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Troops Out Movement |
Forthcoming
Events
Troops Out Movement Annual Delegation to Belfast Thurs 6th – Sun 9th August 2009 This year’s Troops Out Movement Delegation to Belfast will take place two months after the European elections and follows recent killings, sectarian attacks and other violent incidents. The delegation also comes one week before the 40th anniversary of the re-deployment of British troops onto the streets of Ireland following the Battle of the Bogside in Derry and other uprisings across the six counties. Thousands of British troops remain in Ireland, there is little progress on the issue of collusion, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry has still not reported its findings, the family of Pat Finucane are refusing an Inquiry under the (deeply flawed) Inquiries Act 2005 and on-going inquiries are slow and tedious. The Troops Out Movement delegation provides a unique opportunity to observe, at first hand, the reality of life in Belfast and hear - free from media interference - the views of people directly affected. You will have chance to:-
Further information: Troops Out Movement
Anti-Racism World Cup ‘09 Donegal Celtic Football
Club The Anti-Racism World Cup is a show case of solidarity between people of all nations. For the third year in a row, Ireland and West Belfast will be celebrating human solidarity with like minded people from around the world. The Anti-Racism World Cup will again be hosted by a community which has a long history of highlighting and combating domestic and international injustice. 2009 will see the return of teams from Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, Kurdistan, Palestine, Catalunya, The Basque Country, Portugal and the Congo. We invite all comrades and friends to participate in the event and to show support for the various social and political movements in attendance. For international solidarity, anti-racism, anti-facism, and anti-imperialism! New teams are always welcome especially those teams representing their communities resident in Ireland or abroad, and particularly those involved in the fight against racism, fascism and imperialism. BÍGÍ LINN - STAND WITH US
Robert Hamill Inquiry The Inquiry began on Tuesday 13th January 2009 in the Interpoint Centre, York Street, Belfast. 160 witnesses will give evidence over the next number of months concerning their involvement in the case following the death in 1997 of Mr Hamill after his beating by a crowd of loyalists in Portadown. The inquiry will assess the role of the RUC; from the members who witnessed the attack and did not intervene, to allegations that the RUC failed adequately to investigate the case of Mr Hamill's death and frustrated the potential for prosecutions. The inquiry will also be able to inquire into the Director of Public Prosecution's involvement in the decision-making over prosecution. The inquiry arises out of a recommendation by Judge Peter Cory that this case and a number of others deserved full public inquiries. Members of the inquiry panel are Sir Edwin Jowitt (Chair), Sir John Evans and Baroness Richardson of Calow. The PSNI is represented by Richard Ferguson and Barra McGrory is representing the Hamill family. The inquiry is being held under the 2005 Inquiries Act, widely criticised as subverting the independence of the previous inquiries legislation. Click here for the full judgment. The inquiry can be followed online at: www.roberthamillinquiry.org.
Campaigns
Recently
Updated Campaigns . Troops
Out Movement Campaigns
Ballymurphy
11 Relatives Campaign in England The Ballymurphy 11 were murdered during the first three days of Internment in 1971 by the 2nd Battalion of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment. This same regiment went on, 6 months later, to murder fourteen civilian demonstrators on Bloody Sunday in Derry. Two daughters of the Ballymurphy 11 were in Birmingham and Coventry for International Women’s Day events from Thur 5th – Sun 8th March. They were the guests of Coventry Trade Union Council and the Troops Out Movement. Alice Harper is the daughter of Daniel Teggart, father of thirteen, murdered on 9th August. He was shot 14 times. Briege Voyle is the daughter of Joan Connolly, who was also murdered on the 9th August. She was the mother of eight, shot whilst helping another victim Noel Phillips aged 19. All the victims were labelled by the British Army as terrorists with guns. There is not, and was never, a scrap of evidence to support this. All of the victims were unarmed civilians and the relatives want truth and justice. The first engagement for the guests was with the Birmingham Trade Union Council. They were the main speakers at the monthly delegates meeting. A serious debate followed their talk. The council was very sympathetic and will be writing to Shaun Woodward supporting the campaign’s demands:-
On Friday they did a recorded interview on Birmingham community radio station Unity Radio 82.5FM ( http://www.unityfm.net/) which will be broadcast at 5pm on Thursday 12th and 19th March. The evening was spent as guests at Birmingham’s meeting of Britain Palestine Twinning Network Women’s Visit. The main speakers were Palestinian women Zahida Farakhnah and Nagham Madi. The discussion and contributions brought out the similarities between the struggles for a free Palestine and a free Ireland. Although the scale is far greater in Palestine the issues are identical in both examples of colonisation - cold-blooded killings by state forces, walls being built to separate communities, roadblocks and check points, arbitrary arrests, serious consequences of children and youths stone-throwing, disproportionate number of prisoners, holding without trial and excessive sentencing. Saturday was a very full day. It began at the launch of Coventry’s Women’s Festival where, at a non-political event, they were given a platform to speak just before the Irish Dancers. They had an amazing reception with many coming up afterwards to give hugs and ask for the information leaflets. They then went onto a special meeting of Coventry Trades Union Council called in honour of the Ballymurphy 11. This was as a result of their delegate hearing the story of the Ballymurphy Massacre during the Troops Out Movement’s annual delegation to Belfast. A very wide-ranging discussion ensued and commitments were made by the trade unionists to take up the campaign and do everything possible in support. Next stop was the International Women’s Day event at Birmingham’s Drum, Black Arts Centre. Alice and Briege were welcomed alongside a Palestinian women's delegation from Gaza, a progressive Jewish/anti-Zionist voice and speakers on black women's history. We have since received a thank you letter from the organisers saying that many had said they learned so much and that the discussion was excellent. The final event on Saturday was a dinner and musical entertainment in support of Music for Hope, a Birmingham-based charity which provides communities in El Salvador with musical instruments and pays the salaries of five music teachers. Alice and Briege were the interval speakers. Again they received a tremendous reception with pledges to support the campaign. Sunday 8th March, International Women’s Day itself, saw Alice and Briege at an informal lunch time get-together of local Birmingham activists. It gave the opportunity to discuss in more detail the specifics of the Ballymurphy case and what the Troops Out Movement and others can do to support the relatives and take the campaign forward. Emphasis was put on pressurising Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to have an independent, international, investigation into the case, as a British government inquiry would not be independent. Relatives are certain that an independent investigation would lead to the victims of the massacre being declared innocent, not gunmen/woman, and an apology would have to be forthcoming. There were also proposals to put pressure on Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces Minister, to make his department’s papers available to relatives. Someone in the army and government knows what happened. It was also agreed to lobby MPs to support the call for an investigation by letter-writing and lobbying their surgeries. The main success of the speaking tour was that the message of the Ballymurphy Massacre Campaign was heard by people who would not normally come out to hear speakers about Britain’s role in Ireland. New audiences were informed and new support won. The Troops Out Movement would like to thank Alice and Briege for their wonderful and moving presentations and all the Ballymurphy 11 relatives for allowing their stories to be told. We would also like to thank Coventry Trades Council for initiating the speaking tour, everyone in Birmingham and Coventry who gave the women a platform and those who gave donations towards the expenses.
