Pasqua 2010 | Easter Statement 2010

Commemorazioni di Pasqua 2010 I comunicati stampa ed i discorsi pronunciati in occasione delle celebrazioni per il 94° annivesario dell’Easter Rising dalle varie componenti del Movimento Repubblicano irlandese, pronti da scaricare in formato pdf. Se qualche testo risultasse mancante, inserite il link al discorso o al comunicato nella casella dei commenti e provvederemo ad inserirlo nel pdf e a caricarlo nuovamente online. I testi riguardano i seguenti movimenti e gruppi politici: Óglaigh na hÉireann 32 County Sovereignty Movement Republican Network for Unity Irish Republican Socialist Party Republican Socialist Youth Movement éirígí Republican Sinn Féin Sinn Féin Cliccando sul nome dell'organizzazione o del gruppo politico qui sopra, è possibile leggere il testo direttamente online. [dm]109[/dm] Easter Commemoration 2010 Press releases and speeches released on the occasion of the celebrations for the 94th anniversary of Easter Rising from the various components of the Irish Republican movement, ready to download in pdf format. If some text is missing, insert a link to the speech or the press release in the comment box and we'll put it in the pdf file and upload it again. The texts include the following movements and political groups: Óglaigh na hÉireann 32 County Sovereignty Movement Republican Network for Unity Irish Republican Socialist Party Republican Socialist Youth Movement éirígí Republican Sinn Féin Sinn Féin Clicking on the name of the organization or political group above, you can read the text online. [dm]109[/dm] Óglaigh na hÉireann | Easter Statement 2010 The leadership of Óglaigh na hÉireann extend Easter greetings to our friends and supporters across Ireland and overseas, we thank you for the work you have undertaken on our behalf and appreciate your continued support now and in the future. We extend solidarity greetings to fellow revolutionaries internationally and to all those who continue to resist occupation and colonial rule. We recognise the sterling work carried out on a daily basis by activists from the political organisations and we extend the hand of friendship to those within the other republican insurgency groups who share our common aim. Finally, we send greetings and express our admiration and respect for the IRA volunteers both imprisoned and on active service. Over the last decade and more many of you have borne the full force of both states in Ireland as well as the constant attacks and smears from the established body politic and the pro establishment media. You have held the line with dignity in the unshakeable belief that our cause is noble and correct. Comrades, we believe another corner has been turned in the national liberation struggle, this would not have been possible without your standing firm through many dark days. To our POW’s fighting daily for political status we say keep your heads up, we are fully behind you and so is the whole republican separatist community. Since last Easter republicans in both their military and political capacities have raised the ante against British state interference in Ireland. The IRA, with others, have been on the frontline of this resistance. We have attacked crown force personnel and installations as well as British interests and infrastructure. We have also taken action against the scourge of drugs and anti social behaviour. We have attacked the occupation and defended our communities, we will continue to do and with the continued support of the republican community we will escalate the campaign when it becomes opportune. The IRA have smashed the carefully contrived façade of normality in the occupied zone, the six county state will never run smoothly again. Yet again a self appointed elite has brought republicanism into disrepute, yet again our struggle has been criminalised by constitutional nationalists masquerading as republicans. Republicans are not criminals and our volunteers will resist any attempt by opportunist careerists to portray us as such. An unrepresentative junta within republicanism almost destroyed the IRA but because the actions of a courageous few and the continued respect for the IRA constitution we remain intact while at present that junta is finished as a credible revolutionary force. The republican movement has weathered that particular storm. The Republican position has been held. The IRA has had to make some difficult choices of late but it has done so to protect the integrity of the army and the national liberation struggle. Anyone connected to the republican separatist movement should at all times remember who they are and what they represent. They represent an unbroken line of principled resistance stretching back to the men and women of 1916 and beyond, they represent every man and woman who lie in their graves for the cause and who we are here to honour at Easter, they represent the national position which is bigger than any one person or group of individuals. Friends and comrades, the republican movement is at a critical juncture and our actions now will determine which road we take. Repression in the two hostile states in Ireland is increasing dramatically in line with our growing support. The British thought they had the ‘Irish question’ put to bed but here they are, in Ireland on a war footing, the volunteer soldiers of the Irish Republican Army will engage them to the best of our ability. Torna all'indice | Back to table of content 32 County Sovereignty Movement | Easter Statement 2010 A chairde, let me commence by extending all our best wishes to Terry McCafferty who was recently released by his British gaolers. Terry was re-imprisoned because he holds republican beliefs. He was re-imprisoned so that the British Direct ruler could demonstrate his authority on behalf of Westminster, an authority they will not dilute with devolution. That steely determination to retain this authority over part of our country will inevitably mean that there are, and will be, more Terry McCaffertys. We extend our hearty congratulations to all those republican activists, from various republican organisations that campaigned long and hard for this outcome. You have shown the way. More of our fellow country people remain incarcerated because the root cause of the conflict has not been addressed in the so called peace process. Home Rule is not the issue that needs to be resolved. Pearse told us this in 1916. Devolution of limited powers to micro ministers is not the answer either. The 32 County Sovereignty Movement tells us this today. We do well to avoid clichés but the parallels of then and now are as stark as ever. In 1916 the Home Rulers, led by Redmond, were telling the Irish people that their blood was needed on the battlefields of Europe to secure Home Rule. Today Mary McAleese, styling herself the President Of Ireland, is in Gallipoli telling us that those who died in that carnage should be equally remembered as those we remember for 1916. She is wrong in both her title and her assertion. She is not the President of Ireland. Ireland does not stop at the border as her constitution makes clear. And she is wrong to say that those who fought for the British Empire and those who fought against it deserve equal recognition in our memories. That Empire still exists in Ireland and only when that reality ends can we begin to address the historical legacy. History is only in the past when history is resolved. We salute those who fought the British Empire in 1916. We salute those who fight that empire today. The Centenary of Easter Week is fast approaching. All sides of the conflict know the significance of this date. The revisionists are working hard to ensure that Partition and the Proclamation can in some way be harmonised. We know they can’t, but that is not enough. We too must prepare and because our resources are not as great as theirs we must prepare in fenian fashion. Our intellectual objections to this deliberate misinterpretation of our history must be matched with action on the ground that leaves our people in no doubt that 1916 is unfinished business. But we cannot wait until then. What’s happening in the Six Counties today is part of this revisionist trend. Criminalisation of republicans is its violent expression just as it was with the executions of the Seven Signatories. There is no great analysis required to discern this. The British jackboot, British Gaols and quislings denouncing us as traitors on their behalf is the old familiar chorus. The so called devolution of policing and justice to her majesty’s minions in Stormont reinforces the British strategy of allowing her loyal Irish give the veneer of normality to her occupation. But just as Westminster duped the Irish on the Somme concerning Home Rule the same deception applies concerning the PSNI and a route to a United Ireland. Lions cannot be led by donkeys no more than republicans can be led by quislings. We must turn to our communities to seek and provide solutions. Our republicanism cannot speak over their heads or on their behalf without us engaging with them. The reclamation of our sovereignty can only begin with community actions because the people are the nation. We need to build a new interface between our people and republicanism so that both can act independently of the British state. The 32CSM has long contended that the relevance of the border to British interests is best exposed by political actions which force the British to defend it. Organised communities can provoke such actions so long as they act as Pearse and Connolly acted, as representatives and defenders of Irish sovereignty. This was the great flaw in the so called peace process as espoused by those who championed it as a means to engage with the British. It did not defend our sovereignty. Republican opposition to this process was primarily based on this salient point. We are not anti peace, we are not anti politics but we are against any process which seeks to violate our sovereignty as a quick fix to the conflict in our country. We will talk to the British about one issue only, Irish National Sovereignty and Britain’s violation of it. We will seek the UN’s intervention as guarantor for the integrity of such talks so that Perfidious Albion can be left outside of the room. Our door remains open, our resolve remains fixed. To our unionist brothers and sisters we say this; let us build a new Ireland together. Let us start with a blank canvass without veto or pre condition. Let us all recognise that our fears and concerns are subordinate to Westminster’s interests and used and abused accordingly. Ireland needs a new beginning. It needs a new dynamic in nationhood, a new dynamic in economic development, a new dynamic in expressions of culture and faith. We need a new democratic order that can look back on our history and say assuredly that we have found the way forward. Partition is squalid. It is the product of division and exclusion. It is a throw back to a world that gave us nothing but imperial slaughter. It has to end. And it will end. The Free State has descended into a melting pot of corruption and political stagnation. Its actions have declared itself unfit for existence. It is so far removed from the ethos of the Proclamation that only the wealthy developers and bankers are cherished equally. It is proof positive that partition is squalid on both sides of it. Dublin has finally lain to rest the flawed notion that a united Ireland is nothing more than subsuming the Six Counties into the Free State. It cannot advance the cause of Irish unity. Using partition to end partition cannot work either. We need to come out from the apparatus of partition and act decisively against it. Merely standing there is not an option. We remember the heroes of Easter Week because they acted on their beliefs. They acted on their history, their culture, their ideological discourse and above all they acted in unison. They knew the imperfect day would come. They knew that their preparations would themselves be imperfect. But they grasped the reality that in revolution participation is an essential part of that preparation. Belief becomes redundant when it is not acted upon. Republicans today are at this crossroads also. Our imperfect day is here. We have talked long on belief, on history, on culture and on ideology. We are as prepared as we can ever be. We need to act in unison. The 32 County Sovereignty Movement is now acting on this unity. We urge all republicans to act with us, as themselves, but we are not prepared to wait any longer for you. The patriots of 1916 deserve no less of us. Torna all'indice | Back to table of content Republican Network for Unity | Easter Statement 2010 The REPUBLICAN NETWORK for UNITY extends Easter greetings to our activists and supporters within the thirty-two counties of Ireland and abroad, especially those in America, to all organizations or