NIHE Political Dupes of the SDLP, DUP

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Sunday August 17, 2003 19:03 by Rapper Tandy - Republican Socialist Publicity Bureau

The IRSP have accused the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of being
the political dupes of the SDLP, DUP, and others following the
smashing of a monument to two INLA volunteers due to be unveiled on
Sunday.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16 August 2003
Irish Republican Socialist Party

NIHE Political Dupes of the SDLP, DUP

The IRSP have accused the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of being
the political dupes of the SDLP, DUP, and others following the
smashing of a monument to two INLA volunteers due to be unveiled on
Sunday.

The monument to Brendan Convery and Gerald Mallon, killed in action
on the main street of Dungannon during the 80's, was due to be
unveiled tomorrow by IRSP Ard-Chomhairle member and ex-blanketman
Paul Little. However at 5 AM this morning, Ministry of Defence
contractors from Henry Brothers construction company, supported by
almost 200 RUC/PSNI personnel, turned up at the back of MacAtamney
Crescent and demolished the plinth for the memorial.

"What price the Good Friday Agreement now?", said IRSP Ard-Chomhairle
member and Chairman of the Memorial Committee Terry Harkin.

"Was this agreement not meant to guarantee 'parity of esteem'? Was
the GFA not meant to enshrine the rights of the indigenous Irish to
their own cultural identity? That was what the people were told. When
did it change to 'everyone has the right to express their identity
except the Irps and those loyalist groups who are anti-agreement?'

"There has always been, for the most part anyway, a tacit agreement
between the local communities not to interfere with how the other
side honoured their dead. The murals on the Shankill to Brian
Robinson and his ilk have been largely ignored even though they can
be plainly seen from nationalist areas, the payment of tens of
thousands of pounds to the UDA's C Company by a multinational to
remove murals from NIHE land went un-noted as did the NIHE's
complacency when the same C Coy smashed down walls in Executive
property to create the big brother house in a housing black spot. Why
were Henry Brothers and their police escort not brought in to repair
the damage or paint out the murals? There are double standards being
applied in Maghera due to the unholy cabal that has developed between
local SDLP representatives and (Box Car) Willie McCray of the DUP.

"Well, we've a message for both those parties, we do not need their
mandate to commemorate our dead, and before the sun sets on Sunday
they may want to take a walk up to the estate, they'll be surprised,
for they'll find a monument to two brave INLA men who gave their
lives fighting for National Liberation and Socialism there.

"Sure they can send for their MOD contractors and the Henry's can
pull it down one more time, but it wont go away you know, it'll be
back. I would still appeal to them all the same to step back before
they do any serious damage to the community by raising tensions when
they do not need to. Let this memorial stand, let the loyalist and
republican monuments stand. Let's have parity, not parody, of
esteem."

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Republican Socialist Publicity Bureau
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Tel: 028 90 321024 Fax: 028 90 330786
http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html