Briege Voyle and Alice Harper in Coventry
TOM Action Alert - Repeal the The Inquiries Act 2005 "By proposing to hold an inquiry into the Finucane case under The Inquiries Act 2005, the UK government is trying to eliminate independent scrutiny of the actions of its agents. Any judge sitting on such an inquiry would be presiding over a sham." Amnesty International. Human rights lawyer Pat Finucane was shot dead in his home in Belfast on 12th February 1989 by loyalist paramilitaries. In the aftermath of his killing, prima facie evidence emerged of criminal conduct by the RUC and British military intelligence agents acting in collusion with loyalist paramilitaries in his murder. Different British government agencies and authorities have subsequently covered-up their part in the murder. In April 2004, an independent report commissioned by the UK and Irish governments concluded that "only a public inquiry will suffice in Patrick Finucane's case". Instead of heeding the report's recommendation, and in the face of strong criticism and opposition, the UK executive railroaded the Inquiries Bill through parliament and managed to have it passed as legislation. The Inquiries Act 2005 came into effect on 7th April 2005 - the last possible day before parliament was dissolved on the 11th in readiness for the forthcoming general election on 5th May. Any inquiry, held under the new Act, would be controlled by the executive which, under it, is empowered to block public scrutiny of state actions. It will affect not only Patrick Finucane's case, but also other major incidents which would warrant public scrutiny of the actions of the state, such as failures of public services, deaths in prisons, rail disasters and army deaths in disputed circumstances. According to Amnesty International: "The Inquiries Act 2005 undermines the rule of law, the separation of powers and human rights protection. It cannot be the foundation for an effective, independent, impartial or thorough judicial inquiry in serious allegations of human rights violations. Nor would it provide for public scrutiny of all the relevant evidence. "The Inquiries Act 2005 deals a fatal blow to any possibility of public scrutiny of and accountability for state abuses. Any inquiry under this legislation would automatically fall far short of the requirements in international human rights law and standards for effective remedies for victims of human rights violations and their families. One of the first tasks of the new UK Parliament should be to immediately repeal the Act. "Once again, Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to immediately establish a truly independent judicial inquiry into collusion by state agents with Loyalist paramilitaries in Patrick Finucane's murder; into reports that his killing was the result of state policy; and into allegations that different government authorities played a part in the subsequent cover-up of collusion in his murder." Background In May 2002, the UK and Irish governments appointed Justice Peter Cory, formerly a Judge in the Canadian Supreme Court, to investigate a number of killings in which official collusion was alleged, including the killing of Pat Finucane. In April 2004, the UK authorities published Justice Cory's report but refused at that time to announce a public inquiry into Pat Finucane's case. Instead of announcing a public judicial inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921, the British government eventually announced that it would introduce new legislation under which an inquiry into the Finucane case would be established. There was no consultation prior to the publication of the Bill. The new Inquiries Act 2005 repeals the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921. Under the new Act:
Lord Saville, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry, pointed out that the Inquiries Act 2005 "makes a very serious inroad into the independence of any inquiry and is likely to damage or destroy public confidence in the inquiry and its findings". Lord Saville also said: "As a Judge, I must tell you that I would not be prepared to be appointed as a member of an inquiry that was subject to a provision of this kind." Judge Peter Cory, with specific reference to the possibility of an inquiry into the Finucane case held under the Inquiries Act 2005, stated: "It seems to me that the proposed new act would make a meaningful inquiry impossible." What can you do? Write to Gordon Brown, Shaun Woodward and your own MP to demand the repeal of the Inquiries Act 2005 and a full Independent Public Inquiry into the death of Pat Finucane - and encourage others to do so. Contact details Gordon Brown, 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA e-mail: privateoffice@no10.x.gsi.gov.uk Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA e-mail: woodwardsh@parliament.uk Find the contact details of your own MP at www.writetothem.com
TOM Action
Alert - No Further Delay of Saville Report The Troops Out Movement were earlier today contacted by a representative of the Bloody Sunday relatives. John Kelly, whose brother Michael was one of the thirteen civilians murdered by British Paratroopers on 30th January 1972 (the fourteenth victim died some time later) informed us that they had been notified by Lord Saville that his report into the murder of their loved-ones has, once again, been delayed. John, who was clearly upset and angered by the news, said: "I am angry and totally devastated to have to wait at least another year for this report to be published. "Saville recently informed us that the report had gone to professional editors, indicating that completion was in sight. "It adds insult to injury that we have been given no real reason for the delay. "The families have been very patient, but our patience is wearing thin. "We have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. "The Saville Inquiry opened on 3rd April 1998 and officially closed in November 2004. "Four years on we have no report. "Why is there such reluctance to release the report to public scrutiny?" Mary Pearson, Secretary of the Troops Out Movement, which, since it was formed in 1974 has campaigned to expose the truth of what really happened on Bloody Sunday, said: "This is yet another example of the British establishment treating Irish people with contempt. "The relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims have a right to the immediate publication of this report. "We are asking people to demand that the report be published immediately and that the relatives receive it simultaneously along with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland." What can you do?
