they took us into name on a sponsorship list, knew we wouldn’t go back. consideration when they did but they weren’t prepared to that. get out and do anything. ‘Even if our union had told ‘So we’ll stay on strike un­ ‘I mean there are people in us to go back to work we til January and when we do Anti-Apartheid that do get would have stayed out, that’s go back to work, we’re going out and do things, but there how strong we felt about it. to campaign because we are them who sit back in should have complete sanc­ their armchair and say, “ oh, ‘I think the miners helped tions, not just cosmetic sanc­ isn’t it shocking!” and that’s us as well. We met miners at tions.’ about as far as it goes. the beginning, they used to I asked Cathryn how she come over to raise money thought the strike had ‘At first the AA thought it and they’d stand on our pick­ changed her. was really great that some­ et line with us and we’d joke ‘It’s changed everyone, one had taken action about with them about who’d been it’s opened so many doors. I South Africa, but when it out the longest. mean before the strike we started going on I don’t think didn’t know much about they were too pleased with South Africa. us. Strong ‘I knew black people had ‘None of us were members been discriminated against of Anti-Apartheid and we did what we wanted to do ‘When they went back to because of the colour of their work, we were real sad. skin, but I never thought whether they thought it was right or not. When we found out about it what I could do that might we were in bits, but it made help them. ‘They had no control over us strong too, we said ‘I was like most people, us; I think some of the action “ they’re not going to do that you just work from Monday we took, they wouldn’t agree to us.” to Friday and you get your with. wages and wonder what ‘At first the Irish Anti- ‘At other times we were you’re going to spend it on. Apartheid didn’t even ask us given real encouragement. I ‘Everything else that’s to meetings or anything. remember Marius Schoone going on around ypu doesn’t ‘The British did but in Ire­ came to Ireland when our seem to involve you, but land all the meetings we did strike was only two months once you open your eyes to a were through the trade union old, he got up and started MPs’ links with apartheid NEARLY A QUARTER of mical companies whose US Roy Mason, former Tory Tory MPs have company in­ parents have South African Home Secretary and MP for terests in the apartheid reg­ subsidiaries. Barnsley Central, is a con­ ime, and donations to the Gordon Oakes, MP for sultant for Imperial Tobac­ Tory Party from apartheid- Halton, is a consultant to co, part of Hanson Trust linked companies amount to Tate and Lyle, which has a which has six subsidiaries £1.2 million, says the latest subsidiary in the apartheid and one associate company issue of Labour Research. state. employing 1,652. Cabinet minister Tom King is one of the 71 Tory MPs who are directors, shareholders, parliamen­ tary consultants or advisers to 85 companies which Crawley Branch WRP directly or indirectly have a financial stake in South Africa. Babcock and Pritchards pay the lowest wages in Day Schools South Africa; three Tory MPs are connected with Sunday, August 17 ‘Historical Materialism’ them. Sunday, September 21 ‘Political Economy’ Geoff Pilling The Labour Research re­ 10.30am — 4.30pm port lists all the MPs with South African business links. Ifield Community Centre, Ifield Drive, Crawley Three of them are Labour MPs. Entrance; £1 per day Dr. John Cunningham is Creche and refreshments available an adviser to Albright and Wilson and Dow, two che­ HE ONE hundred and second Durham Early unions held ‘a big meeting’ to de­ iners’ Gala welcomed guests from all cide whether or not they would sign the /er the country last Saturday, July 12, bond. id provided an atmosphere which no- Eager to induce the miners to accept another harsh contract, the employers put ie could ever forget. on cheap beer and offered each miner who It was a celebration of the strength of the signed a contract a bounty of two week’s story of Durham’s miners — as the brass wages, more money than any miner would tnds and the banners paraded the pictures- normally hold in his hand at once. le and history-steeped cobbled lanes, min­ 's and their friends rejoiced in the proud Throughout the last century the Durham •ritage of generations who had celebrated area saw enormous struggles to establish e Gala before them. unions. The miners this year, just over one year All housing was owned by the collieries so ter the end of the Great Strike of 1984/85, any miner who took strike action would be

HOW IT BEGAN BY LYNN BEATON uded a pride in themselves and their immediately evicted and forced to live in owledge of the part they had played in the moors. eir own history, as well as a great respect Often the army was brought in to carry ; or the courage of their forefathers. out evictions and force miners back into the This respect was tinged with a bitterness pits. At times the whole df the Durham area the cruel brutality which is part of the was occupied by the army. itory of every miner. When bonding ended, ‘the big meeting’ was turned into a Gala to celebrate the The history of the Gala itself is the history freeing of the miners. labour learning to fight against the rapa- It still retains that sense of celebration ous brutality of pit owners. today. Until towards the end of the last century At the same time it also contains a bitter iners in Durham worked under a feudal sadness at the destruction of the coalfield in md system. the last forty years. Every year, miners signed a contract with In 1942 there were 120 pits. Today there 1 owner, which bound them for the next are only six, one of which is immediately 'elve months. threatened with closure. Any miner who broke his bond, by refus- The banners of all the closed pits were g to work or accept the harsh conditions of exhibited in a marquee which was the most e bond, was called before the magistrate popular of the events on the field. d handed out at least a prison sentence. They hung in long lines and their silence One day a year, on the day the contracts told of the death of an era while their colours ;re signed, miners were free. told of the battles that each represented. The Workers Press Saturday October 11 1986 PAGE 3 Durham Mechanics second day of action

THE MINERS’ determination to fight was once again confirmed last Tuesday when strike action brought WESTOE COLLIERY to a halt. The strike, solidly supported by the NUM members and the Deputies, was the second in a series of one-day stoppages called by the Durham Mechanics. The Mechanics’ action is for the reinstatement of | BY LYNN BEATON ] Geoff Hartnell and all sack­ ed miners; to force the Coal coal had been lost through Board to pay the back money the strike. stolen from them; to restore Jim Perry, President of the conciliation machinery the Durham Mechanics and in the industry and to stop secretary of the Westoe the closure of Seaham col­ Lodge, said on the picket liery. line: ‘I am very pleased with The 130 UDM members at the strike and the excellent the pit had been urged by support the Mechanics have their branch officials to received from the NUM and cross the picket lines and the Deputies and we thank work as normal. Everybody them for that.’ expected them to do so. Jim expects the next six UDM branch president days of action to be as suc­ George Hunter said before cessful as the first two have the strike: ‘We will definite­ been. He pledged to keep the ly come to work. Our rules pressure on the coal board are quite plain: we do not until the sacked men are recognise picket lines which reinstated. do not recognise the UDM.’ Referring to the UDM However, the UDM’s pre­ members, he said: ‘This will PICKETS outside Westoe pit had an easy job when only a handful of scabs turned up for work. dictions couldn’t have been be a chance to show that they more wrong. Throughout the really respect democracy.’ At each shift they met in­ fight the sackings and those vious ballot, now stale be­ The success of the strike at who don’t. day about a dozen men went Durham Mechanics voted side and balloted to decide Westoe was especially signi­ cause of new Tory regula­ into the pit. overwhelmingly for the which 15 men would stay in. ficant as it was feared there The last two sackings took tions, was overwhelmingly As the almost empty buses strike action on September As the others left the pit they might be trouble because of place only one week ago in favour of action. arrived at the gates, the ob­ 18. Their first target was were greeted with cheers some conflict in the NUM when 2,200 men brought the However on Tuesday there vious success of the strike Murton colliery where a from the pickets outside. lodge since the 1984-85 strike. pit to a standstill when they was no question of support was greeted with cheers and strike, four days after the The feeling of solidarity refused to cross a spon­ for the Mechanics’ action. the pickets were contemp­ vote, was a great success. was strong and it was again Seven men have been taneous picket organised by The NUM lodge secretary the sacked men. tuous of the odd scab who At Westoe, the Deputies clear that any talk of the sacked at the pit since the Tommy Betts said he ex sat, lonely, on the odd bus. met at 4a.m. and agreed to miners being finished as a end of the strike and the A later meeting decided to pected his members to re­ A coal board spokesman meet only the minimum fighting force is nothing but conflict is between those who hold a ballot over the issue spect the action and they said nearly 6,000 tonnes of safety requirements. the pessimism of cynics. want to take direct action to despite the fact that a pre­ certainly did. while Seaham and sacked men picket NCB . criminatory policy. October 2b, October 27. Small Hall, uonwav SACKED miners lobbying the British Coal offices in the north-east. A MEETING of the Durham Albert Nugent, secretary year. Area union officials and the of the Campaign to save Sea­ It was felt this was in­ coal board in the North East ham colliery, told Workers tended to stampede the men decided last Tuesday Octo-_ Press: ‘It’s our right. The at Seaham and elsewhere to ber 7 to go ahead with a local" Tory Government were take redundancy immediate­ review procedure of the clo­ strutting about in 1984-85 ly: if redundancy is not sure of Seaham colliery. saying that the review proce­ taken in the next six months The meeting was picketed dures were sacrosanct. miners will only get half the by miners from Seaham Col­ money. liery and sacked miners. ‘Let’s see how sacrosanct But redundancy money is These meetings are nor­ they are now.’ only equivalent to two or mally held monthly but the While the meeting was still three years’ earnings and if last two have not taken taking place the coal board it hasn’t been spent on what place. It was felt the Coal announced its plan to reduce social security regard as the Board was avoiding talking the amount of redundancy necessities of living in the about a review for Seaham. money after March next first year you can’t receive any social security. The meeting was also pick­ Workers Revolutionary Party eted by several sacked min­ ers in the Justice for Mine- workers Campaign. Among them were John Little and ARCHIVE SALE Glen Black from Dawdon Colliery who were sacked in October 1984 after an inci­ dent where colliery windows PLUS MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT were broken. Both men were charged and given two-year sent­ Saturday 19 October ences. They have served eight months in jail and feel . 10a.m. to 5p.m. that they have more than paid for the windows which 21b Old Town, Clapham, London were broken. John and Glen told Work­ SW4 ers Press: ‘All we did was put a window out. A scab put Archive material includes: Workers International News, Fourth some NUM windows out and International (1940-1980), Labour Review, SLL/WRP pamphlets, he went to court and got a C P material, Labour Monthly, Communist International & two-year discharge. pamphlets, International Socialist Review (SW P). ‘We put some NCB win­ Equipment includes: Industrial bric-a-brac; fixtures & fittings, dows out and get a two-year furniture, electronic and electrical oddments, various prison sentence and lose our paraphernalia, etc. jobs as well. We’ve more than paid for the NCB win­ Refreshments available Admission 50p dows.’ GAY RIGHTS: March against MEETING British Trotskyism, (W o rk e rs Pow er, to ito ria i Nottinghm County Council’s dis- 1938-1949' 7.30 p.m. Monday Board)

REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR

LONG LARTIN ALBANY HULL HM Prison Long Lartin, HM Prison Albany, Newport, HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, South Littleton, Evesham, Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS Humberside Worcs, WR11 5TZ VINCE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ ence, 274064 LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ R O Y W ALSH: Life sentence. ence, 464984. HARR Y DUG G A N : Life sent­ 119083. ence, 338638. JAMES BENNETT: 20-year sentence, 464989. BILLY GRIMES: SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ EDDIE B U TLE R : Life sent­ DURHAM ence, 338637. ence, 341418. STEPHEN NORDONE: Life HM Prison Durham, Old ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- sentence 758663. Elvert Street, Durham. year sentence, 131877. GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- year sentence, 132016. GARTREE MARTINA ANDERSON: Life JOHN McCOMB: 17-year HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ sentence, D25134. sentence. B51715. ter Rd, Market Harborough, ELLA O ’DW YER : Life sent­ ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year Leics, LE16 7RP ence, .D25135. sentence, 461576. PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- sentence, 461575. year sentence. B32954. INNOCENT MEN AND RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life WOMEN FRAMED BY THE sentence, 463799. BRITISH POLICE: JO E O ’C O N N ELL: Life sent­ PARKHURST ence, 338635 CAROLE RICHARDSON HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ 290719, HM Prison Styal. port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX Wilmslow, Cheshire FRANKLAND HM Prison Finchale Ave, PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM N O EL G IBSON Lite sentence Brasside, Durham Prison Gartree. 879225. PAUL HILL: 4627-78. HM Pris­ PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life on Wormwood Scrubs. sentence, 342603. sentence, 119085 GERARD CONLON: 462779, TO M M Y Q U IG LEY: Life sent­ M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ HM Prison Long Lartin. ence 69204. ence, 119087 JU D ITH W ARD, HM Prison P E TE R SHER RY: Life sent­ BR ENDAN DOW D: Life sent­ Durham. ence, B75880. ence, 758662. H U G H CALLAG HA N . 509499, PAUL H O LM ES: Life sent­ HM Prison Gartree. ence. 119034. JOHN WALKER. 509494, HM WAKEFIELD EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ Prison. Long Lartin. HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ ence, 135722. BILLY POWER, 509498, HM field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG Prison Wormwood Scrubs. G ER A R D H U N TER , 509495, LEICESTER HM Prison Welford Rd, HM Prison Frankland. HUG H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ Leicester', LE2 7AJ RICHARD MclLKENNY, ence, 338636. 509498, HM Prison Worm­ SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ wood Scrubs ence, 758661. ence. I888 PADDY HILL, 509496, HM CON McFADDEN: 20-year BRIAN KEENAN. 21-year Prison Gartree. sentence, 130662. sentence, B26380. PAUL N O R N E Y : Life sent­ GERRY McDONNELL: Life ence, 863532. sentence, B75882 They are all serving life and in NATALINO VELLA: 15-year PATR ICK M cGEE: Life sent­ the case of Carole Richardson, sentence, B71644. ence, B75881. indefinite detention.

The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumann Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. CANTEEN WORKER ON NUM LODGE COMMITTEE

A CANTEEN WORKER been accepted and wel­ should because our jobs has achieved a break­ comed by everyone. are just as much at stake through in the National ‘They are pleased that as the men’s when a pit Union of Mineworkers by the tiny minority of comes under threat.’ being voted on to the women at the pit are tak­ Although all pits em­ NUM Lodge Committee ing an interest.’ ploy women in the can­ at Murton Colliery in Co Pat, who works in the teens it is very rare for Durham. pit canteen, continued: ‘I them to be elected onto hope this will be a break­ NUM committees. A few Pat Curry said: ‘My through for women and years ago a woman was appointment to the com­ that more of us will get elected to the Notting­ mittee has astounded a involved with the NUM. hamshire coalfield lot of the men, but it has ‘It is important that we branch committee. Workers BOOST FOR NOTTS NUM AN INTERIM Tribunal hearing held to exonerate Mick field altogether. office at each pit, a tele­ Press McGinty, vice president of the National Union of Mine- ‘They were keen to get rid phone and a noticeboard. workers, who was sacked from Ollerton Colliery last of Mick because he had been They have access to man­ month decided that the Coal Board should re-instate him very successful at Ollerton agement for discussion of recruiting for the NUM. grievances, facilities to hold Saturday November 8 1986. Newsdesk 01-733 3058 and that he should receive all wages lost. Ollerton has 30 per cent meetings at pits, in canteens The Tribunal agreed with NUM membership.’ and in miners’ welfares. the NUM that McGinty had | BY LYNN BEATON j The decision of the Interim They can distribute leaf­ been sacked not because of Tribunal is a victory for the lets and newspapers at the any unsatisfactory work re­ NUM in Notts as it estab­ pit head and they can con­ cord but because of his union instatement and instead duct ballots. offer compensation. lishes clearly that they are activities. legally entitled to recruit They regularly meet with The Coal Board’s actions The case for McGinty was members and distribute management at pit level and were an infringement of a clearly strengthened by the literature at the pits despite at area level. industrial action taken at section of the Employment the Coal Board’s attempts to The NUM are denied all Act which allows unionists Ollerton the day after he was intimidate NUM members to sacked. these facilities and many the right to recruit and dis­ stop them doing so. NUM activists have been tribute union literature. 90 per cent of the men at a Last week the first Notts threatened with dismissal The Board has refused to pit which has a 66 per cent pit to be closed since the for the distribution of NUM reinstate McGinty until a full UDM membership stopped strike of 1984/85 officially literature or merely for dis­ Tribunal hearing has taken work and brought the pit to a ceased production and NUM cussing the advantages of place but they must honour halt for 24 hours. members are being haras­ strengthening the NUM in the decision of the Interim sed and intimidated over job Notts. Tribunal and pay him full transfers. Despite all of this the NUM wages while the full hearing Action It is being made clear that is still continuing to chal­ is pending. transfers will only be given lenge the authority of the Because the case put by This action confirmed that to members of the scab UDM in the pits, and is still the NUM was so strong and both NUM and UDM men UDM. recruiting members. the Coal Board offered very were convinced that McGin­ Since the 1984/85 strike in The decision of this In­ little evidence, it is believed ty had been victimised and Notts the NUM have been terim Tribunal will streng­ that a full Tribunal will up­ they were not prepared to forced to work in an under­ then the ability of NUM to hold the decision made last stand for it. ground way as they did be­ organise in Notts and week. Ray Chadburn, Notts Area tween 1926 and 1937 when boosted the morale of NUM However this will not be NUM President told Work­ Spencerism dominated the members in the area but binding on the Coal Board ers Press: ‘The Board plans Notts Coalfield. they still have a long battle w ho ca n refuse re­ to take the NUM out of the The UDM have a union ahead of them. BOYCOTT SA COAL! says Hatfield Main NUM

THE HATFIELD MAIN Branch of the NUM has called They approached the Don­ caster Anti-Apartheid who a march in solidarity with the South African NUM agreed to co-sponsor the de­ on Saturday, November 8th. monstration and since then the Yorkshire Area AA has Workers Press spoke to Dave Douglas, Hatfield Main also agreed to support it. Branch Delegate who said: All Yorksire NUM Bran­ ‘The South African NUM ches have been contacted to are in the vanguard of the BY LYN BEATON particpate and as many struggle in SA. nationally as could be meeting. reached.

‘And they gave a very high ///;//Northern Ireland. Anderson wore the Irish col­ British courts against the re­ ours, green, white and gold fusal by the High Court to The Trial itself was scant on evidence of either the and as Ella O’Dwyer was led grant an injuction against Brighton bombing or the so-called ‘seaside reign of away to the cells her sister the horn office to stop strip­ terror’ but it did provide an opportunity for the press shouted from the gallery, searching and to continue to ‘Ireland unfree shall never expose this degrading prac­ to drag up the emotional whinings of Tory leaders and be at peace.’ tice. to heighten their anti-Irish campaign. ‘That’s right’ O’Dwyer re­ mThe Workers Revolution­ During the sentencing of ever handed out by British sponded. ary Party will continue to Magee the judge must have courts and shows the hypoc- Francie Molloy, a Sinn fight for the rights of Irish exhausted his vocabulary of rosy of a legal system that Fein councillor, said the people to fight for a free and insulting adjectives in his applauds the violence of prisoners were convicted united Ireland. thirty-six minutes of conde­ British troops in Northern some months ago and should • As we go to press, we have mnation. Ireland. now be allowed to serve their just received copies of let­ Magee’s sentence of eight Despite the tirades of the sentences in Ireland. ters written by Martina life sentences and the recom­ judge however, the Republi­ The Irish Prisoners’ Anderson, Ella O’Dwyer and mendation that he is not to cans in the dock and their Appeal condemned the sent­ Gearoid Mac Domhnaill be released before serving at supporters in the gallery ences meted out on the pris­ from Brixton prison, we least 35 years equals the stif- shouted, ‘Tiocisaidh Ar La’ oners, the remand conditions shall reprint them in next fest terrorist punishment (‘Our day will come’) and under which they were held week’s Workers Press. MARIA TOLLY

Voices, Maria Tolly — Stroppy Cow Records.

