Of all the colonies in America, the most profitable to the coloniser was Saint Domingue, where the slaves produced more wealth for France than the North American colonies did for England. The French republic decreed an end to slavery, but Napoleon sought to reimpose it. The armies he sent to the island were defeated, and the victorious people renamed their country Haití, the indigenous name for the island. Haiti thus became the first free country of America in 1804, sixty years before chattel slavery was ended in the USA. For the crime of freeing themselves the people of Haiti have never been forgiven. The slave owners and colonisers feared the example they set. Haiti was later forced to pay 90 million gold francs to France to compensate the slave owners for the loss of their property, which took 150 years to pay off, thereby inhibiting any economic development.
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James Connolly wrote:

“An Irish Republic, the only purely political change in Ireland worth crossing the street for, will never be realised except by a revolutionary party that proceeds upon the premise that the capitalist and the landlord classes in town and country in Ireland are criminal accomplices with the British government, in the enslavement and subjection of the nation. Such a revolutionary party must be socialist, and from socialism alone can the salvation of Ireland come.” read full story / add a comment

Yesterday morning residents of Aghoos, Pollathomas and Glengad were woken by a convoy of heavy vehicles heading in the direction of Glengad. One person drove down to Glengad to see what was happening. At about 7.20am he was stopped by a Garda in Glengad who said the road is blocked. When asked who was blocking the road the Garda said “the Shell boys are doing a bit of work”. read full story / add a comment

Last weekend some members of the Irish Occupy camps came to stay at the Rossport Solidarity Camp. There was good numbers already on the camp for winter and so along with our fellow city based campers we numbered 25 – 30. We decided to try shut down Shell’s Aghoos tunnelling compound for the morning. read full story / add a comment

Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist was born in 1944 in North Dakota on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. He is the 11th child of 13 children and from his early years suffered racism and brutal poverty at the hands of US government and its officials. read full story / add a comment

Labour TD Robert Dowds is putting down a Dail question to the Justice Minister Alan Satter based on Alan Shatter's letter to WIlliam Irwin MLA - see graphic. The question will ask:

"What consideration is being given to issues relating to the former Bethany Home and the appropriateness and practicality of such issues being addressed in a satisfactory manner and would the Minister make a statement on the subject."

This is the second time that a member of the Northern Assembly has expressed concern about the government's neglect of this group of survivors. Minister Arlene Foster wrote to Martin McAleese asking him to include Bethany Home in in his investigation of Magdalen laundries. The government refused to allow this - see letters. read full story / add a comment

Internment, Torture and Resistance!
Independent Public Protest in solidarity with all republican prisoners in Maghaberry! read full story / add a comment

Our fight must continue, our voices must be heard in the case involving Leonard Peltier. Get involved, join the campaign to Free Leonard Peltier read full story / add a comment

Sean Sherlock, Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, has introduced new legislation that is being called Irelands SOPA. The legislation is being introduced as a statutory instrument which means that it will be implemented by the signature of the Minster and not a vote in the Dáil. read full story / add a comment

REPUBLICAN NETWORK FOR UNITY (RNU) Chairperson/Cathaoirleach, CARL REILLY has announced that Cogús Prisoners in Roe House, Maghaberry Gaol will begin a 24 Hour Fast at 8am January 23rd, 2012 in protest at the refusal by the North's Prison Service to allow fellow POW, Damien McKenna to attend his Father's funeral last week. read full story / add a comment

The Egyptian radical left is facing repeated attacks by an emerging alliance between the country's military rulers and the Islamists seeking power. This is a text by the Egyptian Libertarian Socialist Movement dealing with this situation.
It's about time! For weeks, several internet sites, and facebook pages that belong to the Muslims Brotherhood, either officially or administered by its members, launched an attack against Anarchists and Revolutionary Socialists in Egypt trying to single them out as inciters of violence and propagandists of State demolition. Today a member of the Brotherhood filed a lawsuit against three socialists one of them is comrade Yaser Abdel Kawy a well known anarchist and a member of the Egyptian Libertarian Socialists Movement. The general attorney forwarded the lawsuit to the State Security GA, an exceptional apparatus of the legal system that works only under the state of emergency. read full story / add a comment

REPUBLICAN NETWORK FOR UNITY (RNU) Spokesperson, MARTIN ÓG MEEHAN calls for an Independent Public Enquiry into the 1981 Hunger Strike controversy. read full story / add a comment

Stormont 'Justice Department' deneying a Republican prisoner compassionate parole to attend his father’s funeral exposed the inhumanity of the British Prison service when dealing with Republican prisoners.
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The Republican Network for Unity wish to make an appeal to the wider public and call on all political representatives to get behind the protesting prisoners in Maghaberry Gaol in a humanitarian effort, and demand an end to the inhumane treatment directed towards the prisoners. read full story / add a comment

Occupy Belfast and other activists have liberated the empty and unused Bank of Ireland building on Royal Avenue, Belfast, in opposition to soaring homelessness, lack of affordable social housing and home repossessions. read full story / add a comment

Seeing 'Bloody Sunday' on UTV last night reminds us of one of the worst Crimes of The Troubles when 13 Civilians were killed and 14 injured by the British Army in Derry on January 30th, 1972. No British Officer or Soldier was ever charged over Bloody Sunday. 40 years on the fight for justice goes on. Bloody Sunday not forgotten. May all the victims of Bloody Sunday Rest In Peace. read full story / add a comment

One Guantanamo suit, a letter to Mr Dan Rooney, a few acknowledgements, and in far away Guantanamo a hunger strike protesting a monstrous outrage against justice read full story / add a comment

Independent protest in solidarity with republican prisoners in Maghaberry

PRISONER SOLIDARITY GROUP-CORK CITY
SUPPORT REPUBLICAN PRISONERS RESISTING BRITISH TORTURE
PROTEST AT DAUNT SQ CORK CITY JAN 21ST @3PM read full story / add a comment

Unofficial facebook organised counter protest by Irish republicans leads to demise of crappest attempt at far right movement in Europe read full story / add a comment

We strongly condemn Thursday’s massacre at Sirnak in which 36 civilian Kurds were killed by Turkish air strikes. This year more than 4,500 people have been arrested under nebulous “terrorism” charges in Turkey, including dozens of journalists last week. This AKP-directed pogram, known as the KCK Case, began in 2009 against any Kurdish dissent in Turkey. Mayors, local councillors, journalists, human rights activists and Kurdish party workers are targeted. read full story / add a comment