Let us ensure people in England, Scotland and Wales are aware of what is being done in their name!
RIR March of Shame Video The Youtube video of the recent RIR's march of shame and the sectarian abuse and attack on the victims of British state violence by unionists/loyalists can be viewed here.
The Truth
Comes to England Grandson of Collusion Victim in England as Guest of the Troops out Movement Just two weeks after the PSNI released a report by their Historical Enquiries Team (HET) on the McGurk’s Bar Bombing in 1971, the grandson of Phillip Garry, who was one of the victims, was campaigning in England. Robert McClenaghan was representing An Fhirinne (The Truth), an organisation of relatives of people murdered by loyalist paramilitaries where there is evidence of collusion between the paramilitaries and British state forces. An Fhirinne and other relatives’ organisations are calling for an Independent International Truth Commission into the slaughter of their loved ones. They believe that a British government inquiry could not possibly be independent - and neither could a government of Ireland one, as they have done little to uncover the truth of killings in the twenty-six counties. Expressing no confidence in British investigative procedure Robert McClenaghan said: “The HET is about the police investigating the police. A report into the McGurk’s bombing was published by the HET two weeks ago. It is, as we suspected, a review of existing material rather than a new investigation.” Robert was in four English cities as a guest of the Troops Out Movement (TOM), the British-based organisation which campaigns for British withdrawal from Ireland. During his presentations he showed a very harrowing video of relatives speaking of their murdered loved ones. It showed to people in England the reality of what was done in their name. In August last year members of the Troops Out Movement met with Robert and Séamus Finucane, brother of Pat, the human rights solicitor murdered by a loyalist death squad in collusion with British security forces. The meeting was part of TOM’s annual delegation to Belfast and they pledged support for the relatives’ demands:-
Robert spoke of many of the collusion cases and made clear the relatives’ demands: “We are not talking prosecutions and revenge here, we want the justice of truth. Following any trauma, health professionals and counsellors speak of those affected needing closure. How can our families get closure without truth?” The tour started in the North West with Robert speaking in Liverpool and Manchester. In Manchester he presented a video and written material produced by An Fhirinne and Relatives for Justice to the Irish archive at the Working Class Movement Library. He went on to lay flowers at the Manchester Martyrs’ monument and at their grave. He continued on to the Midlands and spoke at meetings in Nottingham and Birmingham. At the public meeting in Birmingham’s Council House, Mary Pearson, secretary of the Troops Out Movement, pointed out that the atrocities were carried out in the name of the people of Britain, who had in fact paid the wages of the those who had colluded with the murderers. She said that there was a responsibility on everyone there, and everyone who knew about the collusion. to use the moving video to raise the issue in communities, trades unions and with the political parties and representatives. She referred to the government’s reluctance to hold inquiries because of claims they are too costly. Mary pointed out that it is the cover-ups which cost millions - the truth costs nothing. The meeting was also addressed by Louise Kilbride and Maureen Russell of the Telling Tales Theatre Group. They spoke on another collusion case, that of the murder of Patrick Shanaghan, about which they have written and performed a play “Stepping Out of Line”. They performed songs from the play at the meeting. In Birmingham Robert also met Irish community representatives and was interviewed live for a full hour on the Unity FM Community Radio. He so impressed the presenter that he recorded Robert speaking on the history of the conflict in the north of Ireland for a programme which will go out on Thursday July 3rd 5pm and can be heard outside Birmingham at www.unityfm.net. The Harp free newspaper serving the Irish community interviewed him for their July edition. He also met members of the Asian community, one of which offered to put leaflets in his shop. The tour culminated in Liverpool on Saturday 28th June at the James Larkin Society’s march and rally. The event was to commemorate the 100 years of the Irish Transport & General Workers Union (now SIPTU). Robert was the main speaker and gave a strong speech on Larkin as well as the demand for truth and justice about collusion. The Troops Out Movement would like to thank Robert for informative and moving presentations during the speaking tour, and all the relatives of collusion victims for allowing their stories to be told. We would also like to thank everyone in England who supported the tour and gave donations towards expenses. We can assure the relatives that we will continues to work for truth and justice for the victims of collusion and demand an Independent International Truth Commission.