THIS album is a chronicle of the battles and struggles of our time. True to the folk music tradition to which this record belongs, Maria Tolly has given thi pain, the frustration, the courage and the strength of those involved in struggles a musica voice. Music has always been a powerful part of every struggle bringing inspiration because i expresses more than the cold hard facts, it expresses the emotions which motivate action when words only motivate complaint. Songs play a direct role in struggle at mass gatherings when their singing proclaims anc secures an emotional unity. Sometimes the songs are battle cries, sometimes warnings and sometimes statements of solidarity with other struggles. The other side of political song is its role as a herald of news, which excites the spirit while informing us. Through song the very depths of our being can identify with another struggle far away. Maria Tolly’s record brings us the experience of many struggles, most of the songs she has written herself. Each song is carefully resear- ______ched to express the mood of its subjects. The only two songs on the album not written by Maria place her own songs soundly in the folk genre. ‘Song of the Exile’ is a strong statement that political work doesn’t end with exile written by Barry Gilder, a South African who left his homeland in 1976 and ‘Tres Morillas’ Maria introduces on her word sheet as ‘the oldest song about imperialism that I have come across.’ It tells of the decimation of the Moorish people by Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand in the Iberian Peninsular. Maria’s own songs give us a range of insights into the lives of women in struggle and in the case of ‘Troops Out’ she delivers a cry for action. She has obviously been deeply moved by the plight of Ulster, ‘Maghaberry Jail' rages against the use of strip searching as a form of torture, ‘Living a Nightmare’ ponders how mothers cope in Northern Ireland with the dangers of the institutionalised violence faced by their kids as well as all the other dangers which constantly worry all mothers and ‘Torn in Two’ is the lament of Elizabeth Hill, mother of Paul Hill, having her son incarcer­ ated in a foreign jail. ‘A Model OAP’ is light relief which is a spoof about the delights of life on the old age pension, and ‘Waves’ is a tribute to the strength of struggle generally though for the composer the song was inspired by ‘the strength and optimism’ of ‘my lesbian sisters and my Black and Asian friends’. ‘Rosa’ is a call to support Nicaragua and e ‘Mum’s the Word’ a celebration of the politic- n al awakening and assertion of miners wives. 5) ‘Right of Way’ exposes the plight of the physically impaired and ‘Hey Brothers’ is a -i strong call from women unionists to their J brother unionists for a voice in their own *1 movement. All of these songs have important messages to impart and Maria has clearly developed each one with care and commitment and her presentation catches the atmosphere of their birthplace. Maria financed the record herself which is a further statement of her own commitment to the struggles she sings about. I have heard Maria sing some of the songs from the record live and unfortunately I don’t think the production of the record does her justice, but that is a problem all working- class balladeers have to live with. It is because of the power of their music, that they are denied access to the technological heights of the bourgeois music industry, and this industry has shaped our expectations. In any case for me, folk music is for singing and not for listening to in the isolation of my own loungeroom. I am therefore delighted to have access to a record full of new and moving songs which I can learn. I recom­ mend this record to anyone who wants a testament to the struggles of this time and who enjoys the unity of singing about our struggles. PAGE 6 The Workers Press Saturday August 16 19 The bin lids rattled... FIFTEEN YEARS AF- l BY LYNN BEATON TER internment the small barricades were set atmosphere in Belfast is up. I still heavy with memory At 4.30 bin lids rattled and and tense with nervous banged. anticipation. One woman told me that Everybody here has their after that first night every own story and their own time soldiers were sighted memories of the nightmare the bin lid alarm went up and of that night in 1971 when everybody raced from their British soldiers dragged 300 houses to the entrances of men from their beds and the nationalist districts to away into the night. form human barricades. As bonfires lit up the sky, But if the soldiers wanted children ran around as chil­ to get in, they did anyway. dren do at these events, but They moved bulldozers in there was a difference. when necessary and just Their excitement was lifted women and children edged by a bitter hatred for out of the way. the army whose presence Sunday was a day of high was strong and provocative. tension. These children all have re­ It was just two years ago latives dead, in jail or in­ that John Downs was shot jured by the war. with a plastic bullet at point Before long the fires had blank range on an anti­ spread. Everywhere bits of internment march. roads were set alight and Everybody dressed up and in some way it had the atmosphere of a carnival, but underlying was a fear of what might happen this year. Headed by armoured cars, flanked by soldiers and police brandishing rifles and plastic bullet guns, the march wound its way down the Falls Road. At every intersection crowds stood by cheering be­ fore they joined in. Each group was watched by the military. Speeches were drowned out by helicopters whirring overhead. The military moved through the crowd waving their murderous weapons carelessly, others sat safely up in their Saracen thrones aiming their rifles at indi­ viduals. On the roofs of the shops which lined the street rows of rifles pointed down at the crowd below. PAGE 6 The Workers Press Saturday August 30 1986

Plastic bullets will come to Britain! PART ONE OF A SERIES BY A REPORTER IN BELFAST — says Belfast campaign

THE PLASTIC bullet is not a riot control weapon Whilst the damage is enor­ It is estimated that in 1975, 1981 saw a savage escala­ use them, killing innocent but a weapon of repression. mous people usually don’t the year the plastic bullet tion in the death toll and rate civilians. die till a couple of days after replaced the rubber bullet, of serious injuries. they have been shot, when 3,500 were fired. In February 1982 Whitelaw This is the message from the United Campaign This was the year of the admitted to the House of Against Plastic Bullets in Belfast. the spontaneous anger at the A further estimate is that hunger strikers and many of Commons that: shooting has died down. there has been one death for the deaths took place after Jim McCabe, from the Campaign, told Workers Press: every 4,000 rounds fired. ‘Some 3,000 baton rounds The media report that protests about hunger strike and 1,000 CS projectiles (gas) ‘It does not stop riots and it does not deter people from someone was wounded and The US research showed deaths or just after their of approved types are now rioting. neglect to report the death the lethal nature of plastic funerals. when it occurs a couple of held by police forces in Eng­ bullets when fired within The authorities were using land and Wales for anti-riot ‘When plastic bullets are introduced the riot will get days later. regulations. even more vicious and people will be much more plastic bullets not to disperse purposes.’ This American research The British army rules re­ riots but to intimidate the determined to succeed in their protest because some­ was done between 1973 and There have already been commend that plastic bullets republican communities. reports of plastic bullet guns one has been hurt. 1975 and the results were be fired ‘at a range not less Of the seven people killed, being sighted on the picket well for the purpose of rep­ made available to the British than 20 metres’, and that ‘But most of the 16 people government. three were children, one was ’ line at Wapping. We cannot ression because the people they are fired below waist a 30-year old housewife and wait until the death toll be­ who have been killed here by here, who are the targets, In August 1981 an Interna­ level. plastic bullets have not been three were men in their for­ gins to show itself, we must know full well the damage tional Commission of In­ However, in at least six of ties. act now. involved in riotous be­ that can be inflicted. quiry investigated the use of the fatal shootings the bul­ haviour, have not even been plastic bullets in Northern The use of plastic bullets There is no doubt that the in a riot situation. The rest of the world is led lets were fired from a much here has very grave implica­ British ruling class will use to believe that a plastic bul­ Ireland. closer range than 20 metres. ‘The plastic bullet is being tions for the whole of the these weapons on workers let is a tiny piece of plastic One of its members, Dr When Brian Stewart’s British working class. who threaten its rule. used as a weapon of suppres­ the size of a live bullet. Tim Shallice, wrote in the mother took an action about sion, to drive people off their New Statesman: Not only must we take the So far they have been re­ own streets, to make them In fact it is three and her son who had been killed, responsibility to work luctant to use them in Bri­ stay at home and to make seven-eights inches long and ‘The conclusion seemed in­ the soldier who had killed through trade unions, politic­ tain because they are afraid them bow to the will of the one and a half inches in dia­ escapable to members of the him was asked if he was al and community groups to of the outcry it would cause government.’ meter and weighs four and Commission: the Northern aware of the firing instruc­ force the British government and the solidarity it would three quarter ounces. Ireland authorities were tions for plastic bullets. to stop their use in the north bring to the nationalist com­ Seven of those killed here knowingly allowing wide­ by plastic bullets have been It is flat at both ends and He said, no. Despite this he of Ireland, but we must also munities in the north of Ire­ so the damage it inflicts on spread, indiscriminate and was commended as a very fight now to prevent their land. children, too young to be a illegal use of a weapon threat to the security forces, impact is often not im­ competent and able soldier. use in England, Scotland and mediately obvious. whose lethal potential was They are also clearly fired Wales. and none of the victims of the well known.’ But we must not overesti­ bullets has been accused of The bullet has a muzzle above waist level. The then The police in Britain have mate or be duped by that breaking the law. velocity of well over 160 Northern Ireland Secretary been issued with plastic bul­ reluctance. miles per hour and an ener- Humphrey Atkins replied in lets and their use is immi­ The admission that the Bullets an answer to a parliamen- ev level above 110 foot *— — — — *; — ;.. , v.------nent. police are already in posses- wnen urea ai nve yarus As well as the deaths, range the plastic bullet has same. Jim said: ment for plastic bullet in­ control ana ponce provoca­ there have been hundreds of an impact energy of 210 foot ‘The armed forces and the juries. After the Brixton and Tox- tions such as we saw in Brix­ people wounded, often with pounds. security forces are not made Of the 45 who were treated teth riots in 1981 the then ton a few weeks back all permanent injury, blinding, Weapons with this amount accountable for the rounds of as in-patients, 31 had head Home Secretary William point to the imminence of or brain damage. of punch cause serious skin plastic bullets that they fire injuries. Whitelaw said that plastic plastic bullet shootings in Plastic and rubber bullets lacerations, massive skull in as strict a way as they are Of the seven people killed bullets would ‘mean inflict­ Britain. are not being misused here, fractures, rupture and des­ for lead bullets. by plastic bullets in 1981, five ing injury or even death on rioters’. but used for the purpose for truction of the kidney, frac­ ‘This can be seen from the died from head injuries, one • The British labour move­ which they were designed: ture and fragmentation of fact that so many are fired. from a chest injury and one This despicable hypocrisy ment must unite with the Un­ in situations where the au­ the liver, haemorrhages, The media and the police had both head and chest in­ shows the callousness and ited Campaign Against Plastic thorities want to use force, necrosis and rupture of the cannot give and will not give juries. the determination of the Bullets to stop their use in but where the use of live heart when fired at the heads an exact number. Of those injured that year, British imperialist author­ Ireland to prevent their use in ammunition would cause a of baboons and the bodies of ‘They will sometimes say four lost an eye, several had ities to the so-called citizens Britain and to demand that storm of criticism and there­ small pigs. two were fired, three were fractured skulls, one had of Northern Ireland. those responsible for the mur­ fore be politically counter­ These sort of injuries suit fired, when people who were epileptic fits after the inci­ On the one hand they ders of innocent civilians in productive. the purposes of the security there know that hundreds dent and two are likely to admit the lethal nature of the Ireland are made to face jus­ Plastic bullets serve very forces. were fired.’ remain partially paralysed. bullets while they continue to tice. Plastic and rubber bullets — the death toll

Francis Rowntree, aged 111A, diers. Friends said Tobias two cushions on fire in the Brian Stewart, aged 13, died through the Lower Falls Julie Livingstone, aged 14, died April 23, 1972 was not involved. road. Some boys stoned the October 10, 1976 when he was hit by a plastic died May 13, 1981 Hit in the head by a rubber soldiers. A bullet was fired Hit in the face by a plastic bullet fired by soldiers at Hit on the head by a plastic bullet near the Divis Flats on and hit Stephen who was bullet soon after 6pm on 15-20 yards range as he bullet as she walked towards the afternoon of Thursday playing about 40 yards away October 4. walked up Leeson Street, her home in the Lenadoon April 20. and not involved in the where troops had earlier stoning. He had just left his home in been firing plastic bullets at The bullet was fired by youths. soldiers in a Saracen Stephen was the first killed armoured vehicle. The bullet by a plastic bullet and his Paul Whitter, aged 15, died had been hacked in half, with April 25, 1981 a torch battery replacing the Hit by a plastic bullet fired missing half. by a policeman in Derry at around 8.30pm on Wednes­ day April 15. A group of boys had been stoning the RUC, who retre­ ated into a bakery. The boys began stoning an electrical

Thomas Friel, aged 21, died area of West Belfast at 7pm May 22, 1973 on Tuesday May 12. Hit on the head at around Turf Lodge, West Belfast, She was returning from an midnight on May 17 by a and was standing on a cor­ errand with a friend. A rubber bullet fired by British ner. There was no rioting in group of women and children soldiers at about 25 to 30 the area at the time. The were banging bin lids in a yards range. British army made a num­ protest following the death of Thomas was on his way to ber of contradictory state­ hpnger striker Francis his home in Cregan Heights, ments to justify the shooting. Hughes. Two British army Derry. His brother, who was Michael Donnelly, aged 21, Saladin armoured vehicles with him, said the area was died August 10, 1980 came up the road. As the Tobias Molloy, aged 18, died quiet at the time although case was reported in the Hit in the chest in the early protesters ran for cover, July 16, 1972 there had been rioting ear­ hours of Sunday August 10, plastic bullets were fired ‘Sunday Times’ by Derek from the Saladins. Julie was Struck in the heart in the lier. Humphry who wrote: th e weekend of the Stephen Geddis, aged 10, anniversary of internment. found lying on the ground, early hours of Sunday July ‘By all accounts Stephen fatally injured. 16 by a rubber bullet fired at died August 30, 1975 was not one of the city’s wild A social worker who work­ shop and then, with the ex­ point blank range by soldiers Hit on the side of the head by ed with both Catholic and ception of Paul, moved Carol Ann Kelly, aged 12, died youngsters. He was with­ May 22, 1981 near a British army check­ a plastic bullet fired by sol­ drawn and rarely went out­ Protestant youth, he had just away. Paul was alone when point on the border. diers from the Royal Anglian doors, spending most of his come off duty at the Bally- an RUC man emerged from Hit on the side of the head by Youths returning across regiment, near his home at time playing with toys and murphy Community Centre the bakery and shot him in a plastic bullet fired by sol­ the border from a dance in Divis Flats, West Belfast. learning the guitar and in West Belfast. the head from about seven diers in a jeep at abouj: Lifford were stoning sol­ A patrol tried to remove mouth organ.’ He was walking home yards. 9.30pm on Tuesday May 19, )

The Workers Press Saturday August 30 1986 PAGE 7

The united campaign ) against plastic bullet$

THE UNITED Campaign Against Plastic Bullets has are threatened that they v til be prosecuted by the B .JC vl two aims: to ban the use of plastic bullets and to and charged v-,th riotous be­ \ demand justice and bring to court those who haviour. murder people with plastic bullets. ‘The Coron-', is ho..ti to­ wards them, he lus no vm- The Campaign was formed in Belfast in 1984 after the pathy for anyone tak g a killing of John Downes at an anti-internment rally. case ag- -v the se :rity forces. Some of the victims of erning the use of lead bullets ‘Th ublic Prosec ior is plastic ballets and some of were broken as often as the not sympathetic eitl r. He the relatives of those killed rules governing plastic bul­ has brought civil.' as to decided that too many had lets and if as many people court who are serv? g long been killed and injured died in the same circumst­ terms of imprisonment on already. ances with lead bullets, there would be a public out­ the flimsiest of evidence.‘In cry.’ many of these deaths he has The Campaigners have a great deal of evidence, of picketed Brocks Fireworks Another member of the eye-witness accounts and so who manufacture plastic campaign said, ‘In any case, on, but still no charges are bullets, demonstrated out- the punishment for rioting is laid.’ i •( side police stations and held a few months jail and the I ; vigils on the anniversaries of punishment for kids throw­ I the deaths. ing stones at armoured vehi­ Britain cles should be a clip over the ear, but here people are kil­ The Campaign has no Video led and most often there is doubts that it is just a matter not even any riot at all.’ of time before plastic bullets They have made a 60- will be used in Britain. minute video which shows Jim said, ‘The pain and ‘We’re trying to prepare plastic bullets being used torture doesn’t stop when the British people before it i and the actual killing of John your loved ones are killed, happens to them,’ they said. Downes. It includes inter­ you’ve then to go through a eriod watching nothing ‘We want to stop it before views with 13 relatives of someone is killed. to the problem of plastic bul­ those killed. Ceing done. ‘You’ve to go lets in Britain. The campaigners are very through the whole legal pro­ ‘The Loyalists here REPUBLICAN PoWs willing to make their know- cess. You have to take out a thought they were safe be- ‘How they can sav that I Jim McCabe, one of the everyone except John were using tnem, but it Campaign leaders, said,‘The Downes where the killing wasn’t true and if people in British government have took place in front of world­ Britain think they won’t use been trying to get the mes-, wide television coverage. them there either, that isn't sage across that to control true either. ethnic minorities or trade ‘The media are introduc­ unionists in riot situations Innocent ing the idea of plastic bullets plastic bullets are neces­ in Britain now. There was a sary.‘We are trying to edu­ ‘We’ve had some com­ television programme re­ cate the people of Britain pensation and the people cently about the introduction into realising that the plastic who’ve been killed have been of plastic bullets into Bri­ bullet is a failure as a riot cleared as innocent, none of tain. control method.’ them have been accused of The Campaign believes it breaking the law. ‘They didn’t contact any­ is wrong to see plastic bul­ ‘Yet the people who caused one from our Campaign and lets as separate from live their death are not even when I asked why, they said e ammunition. charged. that the Northern Ireland Jim said, ‘If the rules gov- ‘In many cases witnesses situation was not germaine t ------1

his home in the Creggan He was standing in the area of Derry when he got kitchen of his first floor flat caught up in rioting in the in the Divis complex, West Bogside in the wake of hun­ ger striker Patsy O’Hara’s death. Nora McCabe, aged 30, died July 9, 1981 Hit on the head by a plastic bullet at about 7.45am on Wednesday July 8 in West Belfast. Youths were throwing stones following news of hun­

