RNU WILL JOIN LURGAN MARCH FOR POWS

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Saturday July 24, 2010 12:23 by RNU - PRO - Republican Network for Unity (RNU)

REPUBLICAN NETWORK FOR UNITY National Chairperson, Danny McBrearty has announced that RNU will join this Sunday’s march in Lurgan highlighting the repressive conditions being meted out to Republican political prisoners in Maghaberry.

REPUBLICAN NETWORK FOR UNITY National Chairperson, Danny McBrearty has announced that RNU will join this Sunday’s march in Lurgan highlighting the repressive conditions being meted out to Republican political prisoners in Maghaberry.

“RNU will be supporting the ‘FAMILIES-FRIENDS AND EX-POWS’ march calling attention to the plight of Republican political prisoners and the pattern of repression now being inflicted by the British prison regime against these prisoners.

“Thirty years ago the British government under Thatcher forced a no-wash protest upon Republican prisoners in Long Kesh and Armagh. Protests by human rights groups, clergy and Republicans were ignored, derided or dismissed. The British labeled these political prisoners criminals and said their suffering was self-inflicted. Gifted with opportunity upon opportunity to resolve the protest, the British instead blundered into the hunger strikes.

“Today again Republican political prisoners have made reasonable demands that could be easily resolved by the British. Yet the conditions inflicted upon Republican prisoners are intensified. Many ex-POWs and campaigners have remarked upon the similarities in tactics and administration attitudes between the blanket protest and the present.

“RNU will join the march in Lurgan, this Sunday July 25th at 2:30 pm in Kilwilkie Estate, Lurgan, to help in highlighting the conditions being imposed upon Republican prisoners and to increase the pressure upon the British government, its Stormont supporters and justice ministry not to blunder away this opportunity.

“RNU encourage all Republicans, especially Ex-POWS to join with us, but we also note that this protest goes beyond Republicanism and should be backed equally by all those, particularly human rights campaigners who oppose policies of brutality, degradation and inhuman treatment being inflicted upon Irish prisoners because of their political beliefs.”