Carl Reilly and the Irish national identity issue
The editorial board of Les EnfantsTerribles interviews Carl Reilly, National Chairperson of Republican Network for Unity
LET: Brutal RUC/PSNI actions against members of the Republican Movement are ongoing. In particular they seem to target RNU members. A few days ago, returning from Dublin, the National Chairperson of RNU Carl Reilly was detained and mistreated by the officers from armed response team undercovered Psni / C4 and 4 Psni land rovers. They ordered him and the other RNU activists not to make sudden movements or look at them, or they would be shot.
CR: The PSNI armed response teams acted in typical RUC predecessor fashion with brutality and ignorance. The stop and search was designed to hamper the forward progressive Movement of RNU. We believe that the action on the A1 highway, and similar actions across Ireland, are on the instructions of MI5 and they are designed to stifle republican voices in Ireland and to portray Sinn Feins brand of Republicanism as the only legitimate Republicanism.
Rnu members will not be bullied or harassed by either british forces or/and their local mercenaries who offer support for actions against our members and families.
LET: In April RNU tried to deliver a letter to Justice Minister David Ford, asking the implementation of the Maghaberry Agreement of 12th August 2010. Now the protest in Roe House has resumed. Given the above, what would be an acceptable result to end the protest? And what does your POW Department, Cogús, intend to do?
CR: Cogús is demanding that David Ford, the NIPS, deliver in full their commitments made in the 12th of August agreement. The strip searching of POWs entering and leaving Maghaberry prison, is designed to undermine the spirit and word that was enshrined in the agreement. The Justice department need to take a pragmatic and humanitarian approach on the issue of strip searching and install the promised boss chair that does away with the need for intrusive and degrading strip searching. Cogus will lobby support to insure that agreement is not diluited and is implemented in full for the betterment of POWs and their families.
LET: RNU is an “umbrella group”inspired by Republican Socialism like, for example, éirígí and IRSP. How RNU seeks to differentiate the political agenda?
CR: We would like to answer by correcting your question. It’s a general mistake that is made by journalists and some republicans that RNU is some how an umbrella group whos sole pourpose is to bring all the republican groupings together. It was the role of the Irish Republican forum for Unity to act as an /umbrella/ group. Rnu, is an entity in its own right we are made up of former pows and ex combatants, who believed that there was a body of republicans not attached to the then crop of republican groups that were looking a vehicle for promoting a radical socialist republican alternative to the then current status quo. From 2007 to the present, Rnu has delivered a progressive and principled voice.
LET: In the perspective of a referendum on national unity, how will the Irish Republican strategies change?
CR: I assume insinuating that the referendum is based on the premise that it would be an all Ireland consultation free from outside influences, then Rnu would lobby the Irish people to use their vote to insure Irish national self determination. Rnu would respect the outcome of any such referendum.
LET: How important is, today, the historic support of the American right-liberal lobbies?
CR: Irishamericans and the Irish diaspora in the USA has always been supportive of the Irish republican position in Ireland. Rnu welcomes the support of Irish Americans who subscribe the the notion of 32 county democratic socialist republic in Ireland.
LET: The marching season is about to start. Do we have to expect again barricades as in 2010?
CR: Rnu supports the right of residents to live free from sectarianism and harrasment as we seen in Ardoyne in 2010, unionism and loyalism were insistent on coat trailing in areas were they werent wanted. Garc attempted to engage in a peaceful sit down protest to let the orange order and the world see that they had no desire to live as second class citizens. Heavily armed Psni, armed with plastic bullets, water cannons, batons and threat of live rounds trailed Ardoyne residents off the road. The violence on the day can only be blamed on the heavy handed tacticts of the State. Rnu hope to see no violence in 2011, but ultimately the action of the State would be the deciding factor on the day.
LET: A new wave of arrests. Crimes of opinions, political police, dpp and the royals on Irish soil. How far did it go and how do you see the Irish national identity issue, today.
CR: The recent arrests, exposed the overt political policing that passes for policing in Ireland today. We have been told by the great and the good to oppose the Gfa in strictly political fashion, however even that it seems isn’t acceptable to some. We are slowly seeing the erosion of Irish identity where for the most part are young people have more in common with “MTV culture”. Even Irish sporting bodies that suffered greatly at hands of the british, have sadly embraced foreign subcultures in return for money. Ireland today has an identity crise, they need to look on themselves and assess how far we have come in attempting to break the connection with England but in reality have come to accept an english way of life. Merely, and attempt to portray it as “Irish” or “Normal”.
Carl Reilly has served five years in prison for armed assault on the base of the Royal Ulster Constabulary of Woodbourne in West Belfast. He was the O/C of Republican POW in Maghaberry.