ten days after the funeral of Bobby Sands. She was returning to her home in Twinbrook, on the f outskirts of West Belfast, with a carton of milk for her Belfast. The soldiers re­ g mother. sponsible were clearing bar­ Witnesses were adamant ricades in the street below. that there was no rioting in Peter Magennis, aged 41, died the immediate area. They August 9, 1981 said that when the army jeeps came into the area, the Struck in the chest by a plas­ soldiers were very agitated. tic bullet soon after midnight Five soldiers had been killed on Sunday August 9, the in­ by the IRA in South Armagh, ger striker Joe McDonnell’s ternment anniversary, in and the soldiers were shout­ death. Nora, who had two Bawnmore, a tiny national­ ing at the residents, ‘We’ll boys aged seven and two and ist area in North Belfast. get you for our five mates a three-month old baby girl, He and his wife had come today’. was walking towards the out of their house to protest Falls Road with a friend to to young rioters who had get cigarettes when an RUC thrown a petrol bomb into Henry Duffy, aged 45, died jeep approached and a their front garden. May 22, 1981 policeman fired at her from Two RUC Land Rovers Hit by plastic bullets in the a range of about six feet. appeared. The rioters dis­ chest and on the left temple Pater Doherty, aged 40, died appeared, leaving Peter, his soon after midnight on Fri­ July 31, 1981 wife and a friend in the day May 22. Hit on the head by a plastic street. A Land Rover drew Henry, a widower with bullet fired by soldiers at alongside them and Peter seven children, was return­ around lam on Friday July was shot at point blank ing from a city centre pub to 24. range. us there because we do actually know what plastic South Littleton, Evesham, bullets will do and how they Worcs, WR11 5TZ FRANKLAND are actually used.’ LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ HM Prison Finchale Ave, ence, 464984. Brasside, Durham JAMES BENNETT: 20-year PA U L H O LM ES: Life sent­ • Members of the campaign sentence, 464989. ence, 119034. would welcome invitations to ED D IE B U TLER : Life sent­ EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ speak in Britain. They can be ence, 338637. ence, 135722. contacted at 195 White Rock ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life Road, Belfast 12. year sentence, 131877. sentence, 119085 GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- The video is available from year sentence, 132016. LEICESTER the same address for £30.00 JOHN McCOMB: 17-year HM Prison Welford Rd, lus £2.00 postage or can be sentence, B51715. Leicester, LE2 7AJ Eorrowed from the Campaign ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year BRENDAN DO W D: Life sent­ Against Plastic Bullets, 25 sentence, 461576. ence, 758662. Horsell Road, London N5 Tel. PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year 607 9615. sentence, 461575. sentence, B26380. PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ PARKHURST ence, I888. HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ GERRY McDONNELL: Life port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX sentence, B75880. Stephen McConomy, aged 11, H U G H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ PATR ICK M cGEE: Life sent­ died April 19, 1982 ence, 338636. ence, B75881. Hit by a plastic bullet in the N O EL G IBSON: Life sentence back of the head fired at 879225. HULL Bishop’s Gate, Derry, on PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, April 16. sentence, 342603. Humberside There was ‘insufficient STEPHEN NORDONE: Life M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ evidence to suggest that he sentence 758663. ence, 119087. was actively involved in riot­ TO M M Y Q U IG LEY : Life sent­ R O Y W ALSH: Life sentence, ing’ ; the soldiers who fired ence 69204. 119083. from a Saracen armoured P E TE R SH ER R Y: Life sent­ car were not in ‘any great ence, B75882. DURHAM danger’ ; Stephen was shot at HM Prison, Durham. a range of 17 feet when the MARTINA ANDERSON: Life WAKEFIELD sentence, D25134. minimum recommended HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ range is 60 feet. ELLA O ’D W YER : Life sent­ field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG ence, D25135. SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ John Downes, aged 22, died ence, 758661. INNOCENT MEN AND August 12, 1984 CON McFADDEN: 20-year WOMEN FRAMED BY THE sentence, 130662. BRITISH POLICE: Shot at point blank range at PAUL N O R N E Y : Life sent­ CAROLE RICHARDSON: HM an anti-internment rally when ence, 863532. Prison Styal, Wilmslow, he went to the aid of a friend NATALINO VELLA: 15-year Cheshire who was being batoned to the sentence, B71644. ground by police officers. PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM Prison Gartree, Market Har­ The rally was a peaceful ALBANY borough, Leics., LE16 2RP ^protest, but the RUC stormed HM Prison Albany, Newport, ptto the crowd firing plastic PAUL HILL: 462778. HM Pris­ Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS on Hull, Hedon Road, North bullets in an effort to capture VIN CE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ Humberside the rally’s main speaker, Mar­ ence, 274064. tin Galvin, a spokesperson for HARR Y D U G G A N : Life sent­ GERARD CONLON: HM Pris­ NORAID. ence, 338638. on Long Lartin, South Littleton, SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ Evesham, Worcs. Keith White, died April 14, ence, 341418. JUDITH WARD, HUGH 1986 CALLAGHAN, JOHN GARTREE WALKER Struck by a plastic bullet HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ BILLY POWER, GERARD fired by the RUC at an ter Rd, Market Harborough, HUNTER, RICHARD MclL- Apprentice Boys demonstra­ KENNY, tion in Portadown on March Leics, LE16 7RP ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- PADDY HILL. 31. year sentence, B32954. They are all serving life and in He was the first Loyalist JO E O ’CO N N ELL: Life sent­ the case of Carole Richardson, victim and witnesses claim ence, 338635 indefinite detention. that he was an innocent bys­ tander to the riots which were taking place. The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Oumennf Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. ' A G E 6 The Workers Press Saturday September 6 1986 WEAPONS

PART TWO OF A SERIES What price justice BY A REPORTER IN BELFAST in the North?

INDIFFERENCE in Britain to the continuing use of rubber — now plastic — bullets in the six counties is, as we said in last week’s article, not accidental. They are portrayed as a means of ‘control’ — a method of containing ‘civil unrest’ which avoids the use of live ammunition; a ‘safe’ alternative for a '•neutral ‘peacekeeping’ force. This is not the case. As the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets has stressed, they are weapons of repression, designed to cow the population and isolate militants from the broader community. Their victims are almost invariably the innocent, the young, the bystander. This week’s instalment of our series is an interview with Emma Groves, blinded by a rubber bullet in 1971. She has since been a tireless campaigner against their use. EMMA GROVES was woken up in the early hours of the morning of the November 4, 1971 by a British army raid. A neighbour had been taken by the soldiers and Emma went to help his wife and young children who were very distressed. When Emma returned to terms with it.’ Once Emma resumed her From then Emma gra- life, she became very con­ her own house, paratroop- cerned about the continued A soldier was positioned family and triends, sne replaced Dy me plastic Dunet at each door and no-one learnt to cope with her injury which is even more danger­ could go in or out of any of and to resume her life. ous and more lethal. Aware of the terrible injus­ Emma became a tireless the houses except the tice that had been done to campaigner against the use military who continued her, Emma wanted to take of the plastic bullet. arresting young men and legal action against her She went to America in boys. attacker. 1982, after the hunger ‘It’s a terrible tragedy not strikes, on a speaking tour, Emma told me: ‘It was all to be able to open your own which specifically focused very terrifying and very door and walk out at any on the use of plastic and frustrating. We had never time — and it’s made worse rubber bullets. been under house arrest be­ by the fact that it was done During this trip, Emma fore so we didn’t know what deliberately and no-one had and some of her supporters to expect. to account for it. picketed a shareholders’ ‘We were all looking out of ‘If it had been an ordinary meeting of the company who our windows at the young accident, a car accident or were at that time manufac­ men and boys being taken something where you feel turing plastic bullets, ex­ away, some of them had just there’s nothing can be done plaining to the shareholders pulled on a shirt and trousers about it, then you have just the way the bullets were and were still in their bare to live with that. being used. feet. ‘But when you know that As far as she knows, the ‘You didn’t know whether someone deliberately fired a company has now stopped to scream or cry. bullet and shoots you and manufacture, which has ‘I’m the mother of eleven you lose two eyes, it adds to been moved to the Brock’s children. At that time they the tragedy. Fireworks factory in Scot­ were still very young, we ‘There were a lot of land. were all sitting in the living eyewitnesses who saw that After the death of John room feeling very helpless soldier walk right in front of Downes in 1984, Emma was and so I said to one of my my window and aim inside instrumental in setting up daughers to put a record on it. the United Campaign to boost up our morale. ‘His commanding officer Against Plastic Bullets. ‘The record was only play­ must know who that soldier She felt that a continuous ing minutes when a para­ was, all of his mates must campaign was needed to trooper stepped right in front know who he was, it was the educate people in both Ire­ of my window and fired only bullet fired that land and in England about directly into my face.’ morning. the use of plastic bullets and Emma had been hit in the ‘But I still don’t even know also to organise to have them face by a rubber bullet which who he was and 1 have tried banned. damaged both her eyes. She very hard to get him brought Emma believes that if the would never see again. to justice, but I couldn’t. people of Britain knew the She said, ‘It’s a terrible, ‘There was no threat to the facts they would join in the terrible shock to find that army that morning at all, campaign, you’ll never see again, that there was no need to fire a ‘It’s usually innocent peo­ you’ll never see your chil­ bullet at me, I don’t even ple who are hit,’ she said. dren again and never be able know why he did it, I can to go out arid do your own only assume it must have ‘I don’t think people real­ shopping.’ been because I had a record ise how little justice there is playing. in Northern Ireland. The shock sent Emma into ‘When you’ve been injured a deep depression. or had someone killed here, ‘When I got home from the ‘The authorities did admit you try to get justice, but hospital, I just laid in my guilt because they awarded you’re just an individual bedroom, I didn’t want to me compensation, but the trying to get justice and live. day it was awarded I was there isn’t any justice in ‘That went on for a long broken-hearted. Northern Ireland, especially time and then it occurred to ‘I had been a very happy if you’re dealing with the me that I would have to housewife, I had my children security forces. come to terms with it, the to rear and a husband who children were crying all the was able to provide for our ‘I don’t think people real­ time and my husband was needs. ise that they can do what lost and nobody seemed to be ‘I didn’t need money, but I they like here, they don’t able to get on with their lives did need my eyes. have to account for any­ because I was blind and ‘I felt it was another injus­ thing, they can shoot into couldn’t cope with life. tice that they would offer me your living room, they can ‘So for the sake of my money but not prosecute the come into your living room family I decided to come to man who blinded me.’ they can raid your house and CHILDREN of Belfast — Its always the Innocent who get hit, says Emma Groves pull your family out of bed truth of what is happening support as it develops. and arrest them. here. To do this we must raise The labour leaders have no the details of what occupa­ ‘I’ve always felt that if the tion means here and not just ordinary man and woman in excuse; they know from their mouth empty phrases about the street in England were own experiences how the its end. aware of what’s going on in media distorts and lies. the Northern Ireland in their But all too often it has been As part of this process we name and in the name of all too easy to hide behind must support the United justice, they wouldn’t allow media lies and hype about Campaign Against Plastic it. the terror of the IRA. Bullets and make sure that the British working class are ‘But the media is control­ Who is more innocent than fully aware of how these led by the Government so the a housewife attending the weapons are being used. British public are not aware affairs of her own family in her own living room? of just what’s going on. The first aim of the Cam­ Where are the tears for her paign is to have the use of That’s one of the reasons tragedy? plastic bullets banned. why our Campaign feel its necessary to travel to Eng­ It is well past time this land because, unless we go to complacency stopped. It is Two pickets have been them personally and tell time we turned our attention held outside the Brocks fac­ them the facts, they are not in a real way to mobilising tory where the bullets are being told the truth.’ against the imperialist manufactured. occupation of Northern Ire­ I believe Emma is right land. British trade unionists when she says that the ordin­ must follow this lead, and ary people in Britain have no We must forge a campaign mobilise against the manu­ idea of the horrors of life in which will leave no-one in facture of these weapons. Northern Ireland at the doubt about the terror and hands of the British Govern­ carnage that the British ment. army perpetrates on the In the short-term we nationalist communities should also call for a boycott here and why it is necessary of the fireworks manufac­ But the labour movement for the IRA to take up arms tured by Brocks, by indi­ itself must take some re­ and fight for a free and un­ viduals and by local councils sponsibility for this. ited Ireland. etc. They have been aware of the British occupation here It is not enough to merely As Emma Groves says, for eighteen years now and have a ‘Troops Out’ policy on ‘While British children de­ have done very little to stop our books and to attend the light in the miracles of it. occasional rally. Brocks fireworks, Irish chil­ They have refused to We must focus our forces dren are being killed by search out and publicise the on a campaign which builds Brocks plastic bullets.’ ij wupiviilUCI CU I v7UU WEAPONS

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on the campaign i i ? it7 against plastic bullets by a reporter i The United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets In Ireland is very concerned that the British working class and particularly the ethnic groups within it are aware of the full ramifications of the use of plastic bullets, both in terms of the damage they inflict on their in Belfast victims and they way they are used as weapons of repressions. la ir v m y i u m e vieiiina ui piciaui; ouueis or ine CIOSG relatives of those killed is the sense of outrage and injustice that has been done by the State. Individuals, in deep grief and shock are suddenly confronted by the full machinations of a State whose hypocrisy knows no bounds, which has no compassion whatsoever and no respect for the life of its citizens, takes no account of truth and defends the indefensible with lies and distortions. As the video, made by the United Campaign the effectiveness with which told them who I was and a Against Plastic Bullets the state manages to cover doctor came and was ex- each of the deaths, so that laining and I asked him ‘Plastic Bullets — The they either pass unnoticed or ow Nora was. Deadly Truth’ says, ‘rela­ the victim is seen to have ‘He said, “ injuries of this tives have all confronted been associated in some way kind are always serious.” with rebellious behaviour, the difference between 'I still had no idea, I what is happening and thus lulling people involved in peaceful, daily business thought that since Nora had what the official line says into a false sense of security. been admitted to hospital is happening. she must have a broken arm The second thing that be­ or perhaps some bruising on ‘There is a sense of com­ comes clear is that having the back or something like plete isolation and frustra­ experienced the naivety of that. tion living in a society which this attitude Jim now feels to their mind has committed compelled to bring Nora’s ‘No-one had told me that the ultimate immorality in murderers to court, not to she had been hit on the head killing someone close to seek revenge, but to let the and it wasn’t until I saw her, them. world know how the state lying on a stretcher, uncon­ ‘They are denied any red­ distorts and rationalises its scious, with her head ban­ actions. daged that the full impact hit ress at all. me. ‘The most difficult thing to Nora McCabe went out, at come to terms with is that 8 o’clock in the morning to ‘Still it never occurred to the state can kill on the buy cigarettes at a corner me that she would die. streets.’ shop, not twenty yards from All of these sentiments are the house in which she was Surgery expressed by Jim McCabe, staying. whose wife Nora died in July On her way back from They told me that she 1981 after being shot in the the shop on the corner of would be going through head by a plastic bullet fired Linden Street and the Falls surgery and I kind of from an RUC landrover. Road, she was hit. assumed that the operation Jim said that when he was would make things OK. Devoted first told Nora had been hit, ‘After the surgery which it never occurred to him that lasted up to seven hours, a she had been seriously in­ doctor called me into a room Since Nora’s death Jim and told me that in actual Jim McCabe speaking at a vigil, in Andersonstown on the Anniversary of John Downes death, has given up his job and has jured and he assumed she had been in the vicinity of fact Nora had very little Behind him, commemoration crosses are held bearing the names of all of those who have been devoted his life to bringing chance of surviving and that killed by plastic and rubber bullets in Northern Ireland. up his three young children, some minor struggles. if she did survive her speech Jim said, ‘I realised that fighting for justice for Neither of these ideas would be affected and her it still didn’t sink in that a ‘I had very little to do at Nora’s murder and fighting proved to be true. plastic bullet could kill that time and so I had an for the kids benefit I would hearing and sight because of have to give up work and against the use of plastic Earlier that morning had the area in which the bullet anyone. awful lot of time to think. bullets. Jim had been woken up by Initially about Nora’s look after them, not in a had hit her. material sense because I When I talked to Jim, two the banging of bin-lids, ‘The shock of it did not death and then gradually ab­ which was done after each ‘In actual fact, Nora died really come until after the out the consequences of it in wasn’t experienced as a things became very clear. at two o’clock the following funeral, Nora was buried mother or at cooking or The first was his initial hunger strikers’ death as a a personal way.’ sign of mourning. day. and everything had kind of cleaning etc., that was all a disbelief that such a thing Jim decided to give up his complete foreign way of life ‘At no time did I realise, died down and the public job to look after his children, could happen, despite the When Jim arrived in Lin­ and I think in most cases were gone. to me. fact that as a resident of den Street a friend told him who he felt needed him emo­ that Nora had been taken to where plastic bullets are ‘I had the private realisa­ tionally after the trauma of ‘But more in an emotional Belfast he had witnessed concerned people don’t real­ sense the kids needed me much state terror and knew hospital and that it ‘was se­ tion that I no longer had a losing their mother. rious’. ise that they are being used wife, through her being hit close to them for longer that there had been several or that they can kill. by a plastic bullet.’ The children were very periods than I could have deaths as a result of the Jim told me, ‘Even then I young, Paul was seven, Jim given if I was working.’ plastic bullet. didn’t realise. This is even though two At first Jim went to live two and Aine was only a children and one adult had with his mother who took Several dates were sat and Jim ’s experiences show I went to the hospital and baby of three months when died not so long before Nora, care of the children. their mother was killed. cancelled before the inquest I

'■''H.OQ X o n in w Announcement for WRP members WRP Irish Commission WEEKEND SCHOOL Saturday-Sunday September 27th-28th College of Marxist Education, Derbyshire DISCUSSIONS ON: IRISH SOLIDARITY WORK THE IRISH WORKING CLASS AND THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE PROSPECTS FOR TROTSKYISM IN IRELAND TODAY Cost £12 plus fares from areas. Please make bookings with WRP Irish Commission, 21b Old Town, London SW4 OJT.