Troops
Out Movement Demand Justice for Rosemary Nelson
While the Irish community in Britain were celebrating their ethnicity over this year's Saint Patrick's weekend, the Troops Out Movement (TOM) was asking people to remember Rosemary Nelson. It is now nine years since Rosemary was murdered by loyalists in collusion with British security forces, yet the (restricted) Inquiry announced in 2004 by the then British direct rule secretary Paul Murphy has still not begun in full session. The Troops Out Movement handed out thousands of leaflets over the weekend asking the Irish community to demand that the current British northern secretary Shaun Woodward ensures that the public sessions of the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry open immediately. The leaflet also asked people to organise delegations to their MP's surgeries, to write to their MPs and to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Anyone wanting copies of the leaflet can e-mail TOM at: troopsoutmovement@btinternet.com or write to us at: TOM PO Box 1032 Birmingham B12 8BZ.
Video - Remembering the Victims of Rubber and Plastic Bullets A 34 minute Barry Curran video filmed on the 11th September 2005 at the unveiling by Relatives for Justice of a Troops Out Movement-sponsored mural erected in memory of those murdered and maimed by the RUC and British army in the six counties by rubber and plastic bullets. The video can be viewed at: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-7789929718321092272
Remember Patrick
Shanaghan Patrick Shanaghan was murdered by the UFF/UDA in collusion with the RUC 17 years ago today. The native of Aghyaran, Castlederg, County Tyrone was 31-years-old when he was shot dead on his way to work on 12th August 1991. The killing followed 6 years of constant harassment from the Crown Forces, being assaulted and threatened with death on numerous occasions. Patrick, who stood as a Sinn Féin candidate in the 1989 local elections, was also told by the RUC that his personal details were in the hands of unionist paramilitaries after a photomontage was lost from a British army vehicle. The assault rifle used by the gunman in the killing was part of a huge haul of weaponry brought into Ireland from South Africa in 1988 by unionist paramilitaries with the assistance of several British military agents and intelligence operatives. Patrick's relatives and friends accused the RUC of colluding in the young man's death. At an inquest into the killing, held in 1996, RUC members called to give evidence could not account for the strange activities of several of their members immediately after the shooting. A lawyer for the Shanaghan family accused the RUC of preventing medical treatment for the victim after the shooting. The Shanaghan family's lawyer walked out of the hearing after he was refused permission to submit a dossier of evidence relating to the killing. An independent public inquiry was held the same year at Castlederg, presided over by the Honourable Andrew I Somers Jr, an American legal expert, who concluded: "I have never seen a case where all the evidence loudly points to one conclusion: Patrick Shanaghan was murdered by the British government and more specifically with the collusion of the police. I would not hesitate to indict members of the RUC from top to bottom." In May 2001 the European Court of Human Rights found the British government in breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to hold a proper investigation into the killing. The Shanaghan case was one of twelve taken to Strasbourg against the British government. The European ruling added impetus to the Shanaghan family's call for an independent public inquiry into Patrick's death. Unfortunately, the British government changed the law in 2004 following Canadian Judge Cory's recommendation that there should be public inquiries into certain deaths where collusion is evident. There are now no independent inquiries. They are all now in the hands of the British minister for the north, currently Shawn Woodward. The families of collusion cases are now calling for Independent International Investigations. What can we do?
TOM
Action Alert - Cost of inquiries 'horrify' tories Tory politicians are "horrified" at the spiralling costs of inquiries into the past, the Shadow Secretary of State has revealed. Owen Paterson said there were growing concerns among the Conservative rank and file about the amount of cash being ploughed into the investigations, particularly for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, where the bill has now reached £181m. He was speaking after a visit to Ulster to meet Lord Eames and Denis Bradley, who head the Consultative Group on the Past. Mr Paterson said: "There is more than a feeling of unease in the Tory party. People are horrified at the costs of the inquiries and wonder what other good could have been done with this money. "For example the Police Federation are having problems getting money for people who need psychiatric help to deal with the past. "There is a feeling that well-heeled London lawyers are the ones benefiting the most. There is a case for a low key approach to getting to the truth. I do fear the present is being swamped by the past. "There are huge present needs that the police face but they have to spend 40% of their time on the past." His comments come on the back of reports that Shadow Defence Secretary Gerald Howarth claimed the Saville Inquiry "should be scrapped and any money still to be spent devoted instead to something worthwhile, like police pay". TOM COMMENT Let's be quite clear about this: The British establishment are solely responsible for the cost of the Saville Inquiry. If the British military had not 'closed ranks' and Widgery had conducted an open and honest inquiry, there would never have been the need for the Saville Inquiry. How much money was spent on legal challenges to the Saville Inquiry by the British military? Attempting to obtain the truth when faced with resistance from those who planned and carried out the massacre that was Bloody Sunday has apparently cost £181m. Truth costs nothing. In the wider context, dismissing the families engaged in public inquiries and their needs is insulting to them and ignores the legislative basis on which they were announced. There was nothing 'low key' about the conflict, nor about the hurt and pain it caused. There can be no convenient or 'low key' solution. Mr Patterson