Irish Republican Information Service (no. 75)
Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Phone: +353-1-872 9747; FAX: +353-1-872 9757; e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie
Date: 9 Lúnasa / August 2006
Internet resources maintained by SAOIRSE-Irish Freedom
Irish Republican Information Service
THE body styling itself ‘Limerick Republican Information Service’ is not connected with the Irish Republican Information Service (IRIS), 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, email
saoirse@iol.ie and has not been authorised either by IRIS or by the body that sponsors IRIS, Republican Sinn Fein. Therefore it is totally unauthorised and should be regarded as such.
In this issue:
1. RPAG condemns sniffer dog torture
2. Statement from O/C Republican POWs, Maghaberry
3. RUC probe call rejected
4. RUC/PSNI withdraw land claim
5. IFI drops Israel embassy as sponsor of film
6. Independent inquiry ordered into prison killing
7. Unions clash over merits of proposed ‘partnership’ agreement
8. Shell set to resume work on controversial pipeline
9. ‘Wind that shakes the Barley’ breaks box office records
10. British police criticised over assault case
11. Anti-war protest calls for pressure to be put on Israel
1. RPAG CONDEMNS SNIFFER DOG TORTURE
IN A statement on August 4 the Republican Prisoners’ Action Group (RPAG) said they viewed with deep concern the continuing abuse of the passive drugs ("sniffer") dog in Maghaberry jail. "In light of the fact that no drugs have ever been discovered either amongst Republican prisoners or their visitors, it is clear that this measure is simply punitive in nature.
"It has been brought to our attention that two Republican POWs have been denied open visits due to alleged ‘detections’ by the dog. One of the prisoners has been refused visits every second week, whereas the other prisoner has been denied his last three visits - by different family members. The end result of this harassment is that he has not received a visit for over a month.
"The RPAG believes that this amounts to nothing less than psychological torture of the POWs. We reiterate our call for the removal of the so-called "drugs" dog, and for the concession of the protesting prisoners’ five demands."
2. STATEMENT FROM O/C REPUBLICAN POWS, MAGHABERRY
ON August 9, the following statement was received from the O/C, Republican Prisoners, Maghaberry jail:
"On Thursday 10th August, Republican Prisoners of War held in Maghaberry Concentration Camp will hold a 48-hour fast. This is part of our ongoing protest for the restoration of Political Status and the implementation of our five demands. We will continue with our protest and in the coming weeks will step it up until the NIO and British authorities realise that we won’t be beaten.
The disgraceful attitude of the POA and the prison governors in refusing to accept that their policy of criminalisation will be resisted and therefore will fail is second only to the belief held by some that Óglaigh na hÉireann can be disbanded.
Óglaigh na hÉireann is not a "patent" of any single political party. It is of the people for the people. As long as there is still British interference on Irish soil; as long as a pro-Imperialist state exists in the 26-Counties to do Britain’s dirty work, there will always be those who will resist. Resistance is born out of oppression.
Those of us imprisoned in Ