“We won the war, Now let’s win the peace”
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news report
Wednesday April 16, 2003 10:14
by Durutti Column
PRO POW’s Maghaberry Gaol Aontroim. “We won the war, Now let’s win the peace” No! it’s not some Brit or Yank general after the fall of Baghdad or Basra. It’s Sinn Fein’s annual ‘sound-bite’ from a veteran to rally the troops who might be doubtful. Nothing like a self-congratulatory ‘pat on the back’ to make everyone feel we’re in control. Unless I fell asleep and have just wakened up, I don’t remember any Brits waving white flags in West Belfast, Tyrone, Derry, South Armagh or anywhere else for that matter.
13 April 2003-04-13
PRO POW’s
Maghaberry Gaol
Aontroim.
“We won the war, Now let’s win the peace”
No! it’s not some Brit or Yank general after the fall of Baghdad or
Basra. It’s Sinn Fein’s annual ‘sound-bite’ from a veteran to rally the
troops who might be doubtful. Nothing like a self-congratulatory ‘pat
on
the back’ to make everyone feel we’re in control. Unless I fell asleep
and have just wakened up, I don’t remember any Brits waving white flags
in West Belfast, Tyrone, Derry, South Armagh or anywhere else for that
matter. Far from it! No spoils of war for the rank and file anyway!
Just
humiliation after humiliation, Mitchell Principles, Weapons beyond use,
Stormont etc, etc, etc, and there’s more to come- joining the RUC(PSNI)
Board of Informers, disbanding the Provisionals and dare I say it –No I
won’t! Alright I will- Police the Peace.
While we’re talking about surrender I was looking through the Annals of
History when I came upon another surrender with lessons that you would
think would have been learned by now. This event took place 400 years
ago about this time of year too. However the submission of Hugh O’
Neill
was not a shoddy, shameful affair like this latest capitulation of the
Sinn Fein Leadership. O’Neill and Red Hugh O’Donnell had fought a long
and hard campaign, had walked most of the country and with the aid of
Scottish Galloglass won many battles great and small against the
English. Events though turned against O’Neill, many deserted the great
chief, some through bribery others just to save their own lands and
necks. Hugh O’ Neill himself was willing to hold out but famine ensued
in Ulster-3000 died in Tyrone alone.
The English after their success disarmed the whole country from end to
end. Gaelic chiefs including O’Neill had to surrender their lands to
the
crown; they were then re-granted whatever lands the crown saw
fit-usually far less than they originally held. ‘Surrender and
Re-grant’
it was called but a promise had to be given ‘not to raise arms against
the crown in future’. Sound familiar? They say that history repeats
itself and you would think we would learn by our mistakes by now--well
some do some don’t!
I see Bush and Blair are up in arms about the treatment of their
soldiers taken prisoner in Iraq—pot calling the kettle black! Remember
the Afghan War, prisoner taken to Cuba hooded, shackled, some drugged.
Remember the fuss the American Gov. made when the Red Cross asked to
visit the prisoners.
You only have to look at Ireland to judge Britain’s record in its
treatment of POW’s. Apparently it’s against the Geneva Convention to
film prisoners or treat them in a degrading way. Well I must ask the
Red
Cross to come to Maghaberry sometime as prisoners here are videoed and
recorded every time we step out of our cells (except of course when a
Republican is attacked.) I wonder if Strip-searching is termed
degrading
for we get plenty of them, legal visits—prisoners not notified or
solicitors told blatant lies that prisoners had refused the visit.
Boxed
visits—where a prisoner and his relatives are put in a boxed room and
separated by a full dividing screen. Boxed visits are normally reserved
for criminals who abuse drugs but in an attempt by the NIO to
criminalise Republicans it is often used as a weapon against us. Since
we refuse to be criminalised we refuse boxed visits. Our relatives have
to return home without seeing their loved ones most after travelling a
long distance and going through the security checks, body searches,
guard dogs, drug dogs, and insults from loyalists and screws. Our
relatives’ determination never ceases to amaze and inspire us.
Allegations have been made that ammunition used in the murder of six
people in the Heights Bar in Loughinisland came from Ballykinlar army
base. Locals know the real truth, not only was there ammunition from
Ballykinlar in the area that night but two land rovers were parked in a
laneway half an hour before the shooting. No statement has ever been
made by Ballykinlar army base on troop movements that night.
In the one-sided war for control in Iraq a familiar statement was made
by the armies—‘Car failed to stop after a warning as we thought our
lives were in danger we opened fire (just to protect ourselves you
understand!) All occupants (women and children) were killed.’ In a
press
statement by Tony Blair to the people of Iraq he said “We are going to
liberate you”, he forgot to add “even if we have to kill you to do it”.
Back in the Gaol here another Republican POW was assaulted this week.
The assault took place in sentenced wings. One Republican prisoner who
is outnumbered 11-1 by loyalists was walking round the exercise yard
when boiling water was thrown over him from one of the windows above.
Finally I was about to highlight the issue of the non-arrival of post
at
the gaol but it seems some-one got a parcel through today (Friday 4th)
An Phoblacht Abú!
