IRISH REPUBLICAN NEWS
http://republican-news.org
Friday-Monday, 22-25 January, 2010
1. NOW OR NEVER
2. PSNI man arrested over Loughinisland massacre
3. Gun attack in south Armagh
4. SF calls on PSNI to end informer pressure
5. Anger at Cameron's 'Orange Card'
6. Waterford plant closes for last time
7. Feature: Bloody Sunday - the struggle continues
8. Analysis: Ruling greeted by the sound of silence
------------------------------
McGuinness has said Sinn Fein has fulfilled its obligations in
government and is now insisting unionists and the two government do the
same to avoid a political crisis.
His comments came ahead of a crunch meeting with DUP leader Peter
Robinson over the hardline unionist party's refusal to implement the
2006 St Andrews Agreement.
In the end the meeting only lasted thirty minutes. Shortly after this,
the 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen and British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown decided to fly from London to Belfast to join the talks at
Hillsborough Castle outside Belfast, where discussions are continuing.
Mr Cowen and Mr Brown began a meeting with the two parties at 5pm. It
is understood Mr Brown is unlikely to be able to remain in the North
beyond this evening.
Before they departed Downing Street, both Mr Brown and Mr Cowen made
reassuring and cautiously optimistic statements for the assembled media.
However, Sinn Fein's patience with the process appeared to collapse on
Friday following three years of failed efforts to share power with the
DUP and an apparently dismissive approach by scandal-hit DUP leader
Peter Robinson.
Over the weekend, Sinn Fein declared that the talks with the DUP had
ended before holding out the possibility of progress at today's
[Monday's] final 'critical and defining' engagement.
The key disagreements remain the DUP's stalling on the transfer of
policing and justice powers and demands by the Protestant Orange Order
for the abolition of the Parades Commission.
Mr McGuinness claimed that, while his party had backed new policing
structures after the 2006 St Andrews agreement which paved the way for
power-sharing, the DUP had yet to fulfil its commitments.
"Within three months of the St Andrews agreement we in Sinn Fein moved
forward decisively on the issue of policing, took what was considered to
be an historic and monumental decision," he said.
"And we did that within three months of St Andrews... to ensure that
these institutions would work.
"Three years on, three years on, we are waiting for the DUP to deliver
and honour their commitments, that all of us were supposed to have
signed up to under the terms of an agreement that was presided over by
the Irish Government and the British government."
The former IRA commander who stunned hardline republicans when he
described members of the breakaway 'Real IRA' as "traitors" last March,
said he had worked hard to form an effective political partnership,
first with the former DUP leader Ian Paisley, and then Peter Robinson.
"From the very beginning of this process... I have been at pains to make
this place work," he said.
"It's been my life's work over the course of recent times because I
passionately believe in power-sharing, passionately believe in
all-Ireland institutions and passionately believe in working in a
positive and constructive mood with all of the people that I come in
contact with."
He added: "Unfortunately, we have learned that there are people within
these institutions who only see the future through the prism of one
section of the community - that is not a sustainable way to move forward
and I am not going to be part of that."
Mr McGuinness, flanked by Sinn Fein colleagues including party president
Gerry Adams, said: "I respect the mandate of Peter Robinson. I respected
Ian Paisley's mandate. It is now time for them to respect ours."
In the absence of any agreement, Martin McGuinness is likely to resign
as Deputy First Minister. In that scenario, Assembly elections would
have to be called after seven days and held within seven weeks.
* We will continue to bring updates today on any breaking developments
from the talks in Belfast.
------------------------------
>>>>>> PSNI man arrested over Loughinisland massacre
A member of the PSNI was suspended on Friday over allegations that he
protected the UVF murder gang who carried out the Loughinisland
massacre.
Willlam Patterson was arrested by investigators from the Police
Ombudsman's office at his County Down home on Thursday and interviewed
about the June 1994 massacre on the Heights Bar which left six men dead
and live others seriously wounded.
His arrest is understood to have been the first time that a serving
member of the RUC/PSNI has been questioned over allegations of Crown
force collusion in the atrocity.
Mr Patterson was interviewed about assisting the UVF, perverting the
course of justice and withholding information.
In 2006 the families of those killed in Loughinisland asked the then
police ombudsman, Baroness O'Loan to investigate what they believed were
"serious flaws" in the original RUC investigation.
It had emerged that an RUC agent, codenamed 'Mechanic', had supplied the
getaway car and that one of the murder weapons had been smuggled into
Ireland from South Africa by British army agent Brian Nelson.
One of the families' other concerns was the loss of potential forensic
evidence when the RUC suddenly destroyed the getaway car used in the
attack. The families also questioned the RUC's inability to use forensic
evidence found on one of the gang members' balaclavas.