independent Republicans who have worked with us through the Irish Republican Forum for Unity initiative, and to all Republicans who today remain faithful to the sovereign and indefeasible right to national freedom enshrined in the 1916 Easter Proclamation. We particularly wish to remember all Irish Republican political prisoners, whether in Maghaberry, or Portlaoise or beyond and their families from whom they are separated today. On this day when we honour Ireland’s patriot dead, we remember all of those who gave their lives, and remember especially that they made the supreme sacrifice in a struggle to end British rule not to serve its administration. Young men and women stood together against the British onslaught and went to war with courage and determination and the belief in achieving and United Ireland, free of foreign rule and interference. We pledge that the full meaning of their sacrifices will remain a living inspiration to all true Republicans The message of Irish republicanism is as vital to Ireland today as it ever was; as the failed tactic of compromise once again delivers the inevitable fruits of British rule; sectarianism, poverty, repression and the continued partition of our nation. RNU do not accept that such a settlement as good enough for our people. Three years ago, concerned Republican veterans, most of whom were ex-prisoners -of –war, joined together to campaign against the RUC-PSNI, against British law and rule which this re-named crown constabulary imposed, and against the violence and injustice it inflicted. We recognized that the crown was conspiring to hijack Republicanism, by maneuvering some Republicans into token places within a British Stormont administration, then deploying them to affirm British law and rule, to recruit for its constabulary, to rubberstamp repression at constabulary board and partnership meetings and to condemn and criminalize those Republicans who would not follow them. RNU was forged from that campaign. We pledged to continue this political fight to reclaim Republicanism from those who were being used to masquerade a British regime at Stormont .Our means were to present a Republican alternative political analysis and to establish channels of communication or a network of cooperation with other like-minded organizations and individuals. Events continue to prove us, in RNU, right. Only a few weeks ago, Sinn Fein, coupled with the scandal weakened DUP, agreed a compromised ministry for crown courts and constabulary. This was heralded as somehow being a major transition away from British rule, worth the price of new arrangements, which the DUP and Orange Order believe, will ease the way for Orange feet trampling down nationalist roads. Meanwhile their handpicked nominee to head this ministry “pointless” David Ford, rubbished the Saville Inquiry as a pointless waste of money and insulted the Bloody Sunday families and their long battle for truth about the murder of innocent civil rights marchers .Ford’s ignorance and insensitivity about one of the worst injustices inflicted by the British during the conflict showed him unfit for even a compromised crown justice ministry. He should have been repudiated. Instead Sinn Fein hastily arranged a meeting with some families and pronounced Ford rehabilitated. Will not the British see the haste to rescue Ford and calculate that they have little to fear if what emerges from an MI-5 censored report is not the truth which the families deserve but a watered-down Widgery? In nationalist areas, Section 44 searches that have been declared illegal by European Court of Human Rights, are wielded at will to repress Republicans and intimidate their wives and children. Only last week, RNU’s Vice Chairman, Tony Catney, along with Paul Duffy, were arrested in publicized raids clearly intended to disrupt and undermine our commemoration of Easter 1916 and Ireland’s patriot dead. Diplock Courts, set-up as a plank in a policy of criminalization, are extended again, now coupled with 28 day internment without charge and internment by remand. MI-5, responsible for so much injustice, is given free reign again and again. Meanwhile, in the crown courts, Colin Duffy is held without bail on discredited DNA framework which would not be entertained outside a Diplock Court. Gerry McGeough continues trial on stated charges that he joined the IRA in the 1970s and was involved in an IRA attack on crown forces in 1981, while the real charge is retaliation for campaigning in an election against the RUC-PSNI. Terry McCafferty had his license revoked without serious protest at any constabulary meetings. He is now free only because a crown appointed investigator admitted last week that the secret evidence used to jail him amounted to nothing. The family of John Brady, a veteran Republican who died in the hands of the RUC-PSNI must wait and wonder will they receive any thing more than a whitewash or cover-up The crown constabulary boards and partnership meetings have become charades used by the British to give stage-managed acceptance to RUC-PSNI repression and providing accomplices rather than accountability. The British have not succeeded and will not succeed! Today there are growing numbers of Irish people who are awakening to the reality. In the past year RNU has been in the forefront of efforts along side others to protest at constabulary partnership meetings and deny them legitimacy. RNU have stood behind residents whose areas are invaded by sectarian Orange marches, highlighted cases of crown repression and injustice, organized historic forums on issues like the 1981 Hunger Strike striven to provide a Republican alternative analysis to Stormont and stood at commemorations like those today challenging any attempt to place a mantle of Republicanism over a British dead-end at Stormont. RNU exists to provide space for any individual, serious about establishing freedom and socialism in Ireland, to utilise their talents in the pursuit of that goal. A young and developing movement (yet with roots set firmly in the struggle for Irish freedom), RNU organise in a democratic and comradely manner, ignoring all internal divisions of the past and instead putting only our end goal to the top of our agenda. RNU repeats publically today, as we have done in the past, our readiness to co-operate with other republicans on issues that affect our communities, with the possibly of working together to create an eventual Republican