Is mise le meas,
PRO Maghaberry gaol.
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13 April, 2003
PRO POW’s
Maghaberry Gaol
Aontroim.
A chairde, a chomrádaithe beannachtaí chugaibh go léir.
I would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity to contribute
and for allowing us a voice which is being denied elsewhere. We send
greetings to our comrades in all other gaols at home and abroad. (An
Phoblacht Abú)
There are many issues which affect republican prisoners post ‘Good
Friday Agreement’. As a direct result of that agreement, Political
Status that was fought and dearly paid for was ended by the British
Government. They along with the NIO and the Prison Service say they no
longer recognise POW status. This is a blatant falsehood borne out by
the fact that they go to extreme lengths to keep us apart from each
other. So ‘it’s back to the future’ for Republican prisoners- the
battle
continues- our first goal being ‘Segregation’.
Segregation for Republican prisoners is probably the most important
and
imperative issue facing us at the minute. In the past month alone there
have been eight ‘death threats’ (that we know about) from Loyalist
prisoners against Republicans, two actual assaults and many insults and
confrontations. The prison authorities perpetuate such an environment
by
ensuring republicans are spread very thinly throughout the gaol- we are
never allowed to be in the ascendancy. A typical example is a wing of
24
prisoner-no more than 2 republicans are placed on the wing while there
can be up to10 or 11 loyalists on the same wing. The rest of the
numbers
are made up with criminals and many of these can be loyalist in
outlook.
So you can see the scenario. Not only would republicans need eyes in
the
back of their heads and nerves of steel every time we come out of our
cells but our guardian angels would need to be on 24 hour alert as
well.
As we continue to point out the very real danger of a fatality looms
large everyday. The procrastinating of the British Gov., NIO and the
Prison Service left us with no alternative but to raise the tempo of
our
struggle for segregation. As a result of action taken the prison
service
reacted by ‘locking down’ the gaol for 5 days, a number of prisoners
were assaulted by screws in the course of cell searches and nearly 200
prisoners were strip-searched. One political prisoner from South Down,
who was assaulted, was himself charged with petty offences that were
fabricated against him in an attempt by screws to counteract his claim
of assault.
Most other prisoners were prevented from removing ‘legal papers’ from
cells during searches or to be present during searches (which is in
contravention of their own law lords ruling) No doubt the screws had a
good read at our private ‘legal papers’ uninterrupted. Prisoners were
then refused exercise, visits, legal hearings, such as ‘remand legal
visits’ or phone-calls, or letters to or form the gaol.
All in all the whole five days showed up the prison service for what it
is, an oppressive vindictive arm of the British Government used to try
to break the resolve and spirit of Republican POW’s in particular and
the Republican Struggle in general. However, as Republican prisoners
in
the past, we will not be criminalised- we are asking for nothing more
than we are entitled to as prisoners of war.
As yet the Prison Service and the British government have refused to
move on the issue. We believe the current political situation on the
outside has a lot to do with this refusal. In short, the ‘coalition of
the willing’ (British Gov., Sinn Fein leadership, SDLP,Unionists) and
other quislings cannot afford to have an official admittance that there
are still Republican Prisoners of War, it would not sit cosy with their
media friendly image of normalisation of the North.
British judges’ blatant sectarianism in relation to Bail hearings has
become more and more apparent in the past year. In a recent case a
well-known UDA leader, caught in possession of a loaded small arm and
loose rounds for another weapon, was promptly given bail. The only
concern the judge had was the loose rounds and the fact they did not
fit
the said gun. No thought for the poor sod who was going to get the
rounds that weren’t loose. Since 1998 few republican prisoners have
received bail while countless loyalists are granted it despite the
severity of the charge against them. Perhaps some investigative
journalist from those highly independent newspapers or TV programmes
would like to enlighten us as to the reasons. Don’t hold your breath!
An Phoblacht Abú!
Is mise le meas,
PRO
Maghaberry gaol.
That one of the RIRA Volunteers convicted in England last week can neither read nor write I must say I am impressed at the CIRA's ability to determinedly wield that crayon in a coherent manner, face creased in concentration, sweat dripping off him.
That comment was unworthy of you. Do you really think its appropriate to make fun of people with learning and literacy problems?
"We're Number Two!
The San Francisco chapter of the Irish Republican Socialist Committees of
North America won second place in the Irish Marching Unit category of the
St. Patrick's Day parade. This was only possible through the solidarity
displayed by the All-African People's Revolutionary Party and the San
Francisco and Alameda County sections of the Peace and Freedom Party, whose
members helped to swell our ranks and enabled us to field such a wide array
of banners.
The chapter again thanks those who marched with the IRSCNA's
anti-imperialist contingent, joining in its denunciation of the US/British
aggression against Iraq under the slogan, "NO WAR BUT THE CLASS WAR!"
The second place victory comes with a cash prize, which will be used to
support the Irish Republican Socialist Party."
From Irish Left
Those people are morons.