suggests money would be better spent on services for victims, including psychiatric care for members of the Police Federation, while Gerald Howarth says the Saville Inquiry should be scrapped and any money still to be spent devoted instead to something worthwhile, like police pay. Promoting the set of needs of one section of victims and dismissing the equally valid needs of others is completely missing the point. In finding a way to deal with the hurt of the past, it is essential to ensure that all those affected by the most recent phase of conflict in Ireland must have access to truth and justice on an equal basis. If you disagree with the comments of these Tory MPs please let them know. Write/e-mail/fax the Conservative Shadow Secretary of State Owen Paterson at his North Shropshire constituency office. His contact details can be found here: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/member/search/l/Owen%20Paterson.html Write/e-mail/fax the Conservative Shadow Defence Secretary Gerald Howarth at his Aldershot constituency office. His contact details can be found here: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/member/search/l/Gerald%20Howarth.html Also, write/e-mail/fax your local MP at: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/l/ or http://www.writetothem.com/
Ballymurphy Eleven Women in Speaking Tour of England Guests of the Troops Out Movement
Two daughters of the Ballymurphy Eleven were speaking in England recently calling for an Independent International Investigation into the slaughter of their relatives and nine others by British soldiers in 1971. Alice Harper and Briege Voyle were in six English cities as guests of the Troops Out Movement, the English-based organisation which campaigns for British withdrawal from Ireland. The Ballymurphy Eleven were murdered during the first three days of Internment by the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute regiment. This same regiment went on, six months later, to murder fourteen civilian demonstrators on Bloody Sunday in Derry. Alice Harper is the daughter of Daniel Teggart, a father of eight who was murdered on 9th August. He was shot fourteen times. Briege Voyle is the daughter of Joan Connolly, who also died on the 9th August, a mother of eight who was shot while helping another victim, 19-year-old Noel Phillips. No-one was ever brought to justice for murdering the Ballymurphy Eleven and they have never had the focus of the Bloody Sunday victims. The Bloody Sunday victims were shot within forty minutes in full view of the world's media. The Ballymurphy victims were killed over three days in their own area. The families have now come together to demand justice. Members of the Troops Out Movement heard the relatives of all eleven victims tell their stories in August last year whilst on their annual delegation to Belfast. The Movement then pledged support for the relatives' demands:
Briege and Alice made it clear that: "We want truth and justice, not vengeance and revenge" The tour started in the North West with Alice Harper speaking in Liverpool and Manchester. The Liverpool meeting was hosted by the James Larkin Republican Flute Band. Audiences were seriously moved by Alice's story. Alice was then was joined in Nottingham by Briege Voyle, adding breadth to the story. At every meeting they made sure the audience knew the details of all eleven killings. They also showed an exhibition of dramatic black and white photographs, taken by Jonathan Porter, of members of each family holding a portrait of their murdered loved one in their own homes or at the place the person was killed. The next three days were spent in Birmingham and Coventry. At the public meeting in Birmingham's Council House, Alice and Briege were joined by Cahil McElhinney, brother of Kevin, who was murdered by the same British Paratroopers in Derry on Bloody Sunday. He drew the direct parallels between the Ballymurphy Eleven and the Bloody Sunday victims. All were innocent civilians, murdered in cold blood but branded as gunners and bombers. All were violently treated before and after death. It was evidence of the British soldiers' - and therefore the British government's - abject contempt for the nationalist community of the six counties. Also on the platform in Birmingham was Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo detainee. He drew the parallels of the Irish people's experience with the current experience of the Muslim community in Britain. They also are labelled as suspect terrorists by the establishment in Britain. Moazzam said how pleased he was to be at the meeting with Cahil as he had opened the Bloody Sunday Museum in Derry with Cahil's father Laurence McElhinney, who is sadly the only surviving parent of the Bloody Sunday victims. Mary Pearson, Secretary of the Troops Out Movement, pointed out that both atrocities were carried out in the name of the people of Britain, who had in fact paid the wages of the soldier murderers. She said that there was a responsibility on everyone there and everyone who knew about the Ballymurphy massacre to raise the issue in communities, trades unions and with the political parties and representatives. Also in Birmingham, Alice and Briege met with a number of community representatives, members at the Central Mosque, workers from the Federation of Irish Societies, a representative from Birmingham's Irish Community Forum and people at the Unity FM Community Radio where they did an hour-long live programme. The Coventry Trade Union Council also held a meeting with members of various trade unions and former MEP and human rights activist Christine Oddy. The Transport and General Workers Union opened it's facilities and provided refreshments. Everyone who met Briege and Alice said they would do everything in their power to take the issue further. The tour culminated at the Annual Bloody Sunday event in London organised by the Wolfe Tone Society. Again they were joined on the platform by Cahil McElhinney, and also by Jennifer McCann, Sinn Féin MLA for West Belfast. The Troops Out Movement would like to thank Alice and Briege for their wonderful and moving presentations during the speaking tour; all the Ballymurphy Eleven relatives for allowing their stories to be told, and Relatives for Justice for their support in enabling the tour to go ahead. We would also like to thank everyone in England who supported the tour and gave donations towards expenses.