Congress. We pledge ourselves as Republicans to the goal of peace and justice, based upon freedom for every county in Ireland, and say that Irish National Reunification is the only solution. Standing by our maxim, “what matters is not where you are coming from but where you are going to”, and the dedication of our members, RNU is determined to chart a way out of this chaos and towards the only solution fit for a free people… national sovereignty and economic equality. In conclusion, RNU would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for supporting us here today to remember the men and women of Ireland who died for Irish freedom and we look forward to your continued support in our future campaigns. Slan agus beir bua Torna all'indice | Back to table of content Irish Republican Socialist Party | Easter Statement 2010 Friends and comrades, It is my utmost honour to be speaking here today at the 94th anniversary of the 1916 Easter uprising and to remember not only those who fell on Easter week and those who were later executed but also the members of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement who made similar sacrifices since the foundation of the movement. Many modern day republican socialists take as their inspiration the events in Dublin during Easter week. Whilst remembering our comrades is important and should not be neglected we must not lose sight of what they died for. We must not give up on their political aspirations, there is absolutely no point in turning up once a year at Easter to take part in this commemoration if for the other 364 days you are not involved in the political struggles of our class. James Connolly and the other leaders of the Rising went out and faced down the biggest imperialist empire on the planet in the full knowledge that defeating the British was not going to be an easy task. They chose the more difficult road but one that, if victory was achieved, could mean so much for all the people of Ireland. Connolly’s ideas of uniting the national question and the class question are as relevant today as they were at the beginning of the 20th century. This is the most basic and fundamental position of the IRSP and stands us apart from all other republican and socialist organisations. There is absolutely no point in uniting Ireland tomorrow if we are still ruled by the very same capitalist class that rules over us now and exploits working class people. This is not freedom comrades. True freedom is the freedom that Connolly envisaged, economic freedom and freedom from that exploitation and discrimination and sadly we are no nearer that goal almost a century later. Within republicanism Easter is a time for reflection, to remember all those who have died in the struggle to build the republic. But we must also use this occasion to look to the future, to put ideas to our membership and the wider working class and to further our goals. As revolutionaries we must continually analyse the political situation and attempt to adapt our politics to the prevailing conditions. Presently and in general terms republicanism is fragmented and working class people are looking for political leadership. We believe that the Republican Socialist Movement can be to the forefront of that leadership. There are many aspects to our movement that other republican or socialist groups do not possess, aspects that stand us apart. We have the history of our organisation, a proud history of struggle, sacrifice and perseverance, we have the inspiration of great leaders, among them Costello, McGlinchey, O’Hara, Power and Gallagher, we have the experience of enduring so many murderous attacks and coming out the other side and we have our revolutionary republican socialist politics to guide us. I’ll repeat it comrades, no other trend within either republicanism or socialism on this island can claim what we have. We have to remain totally proud of what went before but always mindful that we have a hell of a lot to live up to if we are to achieve anything worthwhile for our class. We cannot rest on our laurels but aspire to be like those leaders who I have just mentioned. You are all aware of the major developments within the IRSM during the past few months. The INLA took a very brave and courageous decision back in February and that move to unilaterally disarm has presented the Irish Republican Socialist Party with new possibilities. The leadership of the IRSP believe that the decision was pragmatic as well as affording the IRSP the chance to grow into new areas both physically and politically. The INLA have shown leadership and that this has clearly been backed by the membership of the entire movement. The decision was endorsed by all sections of the movement publicly. We believe that we can now move forward with the confidence that our revolutionary politics have not been watered down in any way. This move was made in order to reinforce the primacy of politics within the Republican Socialist Movement and the work that has gone on behind the scenes since the announcement bears that out. Not only do we intend to recruit and to build this party but we also intend to reach out to other republicans and socialists in an effort to build alliances that can ultimately progress the politics of republican socialism. On a wider political level we can proudly declare that our politics haven’t changed one iota. We remain committed republican socialists and revolutionaries. We remain implacably opposed to the British government having any say over the lives of any Irish man or woman. We continue to fight for the republic and agitate and advocate for the destruction of partition and all the institutions that prop it up north and south. We have to fight against the partitionist mindset that continues to hold the people of Ireland back and prevents the people from reaching their full economic and social potential. The partition of Ireland is the biggest block in the way of achieving true economic freedom. This island is simply too small to support 2 health care systems, two transport systems, two education systems etc etc. The problems with these systems are starting to make themselves more apparent as cutbacks become the order of the day. Both regimes in Ireland, Stormont and Leinster House have begun implementing massive cuts on services that will be directly affecting you, your family and your community. Only direct, strong and focused action can prevent these cuts from