was in charge of the two to justice, he said: ‘It is very landrovers and ordered the difficult to envisage or im­ firing of a baton round into agine a judge finding a case ‘Clonard St’, has since been against him. promoted to Assistance It is also very difficult, if Chief Constable of the RUC. the D.P.P. Jim said, ‘I hold him (the had brought a case against Coroner) responsible for him to imagine a public pro­ those RUC men not being secutor cross examining an brought to court. Assistant Chief Constable in ‘I hold the Director of Pub­ the way that he would ex­ lic Prosecution responsible amine a working class per­ for those people not being son who is accused of mem­ brought to court and I hold bership of an illegal group­ the RUC in general responsi­ ing or party, so the entangle­ ble for their colleagues not ment of the fight for justice being brought to court and is much more difficult here facing charges in relation to in Northern Ireland than it Nora’s death. would be in England. ‘This is another aspect of The plastic bullet sounds ineffective, but when the size of it Is known, the damage it can do becomes more apparent. the plastic bullet issue which makes it much more difficult Prosecution for people to live with it. on Nora’s death took place in first of the two reach the and they had searched for it idea that the Coroner is total­ We are so helpless in the ‘As far as the RUC is con­ November 1982. junction of Linden Street, and had failed to come up ly sympathetic with mem­ situation, the only way open cerned Nora’s case is closed turn slightly into the corner with a copy of it, so they bers of the security forces But I’am still working on a An eyewitness to the shoot­ assumed that the Canadians and is hostile to people who for me and other people who ing who was a local resident of Linden Street and then have had relatives killed is private prosecution and 1 stop. had either destroyed it or bring cases against them. personally will never give up testified that she had seen an taken it back with them. to take a private prosecu­ RUC landrover, which was Then a puff of smoke ‘We requested that the tion, that entails a lot of until I have the Assistant travelling down the Falls video be placed in the hands expense, which the ordinary Chief Constable in court to Road, turn partly into Lin­ of the Director of Public Pro­ working class person cannot give his reasons as to why he den Street and stop. 7 personally will never secution.’ afford.' ordered one of his subordin­ She said she saw what The inquest was adjourned Nevertheless Jim is work­ ates to shoot Nora in the appeared like a ‘black rub­ to assess the new evidence. ing towards such a case, he back of the head. ber thing sticking out of the An RUC officer was put in has been awarded an ‘undis­ 'I’m going to continue right hand side of the land- give up until I have the charge of the investigation. closed’ amount of compensa­ fighting, I’ve got nothing to rover.’ She gave evidence tion, so in a way guilt has lose, I never had anything. that she then heard a bang, Statement already been admitted. What I have to gain, is not saw sparks at the side of the Assistant Chief Constable Jim is fully aware of the a vindictive procedure, I landrover and saw Mrs. When the inquest was re­ difficulties he faces in trying want it to be seen that plastic McCabe, who had stopped opened twelve months later, to get such a high ranking bullets have been used to kill and was standing frightened in court to give his the jury issued a statement official of the state brought innocent people.’ against a wall, fall to the which agreed that the bullet ground. that killed Nora McCabe had She also said that there reasons why he ordered come from the RUC landrov­ was no riotous behaviour of er and said: ‘There is no Crawley Branch WRP ------4 - -- 4V. _ ------4 41------PviHpnpp to snpppst that petrol bombs, not even a to be fired at in the street. crowd gathered. ‘Neither is there evidence shoot Nora in the hack of to suggest that the deceased Political Economy — Geoff Pilling was other than an innocent Evidence party.’ Sunday, October 5 In contrast the RUC evi­ the he’ After the inquest Jim felt dence of the then Chief Su­ that the coroner should have 10.30am -4.30pm perintendent, James Crutch- appears from the right hand And it is very obvious from recommended that the men ley and numerous ‘about six­ side of the vehicle, the side their story that they didn’t responsible for his wifes Ifield Community Centre teen’ other RUC officers was facing Linden Street. know we had a copy. death should face charges, that at no time was a plastic In the video, there is no ‘This is why I found the but no such recommendation Ifield Drive, Crawley bullet fired into Linden evidence at all of rioting, no Coroner’s suggestion that it was made. Street. stones or no petrol bombs. be handed to the RUC rather In fact James Crutchley Entrance £1, Creche and refreshments available Crutchley stated that at When this evidence was abhorrent and backs up my who by his own admission the time he was in charge of introduced into the inquest two landrovers travelling the Coroner asked why it had down the Falls Road and not been placed in the hands that he was a front seat pas­ of the RUC. REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR senger in the vehicle in ques­ Jim said, ‘The obvious tion, under oath he claimed reason that we had not WAKEFIELD LONG LARTIN DURHAM that he had seen ‘two youths placed this evidence in the HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ FRANKLAND running from the direction of HM Prison Finchale Ave, HM Prison Long Lartin, HM Prison Durham, Old hands of the RUC was be­ field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG South Littleton, Evesham, Elvert Street, Durham. Clonard Street (which is 20 — cause they had concocted Brasside. Durham 30 yards below Linden H U G H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ Worcs, WR11 STZ MARTINA ANDERSON: Life their story and everyone sentence, D25134. Street) and ordered one plas­ knew it was a tissue of lies in ence, 338636. tic bullet to be fired..* order to protect themselves. SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life ELLA O 'D W YER : Life sent­ ence, 758661. sentence, 119085 LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ ence, D25135. He claimed that he did not ‘They had already tried to know if anyone was hit but CON McFADDEN: 20-year M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ ence, 464984. make our eyewitness look sentence, 130662. ence, 119087. JAMES BENNETT: 20-year INNOCENT MEN AND ‘What I do know is that no like a liar. baton rounds were fired af­ PAUL N O R N E Y : Life sent­ BRENDAN DOW D: Life sent­ sentence, 464989. WOMEN FRAMED BY THE ter we passed Clonard Street ence, 863532. ence, 758662. EDDIE B U TLER : Life sent­ BRITISH POLICE: and I am definite that none Plausible NATALINO VELLA: 15-year PAUL H O LM ES: Life sent­ ence, 338637. were fired either into Linden sentence, B71644. ence, 119034. ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- CAROLE RICHARDSON: Street or at the junction of ‘I think there were sixteen EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ year sentence, 131877. 290719, HM Prison Styal, Linden Street and the Falls of them, all telling the same ence, 135722. GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- Wilmslow, Cheshire Road.’ story and it would have ALBANY year sentence, 132016. PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM seemed very plausible to HM Prison Albany, Newport, JOHN McCOMB: 17-year Prison Gartree. RU C evidence also Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS sentence, B51715. anyone who didn’t know, to PAUL HILL: 462778. HM Pris­ claimed that there was a riot LEICESTER ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year going on at the time and that the jury for example. HM Prison Welford Rd, on Wormwood Scrubs. ‘We knew that if they had VIN CE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ Leicester, LE2 7AJ sentence, 461576. stones and petrol bombs PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year GERARD CONLON: 462779, were being thrown and that seen the video they would, in ence, 274064. HARR Y D U G G A N : Life sent­ sentence, 461575. HM Prison Long Lartin. the RUC officers were in some way have made their JU D ITH WARD, HM Prison danger. story to fit it. ence. 338638. PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ BILLY GRIMES: ence, I888. Durham Nora’s injuries suggested 'I had wondered how the SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year HUGH CALLAGHAN, 509499, RUC were going to excuse HM Prison Gartree. that she had been hit at very ence, 341418. sentence, B26380. PARKHURST close range, an estimated six the killing of Nora, because STEPHEN NORDONE: Life GERRY McDONNELL: Life HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ JOHN WALKER, 509494, HM feet, much closer than the 20 it was obvious she had been sentence 758663. sentence, B75882. port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX Prison, Long Lartin. yards stipulated in the rules killed by a plastic bullet and PATR ICK M cGEE: Life sent­ BILLY POWER, 509498, HM governing their use. there was an eyewitness who ence, B75881. Prison Wormwood Scrubs. saw the actual shooting. GARTREE GERARD HUNTER, 509495, When the RUC evidence HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ had all been given the barris- ‘I had no idea they would N O EL G IBSON: Life sentence HM Prison Frankland. try to deny that they had ter Rd, Market Harborough, HULL RICHARD MclLKENNY, te r representing the Leics, LE16 7RP 879225. McCabes sought leave to in­ done it. HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year 509498, HM Prison Worm­ troduce some new evidence. ‘Medical evidence states ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- Humberside sentence, 342603. wood Scrubs PADDY HILL, 509496, HM Unknown at the time of the that Nora’s injuries were year sentence, B32954. TO M M Y Q U IG LEY : Life sent­ shooting, and purely caused by a plastic bullet, RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life ence 69204 Prison Gartree. accidentally a Canadian film now civilian people have no sentence, 463799. R O Y W ALSH: Life sentence, P E TE R SH ER R Y: Life sent­ They are all serving life and in crew were videoing the access to plastic bullets, or JO E O ’CO N N ELL: Life sent­ 119083. ence, B75880. the case of Carole Richardson, events in the Falls Road that plastic bullet guns. ence, 338635 indefinite detention. morning. The British army was not: The video clearly shows in the area at all at the time. two landrovers driving up ‘Apparently the RUC knew The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumann Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. the Falls Road, it shows the of the existence of the video P A G E 6 The Workers Press- Saturday September 27 1986 WEAPONS IN IRELAND MURDER WITNESSED BY THE

Brenda Downes WORLD

daughter Clare. Brenda de- Part four of a series on the cr>rihoH tho cppno whpn thpv — by a reporter in Belfast

In the last three parts of this series on plastic bullets, we have dealt with the way the security forces are using plastic bullets in Northern Ireland, the damage that plastic bullets can do, and the way that the whole state machine rolls into action to blacken the name of the victim and justify each death. This week we focus on the case of John Downes (referred to as Sean Downes by the bourgeois media), who was shot at point blank range by an RUC gunman. John’s case is different from all the others in that his shooting was witnessed by the international press and because of this, and only because of this, the RUC’s attempts to cover his shooting in the usual way were unsuccessful and his murderer has been charged and tried. John’s case is also significant because whilst the Security Forces have claimed that nearly all the killings have taken place in a ‘riot situation’ which eye-witnesses have disputed, John Downes was undoubtedly shot in a situation which was called by all who witnessed it, a riot situation. But it was the armed security forces who rioted, the occasion has been dubbed, by even the most conservative of observers — a police riot.

When I spoke to John’s internment Rally in Belfast, rally is very much a peaceful in 1984. Anyone who has demonstration and a time wife Brenda about the attended an anti-internment when the nationalist com­ killing she described the rally will know that for the munity get together to share horror of that day and the participants it is not a time the suffering they have all insensitivity of the hospit­ of violent resistance. endured since internment al staff when she was The armed struggle of the and to express their solidar­ finally told that her hus­ Republican movement is ity and their nationality. conducted in a disciplined On August 12th 1984 Bren­ band was dead. way by the Republican da and John Downes went to John was shot at the Anti­ Army. The anti-internment the rally with their baby John Downes ‘We were at the back of the march and even when we not because they had that ‘They wanted me to ring first arrived I was really many casualties. They had his parents and I wouldn’t do scared because the whole to send a lot of people to that either. A priest rang his atmosphere that day was another hospital. So she parents and in the end his very bad. asked me to wait. father came and identified ‘Police were opening up the body. with plastic bullets before ‘I went back to his parents the whole crowd had even Wait place where a doctor gave got in. me more pills.’ We went to the side of the ‘Then a sister came and A neighbour of Brenda’s chapel, out of the way. I asked me John’s name and described the scene at the knew John wanted to listen what he’d been wearing and anti-internment rally that to the speeches so 1 told him for a description of him, and day: ‘You couldn’t say plas­ to go up to the front and we’d then I went back into a cubi­ tic bullets were coming this wait for him. cle where I had to wait way or that way , plastic bal­ again. lets were coming everyway. ‘Another sister came in Men, women and kids were ^ Shooting and asked me again for a being hit. At one stage we | description of John and then had to get in a car to cross ‘We must have waited half said that a doctor wanted to the road, just to cross the | an hour and there was no talk to me. road.’ sign of him. I couldn’t get ‘The doctor wanted The same woman de­ back down the hill because another description and then scribed seeing ambulances the police were shooting asked me if John had any arrive and being packed plastic bullets everywhere. tattoos and when I told him with people who were all in­ People were panicing and and described them, he said, jured, ‘as soon as they filled running everywhere. “ I’ve got very bad news for one, another would arrive’, ‘A lady brought us into her you, your husband’s dead.” she said. house and kept us there. It ‘Well it was just hard to was about an hour before I believe and I really didn't Bullet could get out again.’ take it in. We had been When Brenda got home together so peacefully just a she discovered that John had couple of hours before and Police issued a statement been hit and she was advised now they were telling me immediately after the shoot­ to go to the hospital, but that John was dead. ing saying that the bullet no-one seemed able to give ‘They handed me pills and which hit John was a her any more information. made me take them. I re­ ricochet, but eye-witnesses She said: fused to identify the body, I denied it. The RUC Press ‘When I got there they couldn’t believe it could be statement said: didn’t even know whether John. I thought there must ‘At 3.40pm today police on John had been admitted or be some mistake. duty on Andersonstown The Workers Press Saturday September 27 1986 PAGE 7

IN BRITAIN THE issuing of plastic bullets and troduction of plastic bullets in CS Gas to police in Britain has Britain has mainly taken the happened without more than a form of proving that they are murmer of protest. lethal. This is not in doubt. The experi­ However the Northumbria ences of Northern Ireland don’t police committee have chal­ have to be brought to Britain for lenged the right of Home Secret­ us to know that plastic and rub­ ary Douglas Hurd to issue the ber bullets kill. police with these lethal weapons The Northumbria challenge It has always been the role of may have important implica­ police committee’s to issue local tions, about the use of these police with equipment but in this weapons in Britain and also about case it was done without even any the growing inclination of the consultation. police force to be directed cen­ Until now opposition to the in­ trally.

Road in connection with the was found to be dead on wered on the panic-stricken anti-internment parade were arrival at hospital.’ crowd. attacked by stone-throwing Other reports though were ‘A plastic bullet had left a youths on three occasions as in stark contrast. gaping wound on one youth’s the parade approached Con­ face and he lay on the ground nolly House, provisional Sinn Sinn Fein issued a state­ ment which said: ‘However gurgling blood as it bubbled Fein headquarters in Bel­ and streamed from the hole fast. during the speeches the senior RUC man on top of the in his swollen left cheek. ‘Police occupied the roof of single level shops opposite ‘Sean Downes had been sit­ the adjoining property after Connolly House appeared to ting on the wall behind me removing the stone throwers give an order over the radio and was hit in the chest and using plastic baton rounds for a baton charge and for mouth. He lay in the street when necessary. At 2.47pm volleys of plastic bullets to struggling for breath while a Mr. Gerry Adams intro­ be discharged, not at rioters man desperately tried to duced the excluded member, because there were no rio­ give him the kiss of life. Mr. Martin Galvin, who then ters but at sitting men, ‘His shirt was opened and appeared on a platform women and children. we could see the round scars erected at Connolly House. ‘. . . During the attacks and purple mark where the As Galvin was about to on the demonstrators and bullet had struck his chest. address the crowd who were the Sinn Fein office, Gerry Efforts to resuscitate him seated on the roadway, Adams continued to appeal were all too obviously in police moved forward to de­ for calm. An RUC inspector vain. tain him. ------i------r ------‘ I 1 U ~ ~ 1 - me crowd which numbered speaking equipment.’ The international press in excess of 2,000, obviously The Irish News report of were unanimous in their con­ determined to prevent Gal­ the events was an eye wit­ demnation of the police vin’s arrest and who had ness account which de­ onslaught. been instructed from the scribed the result of the platform to do so. As a result, the RUC offic­ police charge as ‘sheer pan­ er responsible for shooting To protect themselves demonium.' John Downes was charged from those throwing missiles and suspended from duty. and to effect entrance to Connolly House, the door of Warned When 1 spoke to Brenda which had been barricaded she had no confidence that after Galvin had entered, a his trial would be other than total of 31 plastic baton She went on to say that procedural, two years had rounds were discharged, a reporters and photographers passed and it hadn’t been number of them in the air, to were truncheoned and brought to court. disperse the crowd. warned not to take any However last week the ‘. . . Initial reports indi­ photos of plastic bullets case was heard in Belfast. cated that 20 persons were being fired into the crowd. As we go to press we are not taken to hospital three of She continued: ‘It was ten aware of a verdict having whom have been detained minutes before I could get been reached. and a 22 year old man who across the road and plastic Jim McCabe from the Un­ was identified as a rioter bullets were still being sho- ited Campaign Against Plas- There is no longer any doubt about the imminence of plastic baton rounds being fired in Britain. Above, police with plastic baton launcher at Broadwater Farm during riots in 1985. tic Bullets said to me, This RUC Reservist, Nigel Photographs clearly show is typical of the way they Hegarty, was originally ac­ that Hegarty, like other RLC work. The trial just started, cused of murder and the men that day, did not use we weren’t informed it was ch arge was dropped in sights when they fired. coming up. Brenda wasn’t favour of manslaughter. informed, she is on holiday Hegarty was no more than at the moment and doesn't two metres from John even know it’s taking place. Downes when he shot him. Pretext The regulation minimum laid down by the RUC is twenty metres and the ex­ Last week when his case cuse that the police were came to trial it was the Pro- - - J 1 eooid '< '» ' •••L — ----- 1 ’ Belfast — W ednesday September 24: Press John Downes’ killer cleared Saturday September 27 1986. A question for the Labour Party conference: NO DEBATE ON IRELAND — WHO PAYS

THE PRICE... The Downes family before John’s life was snatched away by state terror.

ON PAGES six and seven, Workers Press presents Part 4 of a series on the use of plastic and rubber bullets by the British Government in northern Ireland — the case of John Downes. On Wednesday — since the article was written — John Downes’ killer, RUC Officer Nigel Hegarty, was aquitted of a manslaughter charge brought against him by the Director of Public Prosecutions in Belfast.

JIM McCABE, of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets, told Workers Press after the aquittal was announced, ‘It’s as we expected. We ‘This verdict is proof that the whole thing was a total and complete whitewash. It shows that the judiciary are now adding their voice of approval to the RUC and British Army use of plastic bullets in the killing of innocent men and women. A vigil commemorating the anniversary of John Downes death, His killer has been exonerated making the judiciary compliclt in the ‘John Downes was the If state murder can take shooting. fifteenth victim. Four­ place on the streets of Bel­ firing of the baton round or then fired a plastic bullet The trial took place while trial was coming up.' teen people have died be­ fast and be exonerated by that he could have inter­ into his chest. the ‘impartial’ judiciary — it Brenda Downes, John’s It is well past time that the fore but this is the first posed himself between the RUC regulations on the young widow was holidaying can happen here. deceased and the two police­ whole of the British Labour time any of those re­ use of plastic bullets insist abroad. Movement started to take sponsible have been When delivering his ver­ men so as to take the force of that they must be fired at a dict, the Judge said that the attack himself.’ When I talked to Brenda on some real action to force the brought to trial.’ range of more than twenty a recent visit to Belfast, she British government out of Hegarty had only two or yards and below the waist. With a Labour Party con­ three seconds in which to The ‘attack’ is an un­ told me that although she Ireland and to stop their decide what to do. proven allegation that John Hegarty broke both the didn’t expect justice to be reign of terror on the ference upon us, the question Downes was running to­ which burns to be asked is —- regulations and John done, she was living in hope nationalist population of the He said that, having re­ wards two police officers Downes is dead. that it might. six counties. what do they intend to do gard for the stress of the with a stick in hand. about the use of these lethal moment and the obvious de­ But a court has now ruled Now the case has been Even if this is true, and that Hegarty was not using Brenda and John Downes’ weapons on innocent civi­ termination of the deceased, brought to court without her right to a peaceful and full lians? he was not: eye-witness accounts are his plastic bullet gun unlaw­ even being informed and the conflicting, what damage fully. killer of her husband has life was snatched from them This verdict also conies as ‘Satisfied that the Reser- by the British state. a grave and sinister warning could a stick do against two So confident was Hegarty been exonerated by the state vee had been in breach of the heavily armoured police? without her even having the It cannot and must not be for the British working class. regulations governing the of his aquittal that no de­ Hegarty could have shot fence case was brought be­ opportunity of putting her tolerated. from a distance, tried to in­ fore the court. case. Refusal by the people of j tervene or shouted a warn­ Hegarty himself didn’t Jim McCabe said, ‘This Britain to act against this I ing to the two police sup­ take the stand, nor did his shows their unsympathetic condones it. posedly in danger. lawyers bother to bring for­ attitude. Of course this ver­ Do we have to wait until But instead, Hegarty ward any evidence of his dict will have an enormous plastic bullets kill in the waited until John Downes innocence — the sham pro­ effect on Brenda — but they streets of Britain before we HOW was at point blank range and secution did it all for them. didn’t even let her know the act? JOHN FOR LABOUR’S DIED — page 6 TREACHERY? WEAPONS OF REPRESSION BY LYNN BEATON

A VISIT to several in­ dustrial centres by two From Ireland to Britain members of the United Campaign Against Plas­ tic Bullets from Belfast cemented bonds be­ tween trade unionists in Britain and the struggle in the north of Ireland. Jim McCabe and Archie Livingstone from Bel­ fast were able to bring to all of those they met something of the harsh reality of life in northern Ireland under British occupation. The building of solidar­ ity between workers in Britain and the national­ ist community of north­ ern Ireland has been neg­ lected and hampered in the past by political mis- leadership, shortsighted­ ness, bias, and miscon­ ception. The policy of di­ viding the two groups by The tour by Jim McCabe and Archie Livingstone finished with a picket at Brocks Firework in Scotland asking workers to put the British ruling class pressure on management to stop manufacturing the lethal weapons. has been very successful. class has been misled and turn its full force on them their position on Ireland and meeting of the Durham a riot situation, when John refused to offer solidarity to and that its repressive prac­ the Labour Committee on Mechanics, a shop stewards Downes was killed during a Social chauvinism has the Irish struggle. It has also tices were not reserved for Ireland has a firm policy of meeting at Austin and Pick- police riot. been promoted by the lead­ denied them the opportunity the nationalist communities withdrawal of British troops ersgill shipyards, a com­ ers of the British labour Jim stressed that once of learning the lessons of in Ireland, but Irish national­ and works hard to establish bined NUM and Mechanics plastic bullets are used in movement and by most left links between Republicans meeting at Murton, a public wing parties. that struggle and preparing ists also realised that they Britain the police will never against the imminence of alone were not the target of and the struggles in Ireland meeting in Manchester as again be able to walk the The working class has such attacks on themselves. British state repression and with the Labour Party. well as several small and streets unarmed. largely accepted this posi­ This situation is now that it would be used on any A number of unions are informal meetings with tion and whilst national li­ changing. As the attacks of section who rose to resist the beginning to advance policy activists and trade unionists The armoury of the police beration struggles far away the Tory Government on the attacks of the state. calling for an end to the Brit­ in Manchester, Durham, will necessarily escalate un­ have been supported, the British working class be­ Sinn Fein have made it ish occupation and several Tyneside and Newcastle. til armoured vehicles are as struggle of the Irish come more severe the com­ clear that they welcome any delegations of unionists have Everywhere they spoke common on the streets in nationalists in the six coun­ visited the north of Ireland. the impact was dramatic. Britain as they are in the six ties has been spurned. monality with the struggle in chance to build links be­ Ireland becomes more diffi­ tween their own struggle and The more serious of the Hearing first hand accounts counties. At the same lime Republi­ cult to hide. the struggle of the British socialist parties are also re­ of the way civilians in north­ In Durham the visit was cans in Ireland have tended The turning of this tide working class against their evaluating their positions ern Ireland are killed on the hosted by the Durham to see everything that is Brit­ was the miners’ strike of common enemy, the British and realising that in the past streets by the police and the Mechanics section of the ish as the enemy. 1984/85 when not onlv Hid the imperialist state. they have allowed social army brings a living under- NUM. only that the British working ness that the state wouia utriug iu i ».cu tv/

REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR

•i.■ ff LONG LARTIN ALBANY HULL HM Prison Long Lartin, HM Prison Albany, Newport, HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, South Littleton, Evesham, Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS Humberside Worcs, WR11 5TZ VINCE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ ence, 274064. LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ R O Y W ALSH: Life sentence, HARR Y D UG G A N : Life sent­ ence, 464984. 119083. ence, 338638. JAMES BENNETT: 20-year BILLY GRIMES: sentence, 464989. SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ 1 ED D IE B U TLE R : Life sent­ DURHAM ence, 338637. ence, 341418. STEPHEN NORDONE: Life HM Prison Durham, Old ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- sentence 758663. Elvert Street, Durham. year sentence, 131877. GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- year sentence, 132016. GARTREE MARTINA ANDERSON: Life JOHN McCOMB: 17-year HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ sentence, D25134. sentence, B51715. ter Rd, Market Harborough, ELLA O 'D W YER : Life sent­ ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year Leics, LE16 7RP ence, D25135. sentence, 461576. PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- sentence, 461575. year sentence, B32954. INNOCENT MEN AND RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life WOMEN FRAMED BY THE sentence, 463799. BRITISH POLICE: JO E O ’CO N N ELL: Life sent­ PARKHURST ence, 338635 CAROLE RICHARDSON: HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ 290719, HM Prison Styal, port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX Wilmslow, Cheshire FRANKLAND HM Prison Finchale Ave, PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM N O EL GIBSON: Life sentence Brasside, Durham Prison Gartree. 879225. PAUL HILL: 462778. HM Pris­ PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life on Wormwood Scrubs. sentence. 342603. sentence, 119085 GERARD CONLON: 462779, TO M M Y Q U IG LEY : Life sent­ M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ HM Prison Long Lartin. ence 69204. ence, 119087. JU D ITH WARD, HM Prison P E TE R SH ER R Y: Life sent­ BRENDAN DOW D: Life sent­ Durham. ence, B75880. ence, 758662. H U G H CALLAG HAN, 509499, PAUL H O LM ES: Life sent­ HM Prison Gartree. ence, 119034. JOHN WALKER, 509494, HM WAKEFIELD EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ Prison, Long Lartin. HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ ence, 135722. BILLY POWER, 509498, HM field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG Prison Wormwood Scrubs. G ER A R D H U N TER , 509495, LEICESTER HM Prison Frankland. HM Prison Welford Rd, RICHARD MclLKENNY, H U G H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ Leicester, LE2 7AJ ence, 338636. 509498, HM Prison Worm­ SEAN KINSELL.A: Life sent­ PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ wood Scrubs ence, 758661. ence, I888. PADDY HILL, 509496, HM CON McFADDEN: 20-year BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year Prison Gartree. sentence, 130662. sentence, B26380. PAUL N O R N EY: Life sent­ GERRY McDONNELL: Life I ence, 863532. sentence, B75882. They are all serving life and in NATALINO VELLA: 15-year PATR ICK M cGEE: Life sent­ the case of Carole Richardson, sentence, B71644. ence, B75881. indefinite detention.

The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumann Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. tllV OiA VVU1IV1VU, ty between catholics ana V1U1CI1LC U ll ______protestants in the six coun­ at Orgreave took little per­ ties. And knowing that the suading of the dangers which It was in this changing cli­ police in Britain are now face the British working mate that the visit by Jim equipped to murder in the class from an armed state McCabe and Archie Living­ same way awakens the force. stone from the United Cam­ knowledge that unity must But it was clear that a paign Against Plastic Bul­ be built between the two great deal of education about lets took place. groups. the use of these weapons Both Jim and Archie have It was clear that while needs to take place and at all suffered personally from the most of those who attended the meetings attended by use of plastic bullets by meetings or met Jim and Jim and Archie it was security forces in the six Archie were aware that plas­ agreed that a campaign counties. tic bullets kill in Ireland they against plastic bullets was Archie’s 12 year old daugh­ were not aware of the way necessary in Britain to pre­ ter Julie was killed by a these weapons are used to pare the British working plastic bullet on May 13, suppress and intimidate a class and to demand an end 1981. whole community. to their use in Ireland. Jim’s wife Nora was killed Jim McCabe pointed out Throughout the visit the on her way home from that as riot control weapons meetings were followed by buying a packet of cigarettes plastic bullets are a total informal discussion which at the local shop on July 9, failure. In fact the reverse is brought a powerful solidar­ 1981. true. Their use on innocent ity between the struggle in civilians creates anger Ireland and the struggle on During their visit the two the mainland. men addressed the Labour which often leads to riots. Committee on Ireland meet­ He also pointed out that Visits like this one can ing in Blackpool, the North­ only one of the fifteen killed achieve what reams of paper ern region TUC, a public in Ireland have been killed in never could.

Left to right; Archie Livingstone (United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets), Geoff Hartnell (Justice for Mineworkers), Jim McCabe (UCAPB), Jim Kelly and Alan Ides (Silentnight strikers) all waiting to address the Northern TUC to seek support for the struggles they are involved in. I tofoip e )ofu M aqj puy v aqj ojoi [ sbm stqx l8qj dn [jrjS 1*0 'qSnoua S uiXbs .JAiBw

fBH er[nr e uaaq

jsadepng II MO]q '3[doad ’JJB SBM toejqrm SBM d[i ?uoq sif| L JlfeH AieSunjj t J9q op o in d o h v ie Mouif n lenjoe uaaMj O ANV 9qi ifq A ifjJBJ qi SBM 1M1 oqj J3UMO (BSBOJ IJJBd JOE AUSTIN We have had limited suc­ to represent, they actually UOIJ those demands came to their aqaoM A WORKERS PRESS correspondent was recently a guest of the nationalist cess which was not only suc­ were in collaboration, both cessful in terms of having a on a day to day level and on final conclusion. u pip community in Belfast. We are very grateful to the many people who took time to tell number of people elected, an overall level, with the The end result of that was paru us of their struggle against British imperialism in a variety of aspects. but also in terms of chang­ authorities. that we brought whole de­ UIOJJ JOE AUSTIN, vice-chairperson of Sinn Fein in the six counties, interrupted a busy ing, to a large extent, the Despite our massive un­ legations, almost street U loads of people, representing jf/T schedule to explain how Sinn Fein is grappling with the problem of developing a complexities of the various employment and rampant Pio offices that we have been housing estates, tenants ■ Iioq political consciousness within the working class. In this first part, he discusses the social deprivation, the SDLP elected to. played no role in it, as far as groups or community groups role of the electoral struggle and, perhaps more important, the relationship between We have restructured the applying pressure or high­ to negotiate with those statu­ elected representatives and those whom they represent. whole role, for instance, of lighting those issues. tory authorities and that In the second and third parts, to be published in our next two issues, he discusses councillors. If you look at the SDLP’s totally confused them. the relationship between political and armed struggle, Sinn Fein’s prognosis for the We have brought some­ historical position, they were They had operated for at least the previous four future of the Irish revolution and how it views the responsibilities of British socialists. thing completely new and re­ formed to assist the smooth volutionary to the role of an running of British involve­ years, and for some of those elected representative. ment in Ireland and that’s groups from their very the role they’re playing. formation, on the basis that AM I right in assuming that peatedly and consistently is are involved in that struggle they dealt with a minimum are obviously highly politi­ So that, when we talk ab­ We are in confrontation Sinn Fein has a policy that, for us, armed resist­ out success in that electoral of complaints. ance cannot be seen in isola­ cised and highly motivated. politics, whether it be on the which sees this struggle field, we don’t simply mean Those complaints made an tion- from political resist­ What we have said, of national question or whether as a orotracted one and ance. the number of votes that it be on the day to day issues individual party or the course, is that every act have been cast for Sinn Fein, elected representative look ---- ortoinef rori- u” ni is what ;ve have that face the nationalist •ventilation. good but the remainder of attitude was that you involved in from 1981, with IN FACT that isn’t anything struggle. electoral intervention as a new. What we have said re- The IRA Volunteers who strategy. uy. ao im ic cxo juu can, aim We believe, in fact we’re front the housing authorities. keep them happy. convinced that if we went on It is our business to confront the DHSS people as well as it So we are in the business of winning elections for the is our business obviously to exposing that and in the busi­ next thirty years, British im­ confront the British occupa- ness of creating the psycho­ perialism wouldn’t be forced tion and British im ­ logical attitudes in people to out of Ireland. perialism. fight back. So the armed struggle, In the May Council elec­ That in itself has had a political resistance — with a tions in Belfast in 1985, our number of very interesting revolutionary dimension to position was that our candi­ developments. that resistance — and an dates had to follow a number Just to isolate two of the on-going campaign of politi of different points. major problems for a minute cisation, is the guarantee of — unemployment and bad success. Number one, we had a housing. We don’t take one type of positive campaign of discri­ We took up campaigns on resistance and say that an mination towards women. the whole issue of single pay­ escalation of that is suffi­ That meant that they had ment, that is, if someone is cient. to be not only selected for unemployed and they are en­ So, as I’ve said, armed seats, but that the seats they titled to an extraordinary resistance to British occupa­ were selected for had to be at payment for a number of tion is part of an overall least winnable seats. things. resistance. Having said that, unfortu­ The unemployment offices None of those factors will nately, we managed two don’t tell you that of course. win in isolation. women out of nine candi­ It was really unheard of CAN YOU explain more ab­ dates, which is not by any that anyone would have got out the changing role of means satisfactory, though this extraordinary payment these women won the seats for either clothing or bed­ elected representatives? they stood for. ding or whatever. WELL, OBVIOUSLY what The other criterion was We took a whole estate, happened — and it’s not un­ that the candidate had to be Ballymurphy, and we had a like English politics; the role local and they had to have at mini-campaign which we of an elected representative least two years in a local had initiated, but had no ma­ until Sinn Fein came on the advice centre, of which in jor role in after its initiation, scene, in terms of electoral Belfast we have 15. when the local population got success, was almost on a They had to be unem­ back in single payments in a basis of patronage. ployed and they had to give a period of two months £18,000. Complaints were dealt commitment that they, That has repeated itself in with on the basis of party wouldn’t take a job, on the every estate. loyalty. unlikely basis that a job The consequence is that The role of an elected rep­ would present itself. the DHSS office is now inun­ resentative was primarily a In Belfast overall, we re­ dated with people looking for party political role first of turned nine candidates, single payments. all, and then a constituency seven who sit on Belfast City service after that. Council and two who sit on They have had to quadru­ Their loyalties were of Lisburn Council. ple their staff, which is of course to their party and We were very conscious in course sound as part of the their class interest. the election that we wouldn’t overall process. If you look at the role of the be used as a referral group, The same with the housing SDLP you find that real nor would we be in the busi­ authorities. A number of assistance to the nationalist ness of negotiating, on behalf years ago, the type of homes population didn’t exist. of the people who elected us, or the type of repairs that the Representatives were seen with the statutory author­ Executive did was manda­ a month before elections and ities. tory. a month after elections and We would negotiate with I mean they did it and if the responsibility of an those who elected us. you didn’t like it that was too elected representative was Our business would be to bad. zilch, it was nil. create a climate for the local Now that isn’t the situation The other aspect of it is — population of any given in many cases: there are, in and this is the class nature of ward, starved of authority, every area, in almost every the SDLP — rather than starved of any real opportun­ street, those people who will being a voice in defence of ity, to bring about change not accept simply what’s those who had elected them, that would make the de­ given to them. or those who they purported mands and would see tljat That process of allowing . mb worKers Press Saturday September 6 1986 PAGE 11

A great problem for the people, in a more limited Nationalist communities in way, to bring about their Belfast Is housing. Sinn own change has seriously Fein's electoral policy is changed the local nature ot geared towards Increasing politics. politicisation by mobilising An example of that is that people to fight local author­ we have 15 advice centres in ities themselves. Above and Belfast, the SDLP have one. below left, dramatic election They didn’t have any until murals, defaced by paint- we opened all of our 15 and I bombs thrown by the British suppose that, in a very small Army. way, is a significant exam­ elected representative and ple of the fact that they are the concept of constitutional under pressure to meet at power, what it actually rep­ Two small economic units begin a process for all the least the same constituency resents. things that they’d actually REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR service that we would pro­ are easier to control, where The state is a conspiracy; the working class is divided. fought and died for, the capi­ vide. talist class had pipped them LONG LARTIN We made no election cosmetic surgery does not That state and the nature HM Prison Long Lartin, FRANKLAND make it less so. to the post. South Littleton, Evesham, HM Prison Finchale Ave, promises that we could solve of those statelets, as far as RrOColHo riiirkem the problems, but said that What ends the conspiracy Irish Republicans are ron- Now that will always hap- TWM * V vum ug pui l 111. C U U O t KJL W 1ICX l LX 1C d l d l C b i c p - JAMES BENNETT: 20-year MARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ tion, the whole question of the street firing plastic bul­ resent — all that is not in the That is, if you like, part of sentence, 464989. ence, 119087. repression, of British lets, massive unemploy­ interest of the Irish working the psychology, and it’s seen EDDIE BUTLER: Life sent­ BRENDAN DOWD: Life sent­ occupation, was to confront ment, social deprivation or class. in very small ways. ence, 338637. ence, 758662. the British occupation and community attacks by the The whole psychology of ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- PAUL HOLMES: Life sent­ from that we could begin to Loyalists. They give the Brits — delegations meeting housing year sentence, 131877. ence, 119034. develop an alternative. That’s as we see the way when I say the Brits, I don’t authorities: it’s almost like GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- EDDIE O'NEILL: 20-year sent­ The SDLP has been fight­ forward at this point of time. mean the British troops or training a boxer, you don’t year sentence, 132016. ence, 135722. ing elections for something THE TRADITIONAL com- the British people, I mean train him the night after the JOHN McCOMB: 17-year like fifteen years on the basis that hierarchy of influence fight, you train him in prepa­ sentence, B51715. LEICESTER mmunist view is that, to and control —- small units ration. ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year HM Prison Welford Rd, of false promises. take power and to build a Leicester, LE2 7AJ In the last elections people that they can control, man­ sentence, 461576. socialist society, the state ipulate, direct and directly So the people who fight for PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ just wouldn’t accept the ence, I888. promises that they made. must be smashed. influence and they also en­ their homes in terms of hous­ sentence, 461575. sure that British interests in ing and who fight against the BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year Again, one of the issues Do you accept that pre­ Ireland are relatively safe. conspiracy of the DHSS, PARKHURST sentence, B26380. was that everybody said that mise theoretically and, if GERRY McDONNELL: Life For us ' to achieve the they’ll fight in their interests HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ we had got it wrong when we so, how does your current and they cease being bystan­ port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX sentence, B75882. named our candidates in the democratic socialist repub­ PATRICK McGEE: Life sent­ t policy fit in with that? lic we’re looking for and ders and that fight is further NOEL GIBSON: Life sentence May election, that the poli­ advanced. 879225. ence, B75881. tical so-called pundits said WELL, IT’S quite obvious if fighting for, it’s obvious in 9 terms of implementing a PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year that we had not got the per­ you look at the formation of They’ll fight the state, or sentence, 342603. HULL sonality or style — that peo­ the two statelets in Ireland. policy of social and econo­ mic justice that the working they’ll fight policies or TOMMY QUIGLEY: Life sent­ HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, ple were only looking for per­ The northern state and the they’ll fight a programme ence 69204. Humberside sonalities and that we had state in the South both have class has got to become a ROY WALSH: Life sentence, w united force that can harness which is obviously not in PETER SHERRY: Life sent­ seriously miscalculated. an economic and a political their interest — so that’s ence, B75880. 119083. d and cater for a rule in their PI They predicted a max­ dependency on Britain: the interest. part of the politicisation imum of 36, we in fact took very formation of those that’s taking place. WAKEFIELD DURHAM h So, yes; the states have to 66 . states was a conspiracy That politicisation is more HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ HM Prison Durham, Old against the Irish people. be confronted and they have field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG Elvert Street, Durham. The people we put up were to be smashed. important than our limited the people who weren’t per­ The partition of Ireland election successes but it HUGH DOHERTY: Life sent­ MARTINA ANDERSON: Life Iqi sonalities necesssarily but was a direct consequence of There’s an attitude, or at actually complements those ence, 338636. sentence, D25134. U 3 were the people who had the British in their long term least there was an attitude, and one can’t be seen in SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ ELLA O'DWYER: Life sent­ been doing that work. strategy being unable to within Republican circles isolation from the other. ence, 758661. ence, D25135. ffiti That again in a small way smash the small nucleus of some time ago, many years CON McFADDEN: 20-year INNOCENT MEN AND p i revolutionary thinking in back, th^t all of those battles sentence, 130662. W OMEN FRAMED B Y TH E dts was changing peoples’ atti­ can wait until the national Again, if you’re looking at BRITISH POLICE: tudes. Ireland. the ’ so-called political ex­ PAUL NORNEY: Life sent­ PI So the geographical divi­ question has been resolved. ence, 863532. CAROLE RICHARDSON: So, first the electoral perts, when we embarked on 290719, HM Prison Styal, sion of Ireland is less impor­ We would argue that that’s the campaign of limited elec­ NATALINO VELLA: 15-year >u strategy isn’t, ‘How many tant, to some extent, than the untrue. sentence, B71644. Wilmslow, Cheshire people we can have elected toral strategy they pedicted at psychological division and We would argue that the we would take 0.1 per cent of PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM to the so-called corridors of the division of the Irish ALBANY Prison Gartree. a t power?’ but is to diminish economic struggle, and to the vote. HM Prison Albany, Newport, o people. some extent even the strug­ We in fact took 44 per cent. PAUL HILL: 462778. HM Pris­ the role of the elected repre­ Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS on Wormwood Scrubs. sentative and to create a WHEN YOU talk about the gle for social justice, has to That was because the VINCE DONNELLY: Life sent­ situation where people will psychological division, are begin and has to comple­ groundwork had been done ence, 274064. GERARD CONLON: 462779, find out. you talking about the ment the struggle of the — that was in 1984. HARRY DUGGAN: Life sent­ HM Prison Long Lartin. national question. JUDITH WARD, HM Prison It’s to break the dependen­ psychological division be­ So to go back to your very ence, 338638. BILLY GRIMES: Durham. cy on elected representa­ tween the people of the Historically, what, of first question. HUGH CALLAGHAN, 509499, tives and to try and place two states or between course, has happened is that Yes, the state has got to be SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ ence, 341418. HM Prison Gartree. that dependency where it Catholics and Protes­ Irish Republicans have phy­ confronted and, yes, the JOHN WALKER, 509494, HM politically should lie — with sically fought — and I sup­ state has got to be smashed, STEPHEN NORDONE: Life the local populace of whatev­ tants? sentence 758663. Prison, Long Lartin. pose the best example of that it’s got to be smashed in BILLY POWER, 509498, HM er geographical area. BOTH, BOTH. But primarily is the period from 1916-1920 order to build an alternative. GARTREE Prison Wormwood Scrubs. Now I think that is happen­ on the general basis of who is — for national independ­ The alternative as far as GERARD HUNTER, 509495, ing. I think that the Anglo- living north and south. ence, but didn’t consciously HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ we’re concerned is the estab­ ter Rd, Market Harborough, HM Prison Frankland. Irish Accord is an example The partition was an fight to bring politicisation lishment of a democratic RICHARD MclLKENNY, of that and is to be seen as an attempt, and a quite success­ into that. Lelcs, LE16 7RP socialist republic — a 32 ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- 509498, HM Prison Worm­ opportunity by the SDLP to ful attempt, to stop any radi- county republic that is. wood Scrubs replace one set of false calisation of Irish thinking. The battle to some extent year sentence, B32954. promises with a new set of to remove the Brits, at least But that republic doesn’t RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life PADDY HILL, 509496, HM It has effectively stopped from part of Ireland, was take shape the day after the sentence, 463799. Prison Gartree. false promises and thus to the coming together of those They are all serving life and in create that crutch which the successful but the battle for Brits leave, it takes shape JOE O’CONNELL: Life sent­ with similar class interests, the Republic failed. now. ence, 338635 the case of Carole Richardson, SDLP require. that’s the working class, to indefinite detention. So we are changing on a defeat the interests of capi­ When it came, as they saw, local level the concept of an time to implement and to Continued next week The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumann talism north and south. Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. WORKERS PRESS talks to JOE AUSTIN vice chair, Sinn Fein in the six counties