Relatives of Victims Oppose Consultative Group The British government have established an 'Independent' Consultative Group to look at the legacy of the past. The group is co-chaired by Robin Eames, the former Archbishop of Armagh and Denis Bradley, the first vice-chairman of the Policing Board. The pair were selected in June 2007 by Peter Hain, the then British direct rule secretary. Both have publicly expressed support for the use of Plastic Bullets in the past. The day after Julie Livingstone was murdered, Eames came out in support of Plastic Bullets. Dennis Bradley, on the policing board, has always justified their use. Other members of the group have been selected by Eames and Bradley and no one has a human rights background (see full list below). Concerns expressed by Relatives for Justice · That the two Chairs of the panel have already expressed publicly their own position on the matter of dealing with the past which is at odds with many victims and survivors - i.e. draw a line under the past and move on · That the remit is not an all-island approach · That in public articles reference is made by Peter Hain to both republican and loyalists but not the British State's role in the conflict · That obvious concerns exist that this initiative is both driven by the British government and will report back to the British government - a key participant to the conflict · That the British government have international and domestic human rights obligations regarding upholding victims' rights and investigating past abuses - these cannot be arbitrarily abandoned · The British government are seeking to sign off on this issue with more spin than substance · Ultimately it will once again be victims who lose out in this cynical exercise Please write to your MP - you can do it online at www.WriteToThem.com or write to House of Commons London SW1A 0AA. Object to the 'Independent' Consultative Group not being independent. Also raise with your trade union, political party, community group etc. Also contact the media. Please keep us informed of any responses. Full membership of consultative group
Letter from Brenda Downes and Jim McCabe sent to the Irish News Editor on 25th November 2007. Brenda's husband John, and Jim's wife Nora, were both gunned down by police officers in the pay of the British government. New victims group On Friday 22 June 2007 Peter Hain announced the formation of an independent consultative group... to deal with the legacy of the past. We have lost loved ones through the actions of the state and we do not have any confidence that it is a truly independent group or that it can deliver what is needed to address the past. The fact that a British minister whose track record in making appointments has been challenged, and found to be wanting, is sufficient reason for us not having faith in these appointments. Measurers needed have to include truth and acknowledgement and a completely independent international approach to investigate past violations in this conflict, as well as a need to start acknowledging this fact. Will this new consultative group have the energy and the will to produce a report that will reveal how deeply involved the British are? Especially given the group's remit to report to Westminster? It is in our opinion this group should be disbanded and replaced with independent people who have a human rights record and command the respect of all victims and survivors of the legacy of the conflict. If we are going to get anywhere the state needs to accept their part. Brenda Downes This article is being reproduced
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SUNDAY A Gaslight Productions / Box TV Co-Production RELEASED BY 4DVD Monday 16th April 2007 “McGovern made the image a servant of truth and justice." – Irish Times “I found it lacerating, it was tragic, it was powerful, it was analytic, everything came together…it was deeply humane, deeply, deeply humane.” – Tom Paulin, BBC 2 Newsnight Review ”Distressing, gripping, provocative …. with a palpable sense of terror and confusion that remains to this day.” - The Daily Telegraph "McGovern's effort provided more rounded portraits of characters and a community, and more insight into the repercussions of the events of Bloody Sunday” - The Guardian Available to own on DVD for the first time ever, Jimmy McGovern’s award-winning drama-documentary Sunday is released to mark the 35th anniversary of the original report by the then Lord chief Justice, Lord Widgery, into the terrible events of ‘Bloody Sunday’, when British Paratroopers shot dead thirteen unarmed civilians, and wounded a further fifteen, during an illegal civil rights march in Derry, northern Ireland. The new release features a wealth of exclusive DVD extras including commentary with: the writer, Jimmy McGovern, director, Charles McDougall and the film’s co-producer, Stephen Gargan. Bonus material also includes The Bloody Sunday Debate, a live debate about the film and events, plus Witness Testimonies – some 4 hours of audio interviews with relatives of the victims and eye witness accounts to the tragic events of ‘Bloody Sunday’. Starring Christopher Eccleston (Hillsborough, The Others, Dr. Who), Ciaran McMenamin (The Young Persons Guide to Becoming a Rock Star), Eva Birthistle (A Fond Kiss, Breakfast on Pulto), Brid Brennan (Topsy Turvy, Cracker) and Oliver Ford Davies (Mrs. Brown, Sense and Sensibility) Sunday examines the political context for 'Bloody Sunday', as well as the impact of the first official Government Inquiry into the day itself, conducted by Lord Widgery in 1972 and published 35 years ago this week. (Tony Blair’s announcement in 1998 of a second Inquiry (under Lord Saville) something unprecedented in British legal history, is now not expected to report until 2008.) The programme, made with the full consultation and co-operation of the families affected by the tragedy, was researched over several years by an experienced factual production team and originally broadcast by Channel 4 in January 2002. More than a hundred first-hand interviews were conducted by the writer with: British soldiers and officers, priests, politicians, former IRA members, medical experts and eyewitnesses as well as relatives of the dead. A team of investigative journalists also conducted painstaking background research for the programme, and corroborated the factual basis of the drama-documentary independently. Key scenes are based on evidence presented to both the Widgery and Saville inquiries. Although there have been minor changes to chronology and certain events have been dramatised to aid clarity, the film is based entirely on fact Beginning a few days before the planned Civil Rights March in the city protesting against internment of British citizens, the locals are already talking about the event. General Ford (Christopher Eccleston), the Commander of Land Forces of the British Army in Northern Ireland, is seen dictating a memo suggesting that the only way to curb rioting and violence in Derry is to 'shoot selected ringleaders' of the Derry Young Hooligans (DYH). 27-year-old Leo Young (Ciaran McMenamin) is innocently delivering coal with his brother John (Barry Mullan). Within the space of 24 hours John will be dead, along with many other young men from his community and Leo’s life will have changed forever. For more detailed information on ‘Sunday’ please visit: www.sunday-film.net Sunday DVD Details Release date: 16th April 2007