happening. Stand up and become leaders within your communities and fight for your class, the working class. We urge you to take your lead from the likes of James Connolly and Seamus Costello who both worked tirelessly for the people. Our party is working on a political program that will give members of our party and potential members and supporters a blueprint for the way forward. It will lay out in clear and concise terms what our party believes are solutions to all the major issues of the day. In terms of the IRSP becoming more active politically we have already started this work. In Derry the party are integral part of the Communities Against the Cuts, which is an alliance of political and community organisations opposing cuts in vital services. In Dublin the party in the last year was involved in many alliances in support of working class communities and our party has stood with our Palestinian brothers and sisters who were under sustained attack by Israel. In Belfast our party worked diligently on the issue of the Bog Meadow Babies and helped bring that issue to a successful conclusion, the party carried out protests in support of Green Isle workers and in Wexford our members are at the forefront in opposing the closing of the accident and emergency department in Wexford General Hospital, our youth movement, the RSYM, has been raising awareness across Ireland of the homeless issue and their “House the homeless” campaign was imaginative and thought provoking. Teach Na Failte, our ex-prisoners organisation, has been doing great work within working class loyalist areas in bringing republican socialist ideas to those who for historical and cultural reasons have not been given the opportunity to hear these ideas before. We are entirely proud of our recent achievements and of our work for working class communities. This is all great work but it must be multiplied a thousand times over if we are to make any meaningful impact for our class. Our task when leaving here today must be that we revitalise Republican Socialism within our communities. There are many problems facing working class areas and if implemented correctly the solutions are to be found within republican socialist ideas. Simply standing shoulder to shoulder with beleaguered communities can sometimes be enough to empower the people to make the decisions and to take action that directly benefits their lives provided that we are able to impart upon them the ideas of republican socialism and what these ideas mean for their struggle then the ultimate winners will be our class and the struggle for socialism. Members of the IRSP should be active in all areas where we can help achieve victories for our class. The trades unions and the local trades councils are areas where we can influence and change and promote our ideas. Whilst we understand the limitations we would ask all of you here today to consider becoming members of the unions and to use these collectives in order to progress the politics of republican socialism. We must fight within these groups so that the working class gets back to the top of the agenda. In order to build this party and bring it to it’s potential we need all our activists to stand together and put our collective shoulders to the wheel. We need to recruit and spread the ideas of Connolly and Tone, we must reach out to the working class and help them understand what we mean by Republican Socialism and how it can change the lives of every single working class person in Ireland. We have to build this party, that means we must recruit new members throughout Ireland, establish Cumainn in areas where presently there are none and make our party relevant, visible and viable. But we must be realistic in understanding what we can achieve. Seamus Costello declared that his allegiance was to the working class. That is the slogan that best exemplifies what Seamus stood for and the politics he espoused. This is the IRSP’s view and our ideology but our task is to turn that idea into practical action within communities. We need each and every one of you here today to turn your pride and love for our fallen comrades into hard work within our communities and it is only then that their legacy will be realised and we can build the republic for which they died. Go raibh mile maith agat. Torna all'indice | Back to table of content Republican Socialist Youth Movement | Easter Statement 2010 Comrades and friends, First of all I would like to extend to you a warm welcome here today on behalf of the Republican Socialist Youth Movement, and I would also like to thank the IRSP for giving me the opportunity to address this years Easter commemoration. Nearly a century ago Irish men and women, boys and girls, set out to break the connection between this country and its imperialist and capitalist rulers. Their sacrifice at Easter Week 1916 continues to inspire young Republicans and socialists all over this island to take up the rebels’ struggle and to finally achieve freedom for this country. But just as important as striving for freedom.. is to define exactly what freedom entails for us. Unfortunately over the years the 1916 rising has been distorted and misrepresented as simply a nationalistic happening, something which is completely untrue and only seeks to undermine the role and revolutionary socialist legacy of James Connolly and what Lenin described as Europe’s first Red Army, the ICA. Let us in the RSYM use this opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to the struggle for both national liberation and socialism, because we know that to divorce one from the other would be to give up the goal of Irish freedom. It is with great pleasure that I can tell you all here today of the great strides the RSYM has made over the past 12 months. We are active on all issues effecting our class throughout the country and are constantly growing. With the calibre of young Republican Socialists in our ranks I am sure that the cause of labour in Ireland is a safe one indeed. But comrades, now is not a time to rest on our laurels, to reflect on our achievements thus far. Now is a time to look to the future. Many things have come and gone within Republicanism over the last number of decades but one thing has remained a constant, and that is the imperialist occupation and capitalist exploitation of Ireland and her people. With that in mind we must set about our work with a new enthusiasm and a similar dedication to that