This week Workers Press publish the second part of an interview with Joe Austin. In the first part of the interview he discussed the role of the electoral struggle and Sinn Fein’s policy of changing the traditional relationships between elected representatives and those whom they represent. This week he discusses the importance of the national struggle, the divisions between the Irish working class as they are perpetrated by British Imperialism and the importance of the armed struggle and its relationship to the political struggle. Next week the interview will continue and discussion will include Sinn Fein’s prognosis for the Irish revolution and how it views the responsibilities of British socialists.

CAN YOU tell me some­ politicisation takes place in something which would the form of the sort of econo­ thing about your strategy mic resistance that we spoke give some satisfaction to to end the British occupa­ of and also in the form of the the nationalist population. tion. massive cultural revival in WELL I mean there is al­ terms of the Irish language. WELL, WE are involved in, ways that danger. and have historically been A national identity taking There’s also a danger of us involved in, a campaign of place right across the north being sucked into clientism where they took the culture — ie delivering social ser­ armed resistance to British from us as a weapon, and the r»r»onnatinn i . —• ^ ♦/-* K n t K n vices. JOE AUSTIN That threat is not simply a that is the direction that army into the sea, they militaristic threat which we’re heading in. would be wrong. they can live with. The British imperialist From what the IRA have class can iive with militant said, from statements they But they can’t live with a physical resistance. They make and from what one threat that comes both in have an army, a very large reads about them I am con­ terms of armed and physical army with unlimited re­ vinced that isn’t their par­ resistance and also psycho­ sources. ticular strategy. logical and political resist­ ance that is extremely deep What they can’t live with I think it is a combination rooted and that isn’t simply and what they haven’t been of military resistance, op­ calling for a tampering with able to either intimidate or erations that have a military the state or limited reforms coerce or buy is a deep- success either in the short but in fact is asking for ev­ rooted political resistance to term or long term, and the erything. British occupation in Ire­ political resistance that land. manifests itself within the ranks of Sinn Fein, and in Now I think that when peo­ many cases is led by the ple ask Sinn Fein what do That’s why the Accord’s in local populace. you want, the answer’s very operation, for no other simple: everything. reason. I think it is that combina­ That demand enjoys popu­ If you're looking to what tion and getting that com­ lar support. Along with mini­ people like King says or even bination right that will even­ mum political demands that what Thatcher says on occa­ tually lead to victory. don’t only start and stop with sions, that’s what they’re You have to look, as we do CS»-»»-> f

i— /*\ »HJ_ state is running in panic. 11 S cllllieu cu ac^aiauug the nationalist population It’s a very major step, but I think that we have got it from the militant political it isn’t the end. To a large right. That isn’t to say that revolutionary demands that extent it’s the beginning of a we've got everything right Sinn Fein make and that’s process. and that isn’t to say the Brits what’s happening at the mo­ are going to leave this time ment. And I think the guarantee next week but I think that at that that process will con­ this phase of the struggle That’s their strategy and tinue has to be found in the that combination is correct. they have to date been suc­ politicisation of huge sec­ cessful. tions of the working class The politicisation has a north and south. That is the long long way to go, both in IN APPEARANCES, at business we’re in as well as terms of how Sinn Fein per­ least, it seems that the resisting the British army ceive events and change and presence. also how the nationalist armed struggle threatens the British state most of all, population perceive what is Resistance to the British to be their way of life. particu larly when it is taken occupation and the class to Britain. What are the changes, question are, as Connolly said, two sides of the one what are the restrictions, I DON’T for a minute separate where does the conspiracy coin. come from, that all has to the armed struggle from the take place? political struggle and I think CAN YOU tell me how you that if the IRA were strug­ see the role of the armed It hasn’t reached its con­ gling with the belief that struggle. clusion, it probably will nev­ simply by force of weapon er reach its conclusion but they could drive the British WELL THE armed struggle The campaign of armed resistance to the British occupation of Ireland has a long history from which manv lessons have been drawn. The continued economic domination of the South by Britain has taught Sinn Fein of the necessity to combine the armed struggle with a political one. of course is number one a sources that are in the busi­ They’re slightly less the something like 170,000 Loyal­ them while they present no attempting to bridge that resistance to the armed rep­ ness and are quite able to, on victims than the nationalist ists, cut them off. trouble to the state. sectarian gap. ression that’s raised against a huge basis, support an population are, there’s a So the Loyalist working Before you can cure an the Irish people by the Brit­ armed liberation struggle. marginal difference in terms class are primarily a tool of In terms of when the Brit­ illness you have to properly ish occupation forces and It’s a different situation in of unemployment levels, in the system. ish presence has been re­ diagnose what it is. supported by British capital­ Ireland. terms of housing. They have been led to moved, and there has to be ism and to some extent sup­ believe that there is an aris­ that struggle to establish the We believe we’ve done ported and collaborated with But the same common de­ The formation of the state tocracy of labour and they are democratic socialist repub­ that. by Irish capitalism. nominator is that right to in the north was very clearly it. lic, that has to involve the resist. built on sectarian pillars, the They have been led to be­ large section of the Loyalist But to effect a cure you So it is number one armed I think that again the na­ original statelet of Nothern lieve that their interests lie population, that is the large have to remove the illness. resistance. ture of the IRA is different. Ireland was of course nine with, not only the link with working class. Number two it is a way of counties. Britain but also of the capi­ The divisions in Ireland, demonstrating clearly and a talist statelet in the north. particularly among the Irish We happen to be, unfortu­ We have a moral and a way that people can under­ When the sectarian head They have, to a large ex­ political and a revolutionary working class, are being stand that there is resistance nately, on England’s door­ count was carried out the tent, been neutralised in perpetrated by British step. responsibility to do nothing to British occupation in Ire­ leadership of the Loyalist terms of employment prac­ that will damage that. occupation and I mean the land. We happen to be in the community, or the Unionist tices and employment condi- Loyalist working class obviously are Irish. That’s why when we spoke It is a way of ensuring that the question of the British earlier on about the secta­ The Loyalist working class occupation of Ireland will al­ rian attacks that were taking obviously have a class in­ place, apart from the fact terest, which they may not ways be to the forefront — at that spptarianism is wrone. (partly for their own reasons together have been effective­ to try and bridge that gap, to but also because of the na­ ly blocked. try and bring about that sort ture of English politics) al­ of class interest to bring it to ways understand what Sinn We’re not in the business the forefront. Fein is doing. of blocking that class unity w e’re in the business of I know that with all the But they certainly under­ building it. difficulties that we’re facing stand when operations like at the moment, that we have Brighton take place or the recognised that responsibil­ RUC or British troops are That’s why we won’t be­ ity and are very conscious of killed or injured in success­ middle of Europe. community, at that stage come involved in either it. ful IRA attacks. realised that the nine coun­ tions, wages, strike levels, sectarian retaliation or We happen to be in what’s sectarian utterings or secta­ called a civilised society, ties didn’t give them the etc. I don’t think that we can permanent in-built majority rian political positions. talk in terms of being suc­ which is not civilised of You have the condition SINCE I’VE been here I’ve course, and we happen to be they sought. cessful in that coming been making comparisons So they just annexed three that the patronage of the Now we recognise that we together while there is Brit­ in a different culture and state will only extend to have that responsibility in with other national strug­ geographical situation. counties and entrapped ish occupation. gles, particularly Vietnam The IRA don’t need large and Nicaragua, and it has battalions of people to resist seemed to me that those British occupation. REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR struggles have paid more It's nature and part of it’s attention to the armed side success, is the IRA’s ability WAKEFIELD LONG LARTIN DURHAM of it, that there was in fact to move in small units, to HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ FRANKLAND HM Prison Long Lartin, HM Prison Durham, Old operate almost at will and to field. W Yorks. WF2 9AG HM Prison Finchale Ave, South Littleton, Evesham, Elvert Street, Durham. a mobilisation of the peo­ Brasside. Durham ple involved to arms. inflict casualties on the Brit­ H U G H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ Worcs, WR11 5TZ MARTINA ANDERSON: Life ish occupation forces, de­ ence, 338636. sentence, D25134. spite the overwhelming size SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life ELLA O ’D W YER : Life sent­ WELL I think both of those of that force. ence, 758661. sentence, 119085 LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ ence, D25135. struggles, Vietnam particu­ ence, 464984. This, supplemented by the CON McFADDEN: 20-year M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ larly, now looking back on it sentence, 130662. ence, 119087. JAMES BENNETT: 20-year INNOCENT MEN AND historically, were the classic whole need and the whole sentence, 464989. W OMEN FRAMED B Y TH E ongoing campaign of popu­ PAUL N O R N EY: Life sent­ BRENDAN DOW D: Life sent­ armed guerilla struggle. ence, 863532. ence, 758662. ED D IE B U TLE R : Life sent­ BRITISH POLICE: larising that struggle is the ence, 338637. success story. NATALINO VELLA: 15-year PAUL H O LM ES: Life sent­ I think that the economic, sentence, B71644. ence, 119034. ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- CAROLE RICHARDSON: political, cultural and geog­ year sentence, 131877. 290719, HM Prison Styal, Its not how many armed EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ raphical location is com­ ence, 135722. GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- Wilmslow, Cheshire pletely in contrast with personnel you have but the ALBANY year sentence, 132016. PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM where we happen to find very fact that you can wage HM Prison Albany, Newport, JOHN McCOMB: 17-year Prison Gartree. a revolutionary struggle on sentence, B51715. ourselves. Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS PAUL HILL: 462778. HM Pris­ Britain’s doorstep. LEICESTER ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year on Wormwood Scrubs. I think that’s the guaran­ HM Prison Welford Rd, sentence, 461576. I think that oppressed peo­ VINCE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ Leicester, LE2 7AJ GERARD CONLON: 462779, ple everywhere have the tee of success. ence, 274064. PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year sentence, 461575. HM Prison Long Lartin. right by whatever methods HOW DO you see the Pro­ HARR Y DUG G A N : Life sent­ JU D ITH W ARD, HM Prison are available to them, and ence, 338638. PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ testant community here fit­ ence, I888. Durham. whatever methods they find BILLY GRIMES: HUGH CALLAGHAN, 509499, ting in with your strategy. SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year appropriate, to resist HM Prison Gartree. oppression, nationalist ence, 341418. sentence, B26380. PARKHURST GERRY McDONNELL: Life JOHN WALKER, 509494, HM occupation or attacks on a WELL OBVIOUSLY the Pro­ STEPHEN NORDONE: Life HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ Prison, Long Lartin. sentence 758663. sentence, B75882. culture. testant Community, I mean port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX BILLY POWER, 509498, HM the protestant working class PATRICK M cGEE: Life sent­ ence, B75881. Prison Wormwood Scrubs. I think that in terms of the community are themselves a GARTREE GERARD HUNTER, 509495, terrain in Vietnam that you victim of the partition of Ire­ HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ N O EL G IBSON: Life sentence HM Prison Frankland. can’t actually compare the land. ter Rd, Market Harborough, RICHARD MclLKENNY, two struggles other than to HULL 879225 Leics, LE16 7RP HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year 509498, HM Prison Worm­ say that the basic ingredient, We spoke earlier on about wood Scrubs that is the right to resist, is the psychological division, ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- Humberside sentence, 342603. TO M M Y Q U IG LEY : Life sent­ PADDY HILL, 509496, HM similar. that of course was a very year sentence, B32954. Prison Gartree. conscious thing. RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life ence 69204. R OY W ALSH: Life sentence, P E TE R SHER RY: Life sent­ They are all serving life and in Nicaragua is again a diffe­ sentence, 463799. the case of Carole Richardson, The Loyalist community 119083. ence, B75880. rent situation because of JO E O 'CO N N ELL: Life sent­ indefinite detention. where it's situated, because or the protestant commun­ ence, 338635 of the open support that ity, in terms of their present those Latin American libera­ economic situation, are the tion struggles have got from victim of capitalism. The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumanr, Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. WORKERS PRESS talks to JOE AUSTIN vice chair, Sinn Fein in the six counties JOE AUSTIN PART 4

when that Government is bringing about radical see British imperialism, we IN THE FIRST three parts of this interview JOE AUSTIN discussed how Sinn seen to be in support of Brit­ change either at local or also disagree with them. Fein in the six counties is grappling with the problems of developing political ish imperialism, or at least national level, we have been We are republicans, we consciousness within the working class. is seen to be anti- to the forefront and we’ve are socialist and their view Republican, people become carried that struggle. of that would almost be a He explained the role of Sinn Fein’s electoral struggle and the breaking confused. Now that doesn’t mean benign view of it. down of the existing relationship between elected representatives and those Now the reason they're that we exclude all others, So there are major econo­ anti-republican is because but that’s the logistical real­ mic differences in how we whom they represent. we pose an economic and a ity of it. perceive what occupation is He talked about the importance of the national question, the relationship cultural threat to what they We see issues that lend about, what imperialism is between the armed and the political wings of the struggle and how together are involved in and to where themselves to broad fronts, about. their interests lie. we see issues that lend them­ WHAT ABOUT your differ­ they challenge, not only the British occupation of the six counties, but the The Accord is the coming selves to the national con­ ences with the Trotskyist capitalist class system. together of all those class, cern and consideration — parties? cultural, religious, political such as strip searching, plas­ He also discussed the confusion of Repulicanism with the Irish Free State interests. tic bullets, the conditions of WE HAVE our differences and described the struggle as he sees it after the removal of British They are coming together prisoners — all of those are with the Trotskyist parties. occupation: how the capitalist class will try to re-establish control over all of to defend their interests, issues that the ’left’ and the The primary difference be­ which are under threat be­ liberal section of our society tween ourselves and those Ireland. cause the Republican move­ has a responsibility to play a groupings is that we’re re­ publicans and they are -ri-:_ io /,nn»lnHarl H\ i Ino Aiictin talkinn ph o ilt h is viPWS ment poses an economic, so­ role in. TrntckvistR on a two-stage revolution dim mo nt/puu Communists in Britain.