'Non-Lethal' Weapons The second in the series of Occasional
Papers, entitled 'The Development of 'Non-Lethal' Weapons During the
1990's' (March 2007), is now available to See also new research on injuries resulting from AEPs (the new plastic bullets) from the Emergency Medicine Journal
Shoot the Messenger - Retired Police Response to Ombudsman's Collusion Report The Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers'
Association (NIRPOA) has
published a Rebuttal of the "Statement by the Police Ombudsman
for Northern Ireland on her investigation into the circumstances surrounding
the death of Raymond McCord Junior and related matters" (22nd
January 2007) In addition to taking the Ombudsman to task on substance, the NIRPOA report includes an appendix which lists "intrusive apostrophes", misuse of who/whom, "punctuation and general awkwardness" and a lack of commas! Good to know that the Retired Police Officers Association has its priorities right when discussing allegations that police officers colluded with loyalist paramilitaries in multiple murders and bombings. One bizarre footnote - the NIRPOA website lists its regional branches as North West, East Antrim, Belfast, North Down, Lisburn, Fermanagh and…Baghdad! Who was it said that Iraq was being dragged into total chaos by foreign fighters? See the Police Ombudsman report on the PFC website at www.patfinucanecentre.org
Unbowed
Unbroken Video Irish Republicans Danny Morrison, Pat Sheehan and Brendan McFarlane gather at a book launch (Hunger Strike: Reflections on the 1981 Republican Hunger Strike) to give their accounts of one of the most remarkable prison protests in history - that which occurred in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh and which resulted in the deaths of 10 men on hunger strike. The video can be viewed at: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=6141932169805470287
Plastic Bullets Report The highly impressive 2006 report on Plastic Bullets by British Irish Rights Watch 'Plastic Bullets: A Human Rights Perspective' can be viewed on their website at http://www.birw.org/Plastic%20bullets.html
Help Bring the Manchester Martyrs Home On 11th September 1867, the police in Manchester arrested two men for behaving suspiciously in a doorway. The two, Colonel T.J.Kelly and Captain Deasy, were leading figures in the Irish Rising. A week later, the two men were handcuffed and piled into a prison van to be transported from court to Belle Vue Prison. It was on this journey that Kelly and Deasy were rescued by their friends. During the rescue, the men had trouble opening the locked back door of the van. The police sergeant in the back with the prisoners refused to let them out. One of the raiders then shot the lock off with his revolver. In smashing the lock, a bullet penetrated the door and killed the police guard inside, Sergeant Brett. A female prisoner inside the van then took the keys from Brett and passed them out to the rescuers through the ventilator. Kelly and Deasy quickly ran off and were never recaptured. Although the policeman had been killed with just one shot, by accident, five men were sentenced to death for the killing. None of the five had fired the shot that had killed Brett, however four of them had taken an active role in the rescue. According to historian and author John Devoy, the man who actually fired the shot was Peter Rice, a Dubliner who later escaped to the United States. Witnesses Double Standards Sentenced To Death There has been a long-running campaign to have the men’s remains brought home to Ireland and many obstacles have been encountered along the way. Their burial place has remained a mystery for generations. However, when Sinn Féin Councillor John Desmond travelled over from Bandon to Manchester, an important leap forward in the investigation was made. He discovered that the remains were removed from their prison burial plot in 1991. The men’s bodies were cremated in Blackley Crematorium and re-interred. This was a mass burial in which dozens of prisoners’ remains were buried together. The caskets of the Manchester Martyrs remains need to be separated from others and brought back to Glasnevin. Trying to arrange this has not been an easy task. Troops Out Movement has been in discussions with the British Home Office and Prison Service. They claim that all the caskets were unmarked and therefore the men’s particular caskets cannot be identified. The Home Office added that “no casket carried any identifying marker, nor did the burial authority keep a record of the order in which caskets were interred within the grave”. The Prison Service have not been able to locate any records which would help identify the remains of the men. Identifying the remains would allow their families to bring them home to grant them the basic dignity of a Christian burial. In March of this year, Troops Out Movement (TOM) attended the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis. 380 motions were put forward and the attention of TOM was drawn to Motion 378:
After the Ard Fheis, TOM contacted the Charlie Hurley Cummann in Cork and spoke to local Bandon councillor John Desmond. John told us that he had in his possession written statements from the three men. William Allen's last wish (in a letter to his Uncle and Aunt) was: “A Few hours more, and I will breathe my last, and on English soil. Oh, that I could be buried in Ireland! What a happiness it would be to all my friends, and to myself - Where my countrymen could knee on my grave” William Allen was from Bandon, the town in which John Desmond is a councillor. Since then TOM has been in regular contact with John, who visited Manchester in July to discuss the on-going campaign. TOM has also been in contact with the British Home Office, Manchester Council, HMP Manchester, Strangeways and the Local and National archives. Through our enquiries we have been able to establish that the three men have been cremated and interned with twelve other ‘Fenians’ and there is no way to distinguish the individual identities of the fifteen. We are now in discussions to have all fifteen returned home to Ireland. Recent Developments in