displayed by the rebels’ of the 1916 Rising. Comrades, capitalism and imperialism have had their day. Take a stand and join us in the fight for all that makes life worth living. Victory to the Republican Socialist Movement and onwards to the Socialist Republic! Torna all'indice | Back to table of content éirígí | Easter Statement 2010 Ninety-four years ago, on Easter Monday, April 24 1916, Irish republicans and socialists took armed control of Dublin City and proclaimed the Irish Republic. In doing so, these brave men and women changed the course of history. As always, the British government reacted to this assertion of social and national rights with a brutal display of force – in the killing of civilians on the streets of Dublin, in the execution of the leadership of the Rising and in the attempted crushing of Irish demands for self-determination. But the risen people who followed in the footsteps of the men and women of Easter Week proved, yet again, that no one can break the will of a people to be free. This Easter, éirígí, and all Irish republicans and socialists, remember with pride the sacrifice of those who struck that historic blow in 1916 and all those who have given their lives for freedom in the decades since. éirígí extends solidarity to the families of all those who have lost their lives because of their devotion to the republican cause. The Ireland of today is not the one that was envisaged by the leaders of the Easter Rising when they drafted the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. It is not the one that was envisaged by all those who have given so much in the long years of struggle before and since 1916. Today, more than half a million people are unemployed in Ireland; tens of thousands more are emigrating. The financial wealth of the Irish people is being used to prop up private banks, while their natural resources are being given away to multinational corporations. The living conditions, wages, rights and entitlements of workers are being attacked daily in an effort to shore up the profits of the business class. Working class communities are deprived of amenities and left to the ravages of poverty and all that flows from it. Partition remains in place and the occupation of the Six Counties is maintained by the armed forces of the British government. These are the glaring injustices that provide the incentive for unceasing struggle in modern Ireland. In doing so, éirigí is provided with the inspiring example of the revolutionaries of Easter Week, who knew that freedom and rights are never returned willingly by oppressors, but must be taken back forcefully by the oppressed. The task that lies before Irish revolutionaries in 2010 is the same as that which faced the revolutionaries of 1916 – noting less than the complete removal of Britain from Ireland’s affairs and the radical reordering of the social and economic system. What began on Easter Monday 1916 was a decolonisation process – Britain’s days in Ireland have been numbered ever since. To complete this process, another uprising is needed – an uprising of the working people and all those who are exploited and oppressed. It may not happen today or tomorrow or next year, but happen it must and the preparatory work for that rising must begin today. Four years after its foundation éirígí remains wholeheartedly committed to the struggle for Irish national, social, economic and cultural freedom. This Easter, we encourage republicans and socialists to join us as we honour Ireland’s dead and recommit ourselves to the ideals for which they died. Ar aghaidh linn le chéile. Torna all'indice | Back to table of content Republican Sinn Féin | Easter Statement 2010 On the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the historic Easter Rising of 1916, the Leadership of the Republican Movement sends greetings to all who are gathered in commemoration at the graves of the Republican Dead of every generation and at monuments erected to their memory. In the past year it has been stated that policing will be transferred from Westminster to Stormont. However, political policing will continue and will remain guided from London. Under the St Andrews Agreement, amended by the Hillsborough Agreement, “security intelligence” in the Six Occupied Counties will be the responsibility of the MI5 Security Service with the RUC/PSNI in a support role. The MI5 will not be accountable to the Stormont Policing Board for security-related matters but it will be available to brief the Board in secret on what it considers “appropriate”. This is not the devolution of policing and justice powers. London will remain in control. For their part, the Republican youth has given the RUC/PSNI their response on the streets of many towns in the occupied area. We appreciate their actions. In the 26 Counties, the flag of occupation – the Union Jack – is displayed with increasing frequency at festivals and on other public occasions. Similarly British military uniforms are flaunted in public, although the wearing of them was banned south of the Border for decades after 1922. All of this is a build-up to a state visit by the Queen of England to the 26 Counties. The crowned head which claims sovereignty in Ireland has not visited for a full century. It is essential that such a visit be opposed. If it is not, then that is an acceptance of her “royal style and title” as “Queen of Northern Ireland” so-called. As Republicans we cannot, we must not, and we will not, tolerate such a situation without a meaningful protest. This Easter we renew our support for the Shell to Sea campaign in their protest against the exploitation of Irish natural resources by a multinational company and the consequent endangerment of local inhabitants in the Ros Dumhach (“Ros Doo-ach”) Gaeltacht area. We salute the stand taken against the hired private armies of security men by local fisherman Pat O’Donnell, now serving time in prison for his opposition to oppression. Once more we denounce the description of faithful Republicans as “traitors” by a person who gave a commitment in 1986 that the war of national liberation would “never, never, never” end until the freedom of Ireland was achieved. On the same occasion he pledged on behalf of his associates never to go to Westminster or Stormont. Now they administer British rule in Ireland from Stormont. They have offices in Westminster and draw expenses annually from the English government of many hundreds of