HOW DO you see your we have made limited break­ struggle fitting into the de­ We have a situation where­ throughs. by, at this phase of the strug­ bate among communists gle, it is highly unlikely that We will obviously need to about a two stage or a we have either the strength combat it and to develop it as permanent revolution? or the logistical opportuni­ the situation develops. I THINK that you have to ties of removing the British But I don’t think that we look at the subject matter occupation suddenly and can look at Ireland and say and from that you have to establishing a de fa cto social­ there is a strategy which was develop a strategy. ist government. successful somewhere else. The long term strategy of So it has to be two stages, We have to develop a the Republican movement is because what we’re dealing strategy which takes into the establishment of a demo­ with is a situation where a account our limitations, cratic socialist republic. section of the population, of which takes into account the the Irish Free State popula­ political, geographical, As a first step, you have to tion, see their particular cultural, social and econo­ have the means of bringing part of that revolutionary mic realities that exist. about that change. struggle, or that armed re­ The strategy that can win Now that means in the sistance, as being over. must be pitched at that level. North, where we have an Now, we don’t believe that army of occupation, 44,000 To go back to your refer­ the Free State is Republican, ence to Vietnam. The nature members of British forces but there are huge sections supported by unlimited of imperialism has obviously of that population who be­ changed. military resources, that we lieve it is a republic. have to pitch our resistance 100 years ago imperialism at a realistic level — parallel So the call to arms, if it was almost totally an econo­ to that. was made, wouldn’t affect mical imperialism. In Ire­ that section of the popula­ land what we have today is a What we have to do of tion. course is develop politicisa­ political imperialism. tion. Historically, the Republi­ If you listen to what people can movement has looked to like Prior say in terms of Then, in the South, we the South for support, for the have a situation whereby Ireland and what they say to struggle in the North. But justify their presence in Ire­ there isn’t an army of the population in the South occupation, there is an eco­ land, it isn’t overtly that was hypnotised by events in there is an economic need to nomy of occupation; there’s the north. an economy of dependency; be here, but it is on the basis there’s a social and psycho­ The attitude that the poli­ that they need to stop revolu­ logical dependency on Bri­ tical struggle can wait until tionary development on their tain and support of it by a the issues in the North are doorstep. capitalist class. resolved is actually political­ What makes it more com­ ly wrong. We have a populace un­ plicated is that geographi­ happy with the economic The result of that policy cally the larger section of situation, who see them­ was that, for a number of Ireland, to a casual obser­ selves as obververs looking years, the issues that faced ver, is free. at the struggle in the North, people on a day-to-day basis Now we both know that it’s being fed a diet of propagan­ in the South were not seen as not free, but that compli­ da and having a gut reaction the business of the Republi­ cates that issue. Again that that the British occupation can movement or Sinn Fein. takes us to a step which is should end but not really In terms of how people actually of great importance seeing themselves openly in­ perceived their lives in the to the Republican movement volved in it. South, Sinn Fein became and that’s our attitude to­ Who would blame their irrelevant, the business of wards abstentionism. economic despair, not on Sinn Fein was seen as an There is a realisation that, British occupation, not on issue that affected the North however bad or incompetent economic occupation but on and didn’t affect them. or uncaring or conspiratorial another incompetence — in So we weren’t involved in the Government or the admi­ terms of political parties. any resistance in the South nistration in the South may We have attempted, as to that whole social, econo­ be, the vast majority of peo­ part of our long term policy, mic conspiracy we spoke of ple see it as their Govern­ to link all those issues and to earlier as inherent in Capi­ ment. link them with the British talism. That complicates what we g occupation. We are involved now and are trying to do because

|J0M 9M1 m e m x u i u 10 i u u u i uv. cause, as far as those forces day-to-day life, in any sec­ g i u u p l l l g s , W ^ 14VSU V are concerned, it is a blue tion of the community, but scribe to Trotskyism: print for victory, it's a bluep­ certainly in the oppressed there’s an economical, cultu­ rint to maintain their in­ sections of the nationalist ral, political difference be­ terests and it’s a blueprint to community, is that they’re tween our own political defeat the strength that we totally irrelevant. theory and theirs — and that pose. The smaller Trotskyist difference is what makes us Republicans and them Trots­ Dressed up of course to parties don’t really have kyists. Having said that we are politically in conflict with 7 think the left must take on board them, there are issues where there is at least some degree Ireland, not only as a problem for the of common ground. Now I think we shouldn’t take things out of proportion Irish but as a problem for the left in in terms of numerical strength, in terms of parties England. ’ and in terms of popular sup­ port for political parties, it’s a Goliath and David situa­ make it acceptable is the either the personnel or are tion. facade of limited changes, not in a position where they That doesn’t mean to say the facade of the Accord contribute in a meaningful that we don’t see that they being in the defence of the way to bring about change. have the right to exist, we nationalist interest. This isn’t to be derogatory obviously do think they have We are now told the and it isn’t to dismiss them. the right to exist. Accord is going to be suc­ We politically disagree But they don’t contribute cessful because it allows the with them of course, but I in any meaningful fashion to nationalist population to fly mean they aren’t that re­ bringing about either revolu­ their national flag. levant to the current situa­ tionary change, or revolu­ You’ve been here a num­ tion. tionary assistance to the eco­ ber of days — we don’t need WHAT ARE your political nomic situation that prevails an Accord to fly the national disagreements with them? in the South. flag. The cultural conditions We don’t need legislation WELL, THERE are a num­ that exist in the South, the that allows us to speak our ber of disagreements with political realities in the language. We don’t need leg­ them. South are the struggle in the islation that allows us to For instance, in terms of North. oppose British occupation the Communist Party of Ire­ WHAT ARE your theoretic­ but that puts the sugar on a land, while opposing British very bitter pill. occupation, it opposes it al differences with Trots­ kyism? I think that the Accord’s from an armchair position. failing, I think it’s failing for They, for instance, are We’re not Trotskyists, that’s a number of reasons, but opposed to armed struggle. our theoretical differences. primarily because the We have policy and support In terms of how they per­ nationalist population have the armed struggle, see the ceive the struggle in Ireland been brought down this road armed struggle as a legiti­ and the end result of that before and seen it’s a cul-de- mate means to resist British struggle in Ireland. sac. occupation. We believe that the strug­ I think that we have a task They would disagree with gle in Ireland is a struggle of course, a formidable task, that, they fundamentally dis­ for national liberation. So­ to work against this latest agree with our position. cial and democratic social blueprint but I’m confident We don’t believe that the structures and institutions of the fact that that’s what working class can be united will govern, based on, of we’ll do. under British imperialism course, working class needs. WHAT IS the relationship and we don’t believe that We believe that our role in they can be united while the terms of the international of Sinn Fein to Communist country is geographically di­ struggle is of support as well parties in Ireland? vided; we believe that that’s as of conscious concern and AGAIN I think the situation the reason for the division. as one of politicisation in is, in terms of those forces They would disagree, I terms of what is happening that are in the business of would imagine, with how we around the world. The British army presence, who infringe on every part of daily life, are a constant reminder to the nationalist communities in the six counties that they are an occupied people. We don’t believe our prim­ stock-piling of plastic bul­ ary concern, our primary re­ lets, the various shades of sponsibility is to fight the' legislation are only the tip of Palestinian struggle in Ire­ the iceberg. land, but to make our people What has happened, of aware of the legitimacy of course, is that the British the Palestinian struggle. state is learning all of the We also believe in, and lessons of repression in Ire­ we’re very conscious of, the land and they’re prepared need for armed struggle. and in fact have aready be­ They don’t. gun the process of using In terms of our economic them in England. and social direction it is pri­ But the left should look marily one of needs for the upon it, the same way the Irish people. oppressive forces look upon Their’s tends to be one of a it, as a massive training hypnotic look at what was ground of alternative politic­ happening in the 1913 or 1914 al views. period in Moscow in Russia Whether it’s in terms of and trying to carbon copy how they deal with that onto Ireland. Greenham Common, or how We don’t believe that that they deal with the Miners works. strike, or Wapping or what­ We also are very detached ever, its very conscious and from the incessant, internal those lessons are being struggles of the left. We learned and they’re being don’t have those problems. implemented. We don’t particularly want The second thing is that, those problems and while we Connolly said that a country do on occasions understand that enlaves another country thpm the continual divisions cannot in itself be free. That v»or. t/~v K o unHorctnnH The British miners strike made it clear to the British as well as the Irish workjnq class that there is one common enemv. the " ------***'“'“” fuwi Hofareri hv British trooos carries the same don't eitner neiy me icit iw general or help those whom You mentioned, earner on, message. the left purports to defend — the discussions that the in­ ternational communist com­ and that’s the working class. Jonathan Swift, when talk­ So its a major problem, munities have on Ireland. I don’t believe those discus­ ing about what the Irish major difficulties, major dif­ should do about the English, ferences. sions take place as a con­ scious decision. said we should burn every­ The place to fight the re­ thing English but their coal. I think there are certainly volutionary struggle is not in I think that we have to five-hour sessions, it’s in the comrades who are very con­ cerned about what happens some extent inherited that street is where that struggle concept and that has dam­ is going to be won or lost. in Ireland and are very sup­ portive and very fraternal. aged us as much as it has That’s not what happens damaged the left. with the left now. But I think that the left must take on board Ireland, We have constantly and jjjj What happens is the never not only as a problem for the consciously tried to move 1 ending argument about Irish but as a problem for the away from that. In terms of 2 whether the bottle is half-full left in England. All of those the number of Sinn Fein I or is the bottle half-empty. lessons have to be learnt. speakers going to England, there is no comparison to That perpetuation of inter­ But primarily we have to im nal discussion doesn’t match what it was a number ot establish a normality of rela­ years ago, two years ago. what is required. tionships with progressive I We are very much in the forces. That has to be done You spoke earlier about business of attempting to do as a matter of instant im­ the effects of the miners’ m what is required. portance. strike. I think for the first time it should have demons­ What is required in the And that doesn’t entail trated to the left what the street is not being the ‘van­ blind allegiance to what we opposition was capable of guard of the revolution’ but do, in fact that would be doing. being part of the revolution counterproductive to what and trying to maximize and we were seeking. But it also demonstrated to spread that. the more politicised sections We’re not looking for that, of the Irish people that it That only happens, and life we’re looking for critical isn’t the English who are at only happens, on the street understanding of what hap­ war with the Irish, it is the and I think that’s a major pens in Ireland. English ruling classes who problem with the very mic­ We’re looking for advice. are at war with the Irish and roscopic left that we have in We’re looking for discussion. who are also at war with the qj Ireland. We’re looking for all of English working class. j( Having said that, we don’t those things that are the nor­ Now that’s not to say that u b pretend that we have all the mality of progressive forces. us ‘politicos’ discovered that jo answers nor do we pretend the day the strike began. that we are the bastion of the I don’t mean that you qj revolution, we are not. leave your Trotskyism be­ But in realistic terms and hind on the boat when you in visual terms, it demons­ uiui If others can make a con- come here, or that we leave trated to the Irish people uiai scious and realistic input our Republicanism at home that there is a common [g§n into it they’re welcome. when we come there. enemy and there is a com­ ) d u ; That’s it, and that isn’t to But it means that that rela­ mon front and that front, at say they have to substitute tionship has got to be de­ whatever level, has got to be > i their identity to do it within veloped. found. jaa: the revolutionary move- jig ment. 3!A There is a role and they Announcement for WRP members HIM have to find that role. WRP Irish Commission J3d FINALLY, what would you ___ ask of British revolutionar- WEEKEND SCHOOL ies to help forward your Saturday-Sunday September 27th-28th d struggle? College of Marxist Education, Derbyshire I THINK that what has to happen is, number one, that DISCUSSIONS ON: the lessons of Ireland have IRISH SOLIDARITY WORK got to be transmitted in the THE IRISH WORKING CLASS AND THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE most practical fashion to what’s happened in England. PROSPECTS FOR TROTSKYISM IN IRELAND TODAY The manifestations of Cost £12 plus fares from areas. Please make police using riot shields that bookings with WRP Irish Commission, 21b Old were initially used here, the Town, London SW4 OJT. REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR

LONG LARTIN ALBANY HULL HM Prison Long Lartin, HM Prison Albany, Newport, HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, South Littleton, Evesham, Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS Humberside Worcs, WR11 5TZ VINCE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ ence, 274064. R O Y W ALSH: Life sentence, LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ HARRY DUG G A N : Life sent­ ence, 464984. 119083. ence, 338638. JAMES BENNETT: 20-year BILLY GRIMES: sentence, 464989. SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ EDDIE B U TLE R : Life sent­ ence, 341418. DURHAM ence, 338637. S T E P H E N N O R D O N E: Life HM Prison Durham, Old ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- sentence 758663. Elvert Street, Durham. year sentence, 131877. GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- year sentence, 132016. GARTREE MARTINA ANDERSON: Life JOHN McCOMB: 17-year HM Prison Gartree, Leices­ sentence, D25134. sentence, B51715. ter Rd, Market Harborough, ELLA O 'D W YER : Life sent­ ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year Leics, LE16 7RP ence, D25135. sentence, 461576. PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- sentence, 461575. year sentence, B32954. INNOCENT MEN AND RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life WOMEN FRAMED BY THE sentence, 463799. BRITISH POLICE: JO E O 'CO N N ELL: Life sent­ PARKHURST ence, 338635 HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ CAROLE RICHARDSON: port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX 290719, HM Prison Styal, Wilmslow, Cheshire FRANKLAND HM Prison Finchale Ave, PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM N O EL G IBSO N : Life sentence Brasside, Durham Prison Gartree. 879225. PAUL HILL: 462778. HM Pris­ PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life on Wormwood Scrubs. sentence, 342603. sentence, 119085 GERARD CONLON: 462779, TO M M Y Q U IG LEY : Life sent­ M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ HM Prison Long Lartin. ence 69204. ence, 119087. JU D ITH W ARD, HM Prison P E TE R SH ER R Y: Life sent­ BRENDAN DOW D: Life sent­ Durham. ence, B75880. ence, 758662. HUGH CALLAGHAN, 509499, PAUL HO LM ES: Life sent­ HM Prison Gartree. ence, 119034. JOHN WALKER, 509494, HM WAKEFIELD EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ Prison, Long Lartin. HM Prison Love Lane, Wake­ ence, 135722. BILLY POWER, 509498, HM field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG Prison Wormwood Scrubs. LEICESTER GERARD HUNTER, 509495, HM Prison Welford Rd, HM Prison Frankland. HUG H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ Leicester, LE2 7AJ RICHARD MclLKENNY, ence, 338636. 509498, HM Prison Worm­ SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ wood Scrubs ence, 758661. ence, I888. PADDY HILL, 509496, HM CON McFADDEN: 20-year BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year Prison Gartree. sentence, 130662. sentence, B26380. PAUL NORNEY: Life sent­ G E R R Y M cD O N N ELL: Life ence, 863532. sentence, B75882. They are all serving life and in NATALINO VELLA: 15-year PATR ICK M cGEE: Life sent­ the case of Carole Richardson, sentence, B71644. ence, B75881. indefinite detention.

The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumann Cabhrach, British section, for which we thank them. INHUMANE BY ANY STANDARDS

DESPITE a ruling by the European Convention for Human Rights that prisoners should be incarcerated as close to their homes and families as possible, the British government has a policy to hold all Irish Republican prisoners who have been tried in Britain in British jails instead of sending them to Long Kesh, in the north of Ireland. This policy flies in the face of the European convention which they have endorsed. The Convention is very clear in its intent. It is only humane to imprison those convicted in a prison close to their families. Otherwise, the families, who have nothing to do with the events which have led to imprisonment, are punished along with the ‘offender*. When a person is convicted by a court of law that court decides, in it’s so-called wisdom, what appropriate sentence should be handed out for the crime committed. When this involves imprisonment, it is the number of years of imprisonment which determine the greater or lesser punishment the court considers appropriate. In the terms of this penal system, that is considered appropriate and adequate punishment. Once the convicted serves the awarded number of years, it is considered they have ‘paid their price’. The geographical location of a prison is not relevant. Nowhere does the penal system of Britain recognise that the question of the location of a prison MARCHERS carry the names of all the Irish POWs held in British jails in this years is a factor which can be used to increase or decrease the amount of Anti-Internment rally in Belfast as part of a campaign to have them repatriated. punishment required. THE TORTURE of the families of Irish political prisoners held in British However, when it comes to Republican prisoners, the British Government jails is so severe that they have formed an organisation, the Irish Political takes it upon itself to increase the punishment handed out by the court by Prisoners in English Jails Relatives Committee. denying prisoners the right to be imprisoned close to their families and also The main aim of the committee is to fight for the repatriation of prisoners to extends the punishment to the unconvicted, and therefore innocent, families Long Kesh so that, while sentences are being served, families and relatives will not nationalist communities in the north of Ireland. It is consistent with the strip searching and torture of prisoners, and the use of plastic and rubber bullets against innocent civilians. It is part of a reign of terror which seeks to intimidate, repress and deny a whole community their right to determine their own future. It is part of maintaining the geographical division of Ireland and the sectarian divisions of the six counties to render the Irish working class vulnerable to the exploitation of British imperialism. The other factor to be considered is that all of the prisoners are only in jail in any case because they have fought against their oppressors for the freedom of their people. These are the same oppressors who are presently attacking the British working class with anti-union legislation, increased police powers and decreased social services. WORKERS PRESS recently spoke in Belfast to a number of people who are fighting for the repatriation of Irish Republican prisoners held in British jails.