the Campaign “The Commissioners have decided that the graves of persons who have been executed in prisons shall no longer be distinguished by names, initials, or any other marks on the walls. Such records are undesirable as they perpetuate the memory of the crime … It has been decided to obliterate all existing marks, but before this can be done it is necessary to prepare records of existing graves. The Register of graves will be kept on the enclosed form and the enclosed plan, a duplicate of the latter having been retained in this office … When the correct records are completed Governors will take steps to effectually obliterate all wall marks, etc., and report when this has been done … The records will be kept locked up and regarded as confidential.” It can be seen from these quotes that orders were given for a register of graves to be compiled. It is also stated that this register, bearing the names and places of burial of executed prisoners, be kept “locked up and regarded as confidential”. The Home Office today maintain that no such record exists - and yet it was the Home Office itself which ordered a register to be compiled in the first place. Help the campaign for the Manchester Martyrs to be returned home to Ireland
An Cumann Cabhrach The Republican Aid Committee An Cumann Cabhrach, the aid committee for the relief of republican prisoners and their families, was recently rejuvenated by the election of a new Officer Board and Honoury Vice President, Annie Cahill, wife of the late Joe Cahill. Joe played a pivotal role in An Cumann Cabhrach over the years and the Central Committee is delighted to still have the Cahill name associated with the organisation. An Cumann Cabhrach was founded in 1953, with its first convention held in Liberty Hall, Dublin in 1975. Over the past three-and-a-half decades of armed conflict in the North, thousands of people were incarcerated and An Cumann Cabhrach has raised funds and looked after the welfare of republican prisoners and their families throughout Ireland. With the emergence and development of the Peace Process, kick started and sustained by IRA initiatives, the situation in relation to political prisoners changed dramatically. Some prisoners however are still serving sentences and it is essential their welfare and that of their dependents is catered for. The work of An Cumann Cabhrach is not over. Another important aspect to the work of the organisation is the financial assistance it provides to the widows and children of Ireland's patriot dead. There are some 300 names on the Republican Roll of Honour. Republicans, young, old, men and women who gave their lives for Irish freedom. Some were married and left partners and children behind. Financial aid for is an ongoing requirement for the widows of republicans who died in the course of the freedom struggle, and for the number of republican prisoners we still assist today. An Cumann Cabhrach could not have survived as a prisoners' aid organisation without the generosity of republicans over the past 30 years. It still has a job to do, but without financial assistance it cannot carry on. An Cumann Cabhrach is appealing to republicans to give generously as they always have. An Cumann Cabhrach Donations can be sent to Annie Cahill, c/o PO Box,
10016, Dublin 14
Cumann na Fuiseoige CLG
Press Release Cumann na Fuiseoige is the first GAA club to be formed in Belfast area for a number of years and on Saturday 23rd October 2004 the club was officially launched at 11.00am at Scoil na Fuiseoige in Summerhill Road, Twinbrook, by President of the Ulster Board of the GAA, Micéal Greenan, along with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams. For over six months now community activists have been working towards the establishment of ‘Cumann na Fuiseoige’. There are somewhere in the region of 30,000 people living in the Colin area, which we believe is our natural catchment area. A very high proportion of these are young people. In the early stages of establishing this club, our present committee sat down and discussed what the type of club we wanted, its identity and ethos. We wanted to establish a club which had an identity that we could be proud of. We are based in the Greater Colin area. Our members come from Twinbrook, Poleglass and Lagmore areas. It was no hard task to look to Bobby Sands, who came from this area, as a role model for our children. It was as a tribute to Bobby that we chose the symbol which has come to represent him, the Lark, to represent us. Our club badge, the Lark and the H-Block, is one we will wear with pride. Cumann na Fuiseoige, as a club is only beginning. Having fulfilled all the criteria set for us by the GAA we are now in a position to formally launch the club. In the short space of time the club has been going we have established links with local schools and are now training kids in local schools, as well as our twice weekly training session at Brook Activity Centre in Twinbrook. Our players are all between the ages of seven and fourteen. It is on these footballers, boys and girls from this area that we intend to build. Too often the young people of our communities are seen as a drain, a problem and not an asset. We do not share this view. Youth has always been our strength - and the future of this community, and all of communities, lie within their hands. We do have plans for our future. We shall establish ourselves as a club, which through hard work, will excel at all levels of football, hurling, camogie and handball. Some day we will have our own pitches and clubrooms. But that is for the future. For now, we are content to build on what is important – the young people of these areas. It is not uncommon in any sort
of activity to encounter negativity, but in the course of establishing
Cumann na Fuiseoige, we are delighted to say that we have received
nothing but good will, support and encouragement from all quarters.
Many people within GAA circles, particularly the Antrim County Board
and local GAA clubs, individual players, as well as local community
leaders and business people have assisted us. We would like to thank
these people for their help. In particular, we wish to say a special
thanks to Brendan McKee of Saveways Supermarket, whose generosity
in sponsoring us has allowed us to kit out our teams in our own colours.
Finally we want to thank the young people of the Colin area and their
families for their support and encouragement. We all know what future
the children of this area need and Cumman na Fuiseoige will play its
part in realizing it.
If you would like to make a donation to Cumann na Fuiseoige please send a cheque to: Jennifer McCann
Pictures from Troops Out Movement delegations to Belfast and Derry, as well as the 30th anniversary commemoration of the death of Mayo Hunger Striker Frank Stagg at HM Prison Wakefield, can be viewed here . |