thousands pounds sterling. Others have recently followed their example and at the behest of the British government have destroyed weapons and munitions given for the independence of Ireland. On the other hand we note the continued resistance by Volunteers of the Continuity IRA to the British forces of occupation, the unremitting work of Republican Sinn Féin members for national unity and independence and the defiant stand of the Republican prisoners North and South in the face of their jailors. The struggle continues. Republicans are not dismayed by the threats of further repression from sources in the 26-County Administration. As in the past they will stand up and meet them unflinchingly. Week after week the tabloid gutter press seeks by its falsehoods and fabrication to sow confusion in the ranks regarding the Republican position. The faithful are loyal to the All-Ireland Republic under one authority. That position has been vindicated again and again as the only basis on which to proceed. We send greetings to our prisoners in Maghaberry, Co Antrim and Portlaoise jails. Their stand day after day is an example to us all. We undertake once more to support their dependants during the period of incarceration. A cháirde, the countdown to 2016, the centenary of the momentous Easter Rising, has begun. Just five more Easters have to pass and the Great Day will be upon us. We need to commence preparations now to ensure that the occasion is not snatched from us by those who have ignored the annual Easter 1916 Commemorations since the 50th – in 1966. Advance then, loyal and true, and rally a younger generation to the imperishable Cause which, in 1916, opened a century of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle for the greater good of all humankind! An Phoblacht Abú! Torna all'indice | Back to table of content Sinn Féin | Easter Statement 2010 A chairde, Tá mé lán sásta seasamh anseo libh inniu ar Domhnach na Cásca seo le smaoineadh ar ár gcomrádaithe a chuaigh romhainn agus a caint faoi an todhcaí. Is cuimhin linn an méid a thug ár laochrai cróga ar son saoirse na tire seo, an méid a chaill siad. Cuidíonn seo linn nuair a bhíonn fadhbanna againn nó nuair a bhíonn muid traochta. I want to welcome you all here today. Easter Sunday is a special day. Especially here in Belfast. It is a day to remember, to honour, and to celebrate all those republicans of our generation and other generations who gave their lives in the struggle for Irish freedom and justice. Belfast republicans are proud of our patriot dead; we are proud of their families; we are proud of our struggle and we are proud of our history. Belfast is where the United Irish men and women committed to ending the connection with Britain. This is the city where James Connolly organised the working men and women, and particularly the women against sweat shop exploitation. In 1916 he went from the Falls Road to join with the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Citizen Army, Cumann na mBan and Na Fianna to take on the might of the British Empire. This is the city where Sean MacDiarmada joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood. This is the city where Countess Markievicz founded Na Fianna hÉireann. This is the city visited often by Padraig Pearse and the leaders of the 1916 Rising as they worked with County Antrim gaeilgeoirí and home rulers before going on to become republicans. This is the city of Maire Drumm and of other brave Sinn Féin activists. The city of Mairead Farrell and Dorothy Maguire and all the other patriotic women of our time. Sa chathair seo a lásadh splanc na saoirse. Tá sé beo, briomhar ann go foill. This is the city of Bobby Sands and Joe McDonnell and Ciaran Doherty and all their brave freedom fighting comrades of the Irish Republican Army. We honour them all. In particular we honour those who lie in these republican plots and in this cemetery. They are not just heroes and heroines. They are our friends, our comrades, our neighbours, our family members. Like the men and women of 1916 they knew the dangers they faced; the military capacity of the British state, and the subservience of sections of the Irish political establishment and media. But they were determined to bring about change. To end centuries of British involvement in Ireland and to construct a republic in which citizens would be treated fairly and equitably. That goal is not yet achieved. Ireland is still partitioned. Economic recession north and south means that nearly half a million citizens are out of work. But the Irish government, as we saw again this week, continues to bail out its friends and cronies in the banking system and the golden circle of property developers and speculators. NAMA gets precedence over citizens while our public services are slashed and poverty and emigration increases. There is no more urgent time than this to promote our republican politics of equality and respect and dignity. Tá muintir na fiche sé chontae feargach, tuigeann muid sin. Tá muid feargach fosta mar is pháirthí muidinne a bhfuil lonnaithe I measc na ndaoine, sna phobail ar fud na tire seo. There is no better time to be demanding that citizens have the right to a home; to a safe environment; to good quality education and health care; and to a job. There is no better time than this to campaign for a united Ireland. Republican Belfast and this generation of Irish republicans is stronger, more experienced and better supported than at any other time in the history of our city. And Irish reunification and republican politics have never been more clearly in demand to advance and defend peoples’ rights. I believed that when I joined the Republican struggle in the 1960s. I believe it today. Over 40 years ago, in the summer of 1969, progressive citizens of Belfast made a stand against the Orange state and in support of the beleaguered people of Derry. I was there. I was also in Ballymurphy in 1970 when citizens there engaged in one of the first acts of mass resistance since partition. And in all the time since then many ordinary people made extraordinary sacrifices and displayed great courage in pursuit of freedom and justice and Irish unity. I am proud to have been part of all that. During this phase of the struggle some of us had to leave our families and homes, go on the run, adapt many ruses, go under false names. We relied totally on the support of the people to protect us. And we, in turn, protected the people