A spokesman for the ombudsman confirmed that Its investigators had
arrested a PSNI man on Thursday.
"He was questioned by its investigators and released pend ing further
inquiries, he said.
The families' solicitor Niall Murphy welcomed the arrest but expressed
concern about the development.
"The families are extremely concerned that this officer, who was serving
In the same ponce station In Downpatrick as the Loughlnlsiand murder
investigation, Is now being questioned over allegations that he
protected the killers and deliberately perverted the course of justice,"
he said.
"This is a major development which raises all sorts of serious questions
about security-force collusion in the Loughinisland massacre."
The massacre was one of the worst atrocities of the conflict, with
bodies piled up inside the tiny bar in a scene of utter carnage.
The victims came from Loughinisland, Ballynahinch, Drumaness, and
Downpatrick. They were Adrian Rogan, 39-year-old Eamon Byrne, who was
married with four children, his brother-in-law Patsy O'Hare, who was 35
and a single man, 59-year-old Dan McCreanor, a single farmer, his uncle
Barney Green, an 87-year-old retired pig farmer who was married, and
54-year-old Malcolm Jenkinson, a building contractor who was married
with three children.
------------------------------
>>>>>> Gun attack in south Armagh
Crossmaglen PSNI base in south Armagh was last night targeted in a
gun attack for the second time in less than a month. At about 9.30pm a
car pulled up at the gates, two people fired shots at the station and
fled. There were no injuries.
The earlier attack happened on December 30, when there were also no
injuries.
The SDLP representative for the area, Dominic Bradley, said the people
who carried out the attack were taking advantage of current political
instability.
"The longer there is a vacuum the more the opportunity they believe they
have to exert their influence," said Mr Bradley.
"I believe the only answer to that is to show that the political
institutions are working, that isn't the case at the moment and that
vacuum is priding these people with an opportunity."
"We need results from the present talks; we need the powers of policing
and justice to be transferred to Northern Ireland."
CIRA PROTEST
Republican Sinn Fein is to hold a picket outside Portlaoise prison in
the Irish midlands on Saturday in protest against the conditions in the
jail and in support of the demand of the Continuity IRA prisoners in the
jail to be housed on a landing on their own.
The party has described the denial of a separate landing for the CIRA
POWs in Portlaoise prison as part of a policy to "criminalise the
continued Irish Republican resistance" to British rule in Ireland.
"Since 1917, 22 Irish Republicans have died in defence of their right to
political status," a party spokesperson said.
"In the 1940s the Republican Prisoners in Portlaoise were among the
first Blanketmen in opposition to criminalisation. In the 1970s
Republican prisoners endured a 47-day hunger strike.
"The Republican prisoners in Portlaoise today are defending the same
right to political status because they are part of the same struggle.
"The CIRA prisoners demand their right to a separate landing. The CIRA
PoWs' demand is simple they want to continue to be treated as
political prisoners - as other groups in the jail are."
------------------------------
>>>>>> SF calls on PSNI to end informer pressure
Sinn Fein has backed the case of a Derry republican who complained that
British intelligence agencies had been "relentless" in their efforts to
recruit him as an informer.
The man, who does not wish to be named, said he believes that MI5 agents
are interested in him because of his friendship with a leading dissident
republican.
The Derry man, a former prisoner, said a greeting card was posted to his
house this week containing a handwritten message asking for his help and
instructions to contact a mobile phone number, which was also included.
in December, the same man received a similar card, which also contained
a mobile phone number, and a gift voucher for a local toy shop. The
voucher was given to charity.
The man said that he had to collect the card from the Post Office and
pay for it because whoever posted it originally did not attach the
correct stamp.
"I received a notice through my door telling me there was an item of
post for me to collect at the Post Office. When I picked it up I had to
pay 1.08 because not enough postage had been attached. My name and
address on the envelope was written in the same handwriting as the one I
got before Christmas.
"Inside was a phone number of what I believe to be an MI5 agent. They
have been relentless in trying to get me to work for them," he said.
The man brought the card to a lawyer who contacted the telephone number
and said it went to an answer-phone message left by someone with an
English accent calling himself 'Ken.' The number in the previous card
also went to an similar message.
Local Sinn Fein representative Martina Anderson said she has raised the
man's case with the head of the PSNI.
"I have met the man concerned and there are obvious issues of concern. I
will be raising this issue directly with Matt Baggott to express my
concern," she said.
------------------------------
>>>>>> Anger at Cameron's 'Orange Card'
The British Conservative Party has been accused of engaging in
sectarianism over its secret talks with the UUP and the DUP.