The British government is using the families of POWs to try and break the resistance of Irish prisoners in the same way they used the families to break the Hunger Strikes in 1981. Fein’s representative on the necause tne iammes are sui- made is that they recognise committee, told Workers fering. the torture their families are Press: 'Any British soldiers found put through.’ ’We believe that all Irish guilty of offences in this Because the prisoners are political prisoners in British country for rape, murder or moved around jails in Eng­ jails and in jail in the six petty theft are transferred to land so frequently, families counties are innocent be­ England to serve their sent­ often arrive, after a long cause they were tried on the ences. journey, to find that their pages of the Sun and the ‘That highlights the hypoc- relative has been moved. Telegraph, so it’s impossible rital attitude of the British It is not always easy to find to find a jury that won’t have government to the relatives out where they have been read those articles. of Irish prisoners and is moved to because it is al­ 'People are suffering be­ typical of the hypocrisy of ways supposed to be done in cause Irish political prison­ the British government in its the interests of security. ers are being held and dealings with Ireland. they’re being held in Britain Even when they do find 'Most of the prisoners have out, they have then to travel as political hostages as a further. guarantee for Irish good be­ made the point in their let­ haviour. ters that they ask for nothing All this takes time which for themselves, they are pre­ infringes on the visiting time But this is not a factor, the pared to do their time, they and puts pressure on which bombs continue in England. don't want to push for better increases the stress involved We believe that the pris- facilities for themselves. in such visits. Relatives often face harassment from security forces when they are in Bri­ For the ‘sins’ of tain away from their homes and friends, as in the case of Geraldine Quigley. After visiting her husband, their fathers... Geraldine Quigley was standing on her own, waiting ANN-MARIE KENNAN, ture them. for a train at Paddington the Secretary of the Irish Ann-Marie said: ‘Mummy Station in London when she Political Prisoners in En­ was given bail, but her bail was surrounded by plain conditions were that she was clothes police. glish Jails Relatives not allowed to live here. Committee, is the daugh­ They forced her into a car So we could only see her on and took her to Paddington ter of Brian Keenan who visits to England, even Station where they pro­ has been incarcerated in though she wasn’t in jail. ceeded to question her about Britain since 1978. ‘There were six of us in the her husband and about her When Ann-Marie was a house. I was seventeen and family. young girl, her father was pregnant at the time so my She was strip searched arrested in Britain and Mummy was going out of her and examined by a man who charged with conspiracy to mind. claimed to be a doctor but cause an explosion. ‘We were old enough to who refused to give his name She told Workers Press: look after the house and insisted On examining 'We were all little, it left my ourselves, but someone had her front and back passages Mummy with six children, to come over and check that and the soles of her feet. which was very hard for her everything was OK and we After six hours she was because we were all so had to have home help. released. young’. 'Every few months one of Jim McMullin said: ‘She In 1979 Mrs. Keenan went my aunts or somebody would was deliberately held so she to Britain to visit her hus­ have to take us over to Eng­ would miss her flight home. band in Brixton prison. land to visit our parents. ‘As it happened there had After the visit she was When my baby was three been a late plane put on that arrested, charged with con­ weeks old, I brought him night, but normally she spiracy to plan an escape, over for my Mummy to see wouldn’t have been able to held in Brixton jail for seven him.‘They used to pay for a get home that night and months and then aquitted. plane then, but now you have would have had to find some- In the meantime her six to go on the boat. w h ere to stay without children were left in Belfast It affected my Mummy’s money. without either of their pa­ health, it effected our family ‘This is typical of what rents to provide for or nur- life, at effected everything.’ happens to relatives.’ THE IRISH Political Prisoners in English Jails Relatives Committee made a strong plea at this years Anti-internment in Belfast. Another problem for the — they will serve their sent­ political issue for the British Hunger Strikes and again want a support base in Bri­ ter and it still doesn’t relatives is the cost of visits. ences no matter where they government. they got at the prisoners tain. Scotland and Wales. We account for anything, so we An indication of the hypoc­ are — but it’s the plight of We re thinking more in families. believe that British public believe that British public risy of the situation is that the families themselves, terms of the effect it has on ‘They used the church to opinion can be a vital factor opinion can, to a certain ex­ the Northern Ireland Office travelling and bringing kids the families. It doesn’t really do it, who intervened to end in winning this issue. tent influence British policy pays for the trip. over, the expense involved matter if you support the the Hunger Strike. ‘Irish public opinion on Ireland. It therefore increases the and the mental torture in­ armed struggle, the prob­ ‘It was proven to the whole doesn’t account for anything We cannot achieve social­ costs to the British govern­ volved especially if some­ lems are about people hav­ world that we were political as far as the British govern­ ism in this country, neither ! ment to keep these prisoners body’s moved before a visit. ing to travel to see their prisoners and the British ment is concerned — it’s a can it be achieved in Britain in Britain. ‘The relatives themselves fathers, their sons, their hus­ Government could have re­ foregone conclusion. without using force. However, Ann-Marie have to give three days bands. solved it years before. ‘If there was a census in 'But we also must not just Keenan, secretary of the Re­ notice to the prison author­ ‘There’s nothing in the pre­ the thirty-two counties employ violence, it must be a latives Committee said: ities that they are coming. sent rules in Britain or the ‘But they believed that asking if these prisoners revolutionary violence, it ‘They don’t give you ‘On the day of your visit, European rules that say you they could break the resist­ should be released in the must not be indiscriminate, enough money. It costs about you’re waiting, you’re all can’t be repatriated. ance of the prisoners by tor­ morning, they would be re­ it must be part of a broad turing their relatives quite leased. The support is £100 or more than what they tensed up to see how they’re ‘And it’s in the British pris­ strategy applied as a lever, i give you. going to arrive, or is any­ deliberately.’ already here. because there is no such thing going to happen, is on rules that they will be thing as democracy, not in ‘You don’t get the money accomodated in a prison The relatives commntee is At the end of the day we anything going to prevent preparing a case to take to get 100,000 people marching Ireland and certainly not in until you come back with the them arriving. near their families, but this Britain. tickets and receipts, so you is just not happening in the Strasburg, based on Bri­ in the streets and the govern­ have to raise it yourself. ‘Then you worry about case of Irish prisoners. tain’s signing of the conven­ ment just doesn't acknow­ The repatriation issue is whether you’ll be moved, be- tion and asking why it is not ledge it. an important part of our ‘Year ago. Billv Whitelaw — *------i _ j i t . *. i to travel on the bus, the boat they do arrive. One prisoner would go nome as heroes. and the train with my two was moved in the middle of a ‘That is a joke, if it’s a young children who are visit. question of heroes, there’s going over to see their plenty in Long Kesh. grandad. ‘They just cancelled the Prisoners were told that if ‘There’s no guarantee that visit and moved him. they renounced their Repub­ when we arrive he will even ‘Then when they arrive, licanism any application for still be in Leicester. you breath a sigh of relief. repatriation would be looked ‘And we aren’t sure how You’re having maybe three on favourably. much time we’ll have to or four visits. ‘Well there’s no way that spend with him. He has ‘Relatives come over any Irish Republican POW is accumulated visits but they maybe twice a year if there- going to sever his links with only allow one prisoner at a ’re lucky. the Republican movement, time to have visitors. ‘Then on the day they’re because it’s not just a ques­ ‘So if someone else has going to leave you’re all tion of joining a group and visitors we will have to share tensed up again. Waiting to leaving a group, it’s a com­ the time with them.’ hear if they got home mittment to build a demo­ alright, if the kids are cratic socialist republic in Gerry Young, who was in Ireland. prison in England for ten alright.’ years, talked about the penal Gerry went on to talk ab­ If the British government system and the way Irish out the hypocrisy of the Brit­ thinks that they’re going to prisoners are constantly ish Government in refusing change Republican POWs’ moved from one jail to to repatriate Irish political principles, they can think another. prisoners. He said: again. He said: ‘It’s more about ‘Repatriation is a political ‘There’s no way that they families than anything. The issue, our people in England will sever any links. In fact prisoners are strong people are political hostages, it a they said themselves to the Internment March on Au­ gust 8 that they would work harder to ensure the free­ dom of the Irish people while they’re in England. ‘We’re talking about repat­ riation for the families.’ There are many prece­ dents for repatriation. • Eighty-two British sol­ diers convicted for civil off­ ences including murder in Northern Ireland have all been repatriated to English jails. • In 1973/74 the Price sis­ ters were repatriated after a hunger strike. • Shane-Paul O’Dohery was repatriated after he re­ nounced his Republican ties. • Last year, a Loyalist in prison for political activity in Britain was repatriated. Jim McMullin said: ‘The British government have a very cynical attitude, they believe that they can break the resistance of the prison­ ers by getting at their fami­ lies and that if they can break the resistance of the prisoners they will break the resistance outside the prisons. EVERYWHERE in Belfast are reminders of the Hunger ‘This is the reason they Strikes. took such a hard line on the U „ I 1 mtiviunm s a i u : we people elected lo westmims- ucmuciacy in Britain

REPUBLICAN PRISONERS OF WAR

LONG LARTIN ALBANY HULL HM Prison Long Lartin, HM Prison Albany, Newport, HM Prison Hedon Rd, Hull, South Littleton, Evesham, Isle of Wight, PO30 5RS Humberside Worcs, WR11 5TZ VINCE D O N N ELLY: Life sent­ ence, 274064. R O Y W ALSH: Life sentence, LIAM BAKER: 20-year sent­ HARRY DUG G A N : Life sent­ ence, 464984. 119083. ence, 338638. JAMES BENNETT: 20-year BILLY GRIMES: sentence, 464989. SEAN HAYES: 20-year sent­ EDDIE B U TLE R : Life sent­ ence, 341418. DURHAM ence. 338637. STEPHEN NORDONE: Life HM Prison Durham, Old ROBERT CUNNINGHAM: 20- sentence 758663. Elvert Street. Durham. year sentence, 131877. GERRY CUNNINGHAM: 20- year sentence, 132016. GARTREE MARTINA ANDERSON: Life JOHN McCOMB: 17-year HM Prison Gartree. Leices­ sentence. D25134. sentence, B51715. ter Rd, Market Harborough, ELLA O 'D W YER : Life sent­ ANDY MULRYAN: 20-year Leics, LE16 7RP ence, D25135. sentence. 461576. PATRICK MULRYAN: 20-year ROBERT CAMPBELL: 10- sentence. 461575. year sentence. B32954 INNOCENT MEN AND RONNIE McCARTNEY: Life WOMEN FRAMED BY THE sentence. 463799. BRITISH POLICE: JO E O 'CO N N ELL: Life sent­ PARKHURST ence, 338635 HM Prison Parkhurst, New­ CAROLE RICHARDSON: port, Isle of Wight, PO30 5NX 290719, HM Prison Styal, FRANKLAND Wilmslow, Cheshire HM Prison Finchale Ave, PATRICK ARMSTRONG: HM N O EL GIBSON: Lite sentence Brasside, Durham Prison Gartree. 879225. PAUL HILL: 462778 HM Pris- - PATRICK HACKETT: 20-year WILLIAM ARMSTRONG: Life on Wormwood Scrubs | sentence, 342603. sentence, 119085 GERARD CONLON: 462779, |_ TO M M Y Q U IG LEY : Life sent­ M ARTIN BRADY: Life sent­ ence 69204. HM Prison Long Lartin. ence, 119087. JU D ITH W ARD, HM Prison P E TE R SHER R Y: Life sent­ BRENDAN DOW D: Life sent­ ence, B75880. Durham. ence, 758662. HUGH CALLAGHAN, 509499, PAUL HO LM ES: Life sent­ HM Prison Gartree. ence, 119034. JOHN WALKER, 509494. HM WAKEFIELD EDDIE O ’NEILL: 20-year sent­ Prison, Long Lartin. HM Prison Love Lane. Wake­ ence, 135722. BILLY POWER. 509498, HM field, W Yorks. WF2 9AG Prison Wormwood Scrubs. LEICESTER GERARD HUNTER, 509495, HM Prison Welford Rd, HM Prison Frankland. HUG H D O H E R TY : Life sent­ Leicester. LE2 7AJ RICHARD MclLKENNY, ence, 338636. 509498, HM Prison Worm­ SEAN KINSELLA: Life sent­ PAUL KAVANAGH: Life sent­ wood Scrubs ence. 758661. ence, I888. PADDY HILL, 509496, HM CON McFADDEN: 20-year BRIAN KEENAN: 21-year Prison Gartree. sentence, 130662. sentence, B26380. PAUL NORNEY: Life sent­ GERRY McDONNELL: Life ence. 863532 sentence, B75882. They are all serving life and in NATALINO VELLA: 15-year PATR ICK M cGEE: Life sent­ the case of Carole Richardson, sentence, B71644. ence, B75881. indefinite detention. _

The information on this list is supplied and updated by An Cumann Cabhrach. British section, tor which we thank them. SINN FEIN PRESS STATEMENT THE SHOOTING of Paddy McAllister Is a by Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson and their an area convenient for a Loyalist murder Workers predictable consequence and a tragic cohorts, and is directed by the leadership gang. result of the Hillsborough Agreement. of the UOA and the UVF. If the Loyalists were attacking republi­ Such actions fit with British counter­ can activists the logic of their actions This treaty has led to an orchestrated terror ideology. could be understood. Loyalist campaign against ordinary It is a blatantly sectarian campaign and The vast majority of those killed by the Press Catholics in north Belfast, Lisburn and Paddy McAllister became a victim be­ Loyalist terror gangs especially the UDA other parts of the six counties. cause he was a Catholic who happened are ordinary Catholics, targets solely Such a campaign has been endorsed to be a black-taxi driver and who lived in because of their religious persuasion. Saturday August 30 1986. Newsdesk 01-720 2000

LAST NIGHT (Tuesday August 26) I witnessed at first hand some o f was a brutal reminder of the Protestant group, the Ulster lives of everybody in Bel­ the horror, heartache and torture that a Catholic living in northern danger in which they all live. Freedom Fighters, who are fast’. Ireland endures. Their grief at the loss of known to have links with the a well-loved neighbour UDA. It is not the IRA who As I sat watching television, i heard a series of bangs. I quickly dismissed was made bitter because endanger the lives of the the thought that they were gunshots. his murderers had planned Two weeks ago the UFF people of Belfast. th is attack. Everyone issued a statement that they There has been a lot of fantasy drama in front of neighbour,'but with no re­ knew it could have been would kill black-taxi drivers It is the Loyalist paramilit­ building work around this me. sult. them, or might next time and their passengers. ary gangs which walk into be them. the houses of innocent taxi district. The thought that the la s t nigM, twcAnen Attifg This includes the whole of noises were wood being un­ A little later I heard a Last night’s murder was drivers and murder them, in § car were seen by resi­ the Catholic community a? whb try to drive the few loaded, or hammering, was dents at the time of the woman screaming and the the third in this street. the black-taxis are their so much mo.re comfortable words ‘They’ve shot him' Catholics employed at shooting. This was thg/get- Some years ago a 45-year- main form of transport in the Shorts or in the Department that I settled back to the away car. It was^haselfby a penetrated through the old woman, Sadie Lamour, city. screams. of Social Security from their sat watching television and jobs. Still my mind refused to eating her dinner with her Directly after the warning ANNOUNCING A NEW EDITION OF accept what it was hearing. mother, at 6 o'clock at night was issued, a shot from a Alone, in a strange house, passing car hit a black-taxi Bullets in a strange and very fright­ driver, injuring him in the ening city, the familiarity of Mother arm. a celluloid murder stole my It is the Brtish army of attention once again. Two gunmen walked in the Last night they succeeded. occupation and the RUC who But a little later, blue front door. Sadie threw her­ Paddy McAllister is dead. murder innocent civilians on self on top of mother and the the streets with plastic, rub­ lights flashed through the Paddy was acclaimed by ber and lead bullets. window and threatened my gunmen shot her. all as one of the most inoffen­ manufactured calm once The two had been seen sive and harmless men you It is the courts who refuse again. These lights would not arriving in the area on a could hope to meet. He was to take the murder of any eo awav. like thp earlier motor cvde. but thev got I r r » a nr f n r h i e K k i r r l i f i------— ------1__ groups of people. Some hud­ killed by gunmen as he lay in Last night many people ist assassins. dled together, others busily his bed.. told me, ‘He always had a walked from one house to The gunmen entered the joke for everybody’. The murderers of Sadie another, from one group of house from'a back laneway The UFF statement Lamour were caught. There people to another. and cut a hole in the back claimed that Paddy was a were five men involved in Attention was focussed on door to let themselves into Republican activist, but his the killing. the house directly opposite this one. An ambulance waited, its back doors wide The court claimed it could open. not prove which one had For this community, the murder of actually fired the gun, so the Police began to arrive and stiffest sentence was seven I watched them go into the Paddy McAllister was a brutal years. The others involved house and cordon off the received sentences of five street. and four years. Then there were more reminder of the danger in which they cries, tortured screams of Last night, my own frus­ horror which sent shivers of all live. tration and anger at what shocked reality and pro­ had happened led me to ask duced tears of compassion in one of the men why they just everyone. don’t go back and shoot in friends and neighbours deny Police began to swarm, the house. They also made retaliation. their escape. it. So does Sinn Fein and the then half a dozen Saracens ‘We-won’t-take-sides’ SDLP. arrived and the army joined This district is bordered on Sectarian the swarm of uniformed in­ The black-taxi drivers’ truders. one side by a Loyalist area, known as The Village. Separ­ association issued a state­ ating the two districts is a ment that they have no con­ He carefully explained Assassins motorway with an entrance nection whatsoever with any that Republicans abhor a short distance up the road paramilitary organisation. sectarian killings, that they from here. will achieve nothing except a Paddy McAllister, one of Paddy will be sorely mis­ lot of heartache and misery. Belfast’s black-taxi cab driv­ Th e Hungarian revolution of 1956 and its brutal suppression This makes the area very sed by this community, but by Russian tanks was a watershed in the history of ers was murdered by Loyal­ last night, grief at his loss ist assassins as he sat watch­ vulnerable. The Republican move­ socialism. was mixed with the fear that ment will engage in armed ing television in his home. An army observation post no-one’s life is safe in this In October 1956 Peter Fryer was sent to cover these events struggle, but as a disciplined His wife and children were is positioned nearby on top of district. part of a protracted cam­ for the Daily Worker. He reported what he saw — only to all out of the house when a a high-rise nurses’ home. It paign to gain a united demo­ have his despatches suppressed and to be suspended and gunman walked in and shot was supposed to be set up for cratic socialist Ireland. then expelled from the Communist Party. him. the sole purpose of watching Hidden Paddy’s young son was for action between the two Killings like that of Paddy He saw people in arms demolish a regime of fear and playing on the street and districts. McAllister are always dis­ poverty and take power in their own hands. He saw security The warning issued by the rushed into the house when UFF received very little missed as part of the lunatic police atrocities — and the people's terrible revenge. he heard the shots. actions that come from both press coverage. In fact it sides. Then he watched appalled as a nation s new-born freedom With incredible presence Motorway would not be an exaggera­ of mind he phoned for an tion to say that, where it did, was relentlessly crushed. This is completely untrue, Peter Fryer’s eye-witness account, first published in ambulance then called to a it was hidden away so as to neighbour who was talking Barrier gates to block the be unnoticeable. the intimidation and discri­ December 1956, had an immediate impact, bringing home to to friends in the street. motorway entrance to the mination in this city is all many things which they wished were not true. district were installed some In contrast, the threat against the Catholics — all When she went into the years ago by the security Thirty years later his Hungarian Tragedy, now published by house and saw the body of issued a few days earlier by Catholics — whether they forces, but for some time the IRA that they would add are Republican supporters New Park Publications with a new introduction by the author, her friend and neighbour dis­ they have been left open. figured by bullet wounds, to their target list any work­ or not. still stands as a model of journalistic insight and integrity and she ran out of the house er who serviced the security is as valuable now as it was in 1956. screaming. Residents here Save no forces, was blown out of all • Workers Press would like proportion, made headline to extend its deepest sym­ This woman had a brother protection from murderous Published on October 23 1986 Loyalist thugs by the secur­ news and was used to stir up pathies to Paddy McAllister’s Price £3.95 murdered in his bed in the hatred of the Republican family and 1 would like to same street five years ago. ity forces, which are used to ISBN: 0 86151 072 6 harass and intimidate them. movement in Ireland. thank the community of St Her pain was too great, tied James who, despite their own with her horrible memories. The sense of outrage at the New Park Publications Ltd. injustice is strong. I remember clearly the grief, made su re I was not left 10-12 Atlantic Road, London SW9 8HY She went into severe shock. BBC 9 O’clock News saying to deal with my shock alone For this community, the Last night’s killing was to­ something like ‘This sinsis- 01-274-8342 day claimed by the outlawed and extended understanding murder of Paddy McAllister ter threat will endanger the and support.

Published by Extrasearch Ltd., 21b Old Town, London SW4 OJT. Printed by M.P.S. Ltd., 159 Acre Lane, London SW2. Loyalists’ victim buried THE FUNERAL of Paddy McAllister, the black-taxi driver who was murdered by Loyalist assassins in Belfast ten days ago, was attended by over 500 fami­ ly, relatives, friends and workmates. The cortege, led by six taxis, was followed by all 300 black-taxi drivers who mourned the loss of their colleague. The black taxis are an in­ Their existence is a tribute A local lorry-driver told tegral, important part of life to the resourcefulness of a the Andersontown News that in Belfast. community in struggle. he had halted all deliveries Introduced by the The day of the funeral, it to the Village area after re­ nationalist community to re­ was reported in a nationalist ceiving reports that a loyal­ place buses which had been paper in Belfast that the ist gang in the Donegal burnt out in the early seven­ RUC had been alerted to the Road/Village area had been ties, they cruise up and down existence of a loyalist mur­ inquiring about the religion the main streets, picking up der gang in the Village area of his delivery men. and dropping passengers as (which borders St. James, This information was pas­ they go, providing a cheap where Paddy McAllister was and efficient transport ser­ sed on to the RUC a full murdered), a fortnight be­ fortnight before the assas- vice. fore the shooting. sination of Paddy McAl­ shows a lack of determina­ lister. tion by the RUC to prevent The lorry driver stated: ‘It the sectarian murders of is quite obvious that the Catholics. loyalist paramilitaries were looking for an assassination These fears were streng­ victim in the Village. When thened when, after the police this plan was thwarted it had left the house where appears they then decided to Paddy was shot, a cartridge strike in the vulnerable St. was found. James area.’ There is strong feeling that Many of the nationalist the RUC were just going community feel that this through the motions.