as best we could. We did not divulge their names, their roles, their actions. That is still my position. That was the bond of comradeship and loyalty which was forged between us. And let no one think that I will bend to the demands of anti-republican elements or their allies in a hostile section of the media on this issue. I am also very conscious of the human cost of the war and the great hurt inflicted by republicans. I have acknowledged this and my regret for this many times. And I do so again today. There are victims and citizens who want to know the truth about what happened to loved ones during the conflict. That is their right. I cannot demand truth for victims of British terrorism, collusion or unionist error without supporting the same right for victims of republican actions. That is why Sinn Féin supports the establishment of an effective independent and international truth recovery process. I certainly would be prepared to be part of such a process and I would encourage others to participate. I am glad the war is over. Any post conflict phase – any transition is bound to be difficult. For all survivors, victims, former combatants. The war should never be glamourised or repeated. But neither should the republican involvement in it – the Army’s involvement, the involvement our patriot dead – be permitted by us to be criminalised or retrospectively delegitimised. This is bigger than me. This is about us as a republican community, especially in this city of Belfast. This is about our integrity and the just nature of our cause. That is why the Irish Republican Army – Oglaigh na hEireann- was known as the peoples army. I am proud of that Army and my association with it. I am not a militarist and I never have been but without the IRA the nationalist people of this state would still be on our knees. We would still be second class citizens. So bear in mind that this relentless campaign against me is not really about me at all. It’s about trying to defeat the struggle. Tá muid cleachtaithe leis na h’ionsaithe seo. Níl rud nua é. Ach I gcónai seas muid an fhód na cúise le chéile. During the war the might of British militarism and its unionist allies in the death squads could not defeat the republican people of this city. The millions spent on black propaganda, the lies and smears and disinformation and the efforts to criminalise our struggle all failed. Republicans stayed focussed and strong and united. We stuck with our republican principles. We perservered. We strategised and planned. And the peoples army – the IRA - was an undefeated army when it took brave decisions to support the Sinn Féin peace strategy and to create the present opportunities for a new future. This society, the citizens of this island would not be in the new place, a better place particularly here in the North, but for the dedication and determination of republicans. So this campaign against me, against us, by the Irish News and Sunday Times, Tribune and others is not new. They did it during the hunger strikes; they did when I first stood for election and in every election since; they did when I was involved in talks with John Hume; they did it constantly throughout the negotiations and the peace process. It is about stopping our development. So our immediate focus as republican activists is to mobilise and win the biggest republican vote in the Westminster election next month. Building political strength and winning more and more people over to Irish republicanism is the best way to ensure the full implementation of the Good Friday and St. Andrews Agreement and in particular of their all-Ireland elements. The key to this is leadership. And Sinn Fein has a tried, experienced and trusted leadership. In early March we demonstrated that by concluding an agreement at Hillsborough with the DUP. We did this by making the two governments and the DUP face up to their political responsibilities. Under this Agreement powers on policing and justice will be transferred next week. There will also be the transfer of powers from London to Belfast to deal with the issue of parades. More powers moving from England to Ireland. Irish language rights will also be delivered on and there is additional funding for the language. Tá níos mó le déanamh againn ach tá Sinn Féin go h’iomlán dírithe cearta na nGael a chuir chun tosaigh in achan rud a dhéanann muid. This Agreement is a staging post. More change is necessary but it is proof that change is possible and that the process is ongoing. And that change is also evident every day in the efforts of our activists across this island to get investment in public services, in education and roads and rural communities. In our defence of the elderly, our efforts to secure jobs, and houses and environmental improvements and much more. Sinn Féin is doing all this by standing up to the governments. By standing up for the rights of citizens. And by making clear to the unionist parties that while we are a partner in government we are no push over. We want to work with unionists. This party is more active on grassroots issues in working class unionist areas of this city than at any time in my lifetime. We take seriously our republican heritage which embraces the radical Presbyterian tradition of the United Irish Society. And we are serious also about wanting to make friends with unionists based on tolerance, respect and equality. This great, proud party believes that a free, independent and United Ireland makes political and economic sense. We have embarked on a national and international campaign to bring this about. We determined and resolute and confident of success. This years Ard Fheis cleared the way for everyone who wants to, to join Sinn Féin on your own terms. So I am appealing to everyone here to become a Shinner and to take a stand for freedom, peace and justice. Join Sinn Féin and build a new Ireland, an Ireland the signatories of 1916 and those republicans we remember today, would be proud of. Join with us in the fight for jobs, for peace, for equality, for unity. Join with us we make peace with former enemies, and as we seek to achieve our primary goal of Irish unity and freedom. And finally my friends let us send a message of solidarity to the people of Gaza. Let us send a message to the Israeli government. Stop the war against Palestine. Build the peace. Bígí linn. Torna all'indice | Back to table of content

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