Representatives of the parties met most recently on a possible unity
move at an English stately home outside of London on the 16th and 17th
of January.
Dr McDonnell has sought an urgent meeting with Conservative leader David
Cameron to express his concerns.
The South Belfast MP said the meeting showed contempt for nationalists
and adds further mistrust to the political process.
"It's saying to me that the Conservatives at this stage are not fit for
government," said Dr McDonnell.
"This is playing the orange card, it's being sectarian, it's being
divisive and I will be putting it to David Cameron that it was naive at
best and malevolent at worst."
In 2008, the Conservative party officially joined forces with the Ulster
Unionist Party, forming a new electoral alliance known as the Ulster
Conservative and Unionists - New Force (UCUNF).
But at the weekend, UUP leader Reg Empey insisted the pact only covered
European and Westminister elections and gave a strong indication that
his party was exploring the possibility of a link-up with the Democratic
Unionist Party at the Stormont Assembly in Belfast.
He confirmed the UUP were involved in a serious engagement about
cooperating politically with the DUP and said nothing had been ruled in
or out.
Ian Paisley Jnr od the DUP said nationalist concerns about a secret
unionist strategy were "a smokescreen to cover the anger that certain
nationalists will have when they realise their political careers are
over because they were based on the false dawn of a split unionist
vote."
Mr McDonnell described the move as "cheap Tory stroke".
"For Mr Cameron to orchestrate playing the orange card last weekend for
an hour of self interest did our process serious damage," he said.
"It disrupted the discussions of devolving policing and justice at a
very delicate point just to let him gain some narrow political advantage
in the event of a hung parliament."
Dr McDonnell also accused Mr Cameron of exploiting the crisis at
Stormont.
"No-one is buying the Tory line that this secret, all-unionist meeting
was an attempt to overcome political instabilities," he said.
"If this was the genuine motivation then why haven't the Tories met with
the nationalist parties which represent half of the population living
here?"
Leader of the moderate unionist Alliance Party leader David Ford told
his annual conference that any talk of unionist non-sectarian politics
will be "sunk without trace" if a pan-unionist front is agreed.
That was demonstrated by the weekend resignation of three local
Conservatives, two of whom are Catholics, who had been nominated to
stand in the Westminster elections, he said.
"Tories in Northern Ireland have claimed to be non-sectarian and
progressive, saying that they are seeking to introduce what they
describe as 'national politics' to our society," he told delegates.
"However, if there is any truth whatsoever to the talk of unionist pacts
and realignments with the DUP also included, the claims of non-sectarian
progressive politics are sunk without trace," he said.
"If there are members within the ranks of the local Conservatives who
genuinely believe in a shared future as a priority, I fear they are now
in an impossible position," added Mr Ford.
------------------------------
>>>>>> Waterford plant closes for last time
Hundreds of people came to pay their final respects to the Waterford
Crystal visitors' centre at Kilbarry in Waterford yesterday as it
closed its doors for the final time.
Some came in the hope of gathering a piece for their collection, while
others simply came to share memories that made up the centre-piece of
their lives for so long.
The centre had been due to close next month with the loss of about 15
remaining jobs there. Wile the jobs will still be lost on February
5th, the centre closed ahead of schedule at 5pm yesterday.
About 330,000 tourists came to the visitor centre annually for 25 years
- from Britain, the US, Australia and Asia. Almost 3,000 people once
worked for Waterford Crystal at their factories in Kilbarry and
Dungarvan.
Last year, a tense stand-off followed when the plant was occupied by
workers and supporters following news it was to be shuttered.
Waterford Crystal worker of some 10 years Eleanor Horan said of its
final closure: "We are absolutely devastated but people have been
fantastic; the support we got from all our locals has been absolutely
incredible."
Engraver Nicky Coady, with 44 years' service, added: "While I'm here
I'd like to just thank all the people who came in and shook our hands
this week.
"If the politicians had come out a bit earlier maybe we wouldn't be
closing here today." Mayor of Waterford John Halligan said it was "a
sad day for Waterford".
The company that now owns the Waterford Crystal rights has said it will
open a new retail outlet and visitor centre in the city, and that glass
pieces would continue to be manufactured. However, the new facility
will be a tiny fraction of the original plant.
The outlet is scheduled to open in June and will be based in the former
ESB regional office at the Mall in Waterford.
NATIONAL WORKER UNREST
Meanwhile, thousands of public servants in the 26 Counties are today
taking action which will involve work to rule and refusals to carry out
duties associated with vacant posts in protest at pay cuts.
Health service and local government workers are involved, with more
unions are expected to join the protest in the coming weeks.
Further industrial action, including strikes in selective areas, are
understood to be under consideration by public sector unions in a second
phase of the campaign which could take effect in the weeks ahead.
Mid-ranking civil servants are scheduled to join the initial industrial
action by the middle of next week.
Ireland's largest union, Siptu, said on Friday it would be serving
notice of industrial action across the civil service, local authorities,
and health and education sectors tomorrow. This proposed action would
come into effect a week later, February 1st.
Lower-paid civil servants who are members of the CPSU have already been
involved in industrial action for the last several days.
------------------------------
>>>>>> Feature: Bloody Sunday - the struggle continues
As many victims of miscarriages of justice will testify, admissions of
guilt by Britain take a long time to come to pass.
For 38 years, the people of Derry have been fighting for such an
admission. Ever since 14 civilians were massacred by the British
Paratroop Regiment in the city in 1972, the families of dead, the
injured and the survivors have been fighting for the British government
to acknowledge the truth. The truth being that the British government
attempted to crush peaceful civil rights demonstrations by an act of
terrorism and mass murder.
Despite the pain and death inflicted by its army on January 31 1972, the
British government failed on two counts. Not only did it abjectly failed
to crush the struggle for civil rights, democracy and freedom in
Ireland, it also failed to make its version of what happened on Bloody
Sunday stick. The truth that Bloody Sunday was a massacre is known
around the world, to the detriment of the British government's
reputation.
What remains to be achieved is the publication of the findings of the
Saville Inquiry, which was set up by the British government in 1998. The
families deserve at least the semblance of closure that an accurate
finding by the Inquiry will bring.
But the brutal truth that the British army taught the people of Ireland
on January 31 1972 remains - without national rights there can be no
civil rights. Until national independence and unity is achieved the
British government will continued to abuse the civil and human rights of
Irish citizens and it will attempt to crush any resistance to those
abuses.
These are the reasons that people should mobilise to Derry on January
31; for 38 years, nationalist Ireland has been marching in defiance of
the British government and its armed forces in that city and this year
should be no different.
This month, get to Derry and march in memory of Jackie Duddy, Patrick
Doherty, Bernard McGuigan, Hugh Gilmour, Kevin McElhinney, Michael
Kelly, John Young, William Nash, Michael McDaid, James Wray, Gerald
Donaghy, Gerald McKinney, William McKinney and John Johnston.
Get to Derry and march in support of their families and the survivors.
Get to Derry and demand national independence.
-------------------
The programme of the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration will include
film screenings, discussions, workshops and lectures and will culminate,
as always, with the Bloody Sunday commemoration march to mark the 38th
anniversary of the massacre.
The week of events begins on Monday with a screening of the film, 'The
US vs. John Lennon' in the Nerve Centre, Magazine Street, at 8pm. The
documentary focuses on the Nixon administration's surveillance of the
former Beatle due to his anti-war activities.
Tuesday will see a screening of 'Five Minutes of Heaven,' a film
starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, telling the story of a meeting
between the son of a victim of the Troubles and the former UVF man who
killed his brother.
On Wednesday, the Nerve Centre will host a screening of 'Not in Our
Name,' which tells the story of the 'Raytheon 9' and their subsequent
trial. The film will begin at 8pm and admission is #2.
The film will be followed by the Bloody Sunday memorial quiz which will
be held in the Beechtree Bar, Beechwood Avenue, at 10pm. Admission is
#10 per team of five.
On Thursday The Pat Finucane Centre will hold a 'Raiders of the Lost
Archives' event in Culturlann Ui Chanain, Great James' Street at 7.30pm
which will take a look back through historical files, including state
papers.
Friday afternoon will see a screening of 'Justice Denied - Voices from
Guantanamo' which will be followed by a discussion involving Moazzam
Begg, who was held in the infamous detention camp for five years. The
event will begin at 1pm and admission is free.
The annual Bloody Sunday lecture will take place on Friday night and
this year will involve members of the Bloody Sunday families providing
an update on when they expect Lord Saville's report into the 1972
shootings to be published. The lecture will take place in Culturlann Ui
Chanain at 7.30pm.
Saturday's events will include the Irish premiere of a previously lost
film on a massacre of up to 3200 Algerians in Paris in October 1961
which will be screened in An Chulturlann at 10am. This will be followed
by a training workshop on non-violent action for social justice in
Pilot's Row. Afterwards a panel discussion will take place in An
Chulturlann on how states attempt to cover up violent actions.
A minute's silence will be held at the Bloody Sunday monument on
Rossville Steet to mark the anniversary of the shootings at 4pm. A
fundraising event involving a host of local musicians will held in the
performance area of An Chulturlann at 7.30pm and admission is #5.
Sunday morning will begin with a wreath laying and prayer service at the
Rossville Street monument at 11am with the commemoration march starting
at Creggan Shops at 2.30pm going to William Street.
------------------------------
>>>>>> Analysis: Ruling greeted by the sound of silence
By eirigi
On Tuesday [January 12th], the European Court of Human Rights
delivered a landmark judgment relating to Section 44 stop and search
powers of the British government's 'Terrorism Act' which have been used
with increasing frequency by the PSNI.
The Strasbourg case involved two people, one of whom was a journalist,
who were stopped near an arms fair in London in 2003. The European Court
adjudged that "it considers that the powers of authorisation and
confirmation as well as those of stop and search under sections 44 and
45 of the 2000 (Terrorism) Act are neither sufficiently circumscribed
nor subject to adequate legal safeguards against abuse. They are not,
therefore, 'in accordance with the law'."
By asserting that such powers, which it described as "coercive",
constituted a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human
Rights, the court clearly determined that Section 44 is an invasion of
people's right to liberty and privacy.
Despite the Court's damning rebuttal of these powers which the British
government has vested in the PSNI and other British police forces - or
the fact that the PSNI's ability to use "arbitrary" stop and search
powers should now lie in tatters - a virtual blanket of silence
descended over the Six County media, politicians, and human rights
bodies in response.
Given the manner in which civil liberties in the Six Counties have been
continually eroded, the question must be posed - Why such silence?
After all, this European judgment is particularly pertinent to the Six
Counties given the dramatic rise in the use of these draconian stop and
search powers under Section 44.
Only two months ago, it was revealed that there were more than 20,000
stop and search incidents in the Six Counties under the British
government's 'Terrorism Act' and 'Justice & Security Act' during the
nine month period from January 1 to September 30 last year.
Over 17,000 of those stop and searches were conducted under Section 44 -
the same "coercive" power which the EU now deems illegal. Such figures
indicate a force using repressive measures with relish. It is a picture
far removed from that continually portrayed by the constitutional
nationalist politicians who support the PSNI.
Those figures and the European Court's ruling clearly demonstrate the
illegal and arbitrary nature of policing in the Six Counties. It is
somewhat astonishing that the only nationalist politician or Six County
Policing Board member from whom public comment came either did not know
the full extent of the PSNI's use of stop and search powers or
deliberately sought to underplay its impact by referring to "hundreds"
of people, rather than 20,000 plus, being affected.
This is typical of a political establishment that spends so much time
obsessing about power and personalities that it fails to read or monitor
the laws being enacted and implemented on their watch.
The political establishment cares little for civil liberties as its
ambition entails the creation of a highly controlled and monitored
society.
The surveillance of individuals, of our streets and towns has increased
without public scrutiny or debate. Privacy is under threat, as
widespread interception of telephone and email communications increases.
The PSNI has greater powers of arrest, to use stop and search powers
without any suspicion of crime, to deploy covert British army units, to
continue retaining DNA and fingerprint samples of innocent people
[deemed unlawful by a European Court ruling in December 2008], to
collaborate with MI5, and to take punitive action against political
activists. To compound all this, the length of time that persons can be
detained without charge has been increased to 28 days.
All of the above has occurred under the watch of those who promised to
deliver new beginnings and greater accountability.
The European Court also stated there was a clear risk that such widely
framed Section 44 stop and search powers could be misused against
peaceful demonstrators and political activists in breach of Article 10
and/or 11 of the Convention. That was the case in relation to the PSNI's
use of those powers in response to a totally peaceful protest organised
at the British army's telecommunications post in the Belfast hills in
November last year and on many other occasions.
Presently, much speculation surrounds the 'deal or no deal' saga of the
devolution of limited policing and justice powers to Britain's Stormont
administration. Such a move, should it occur, will actually do little to
enhance civil liberties in the Six Counties as decisive power over
"national security matters" - the interests of the British state in
Ireland - will remain, as always, the sole prerogative of the British
government.
And, acting to reinforce that reality, the British government
contemptuously announced after the Strasbourg judgment that the
discredited and unlawful Section 44 powers will remain in use.
Therein lay the reason behind the virtual blanket of silence which
descended over the North in response of the European Court judgment.
Those who have clamoured most for a policing and justice ministry at
Stormont were simply incapable of explaining what little palpable
difference such a minister could ever make while the British government
and its forces in Ireland continue to ignore internationally recognised
human rights' conventions, just as they do elsewhere.
In condemning Britain, the European Court unwittingly removed a fig-leaf
to expose the short-comings of those who run the Six Counties on behalf
of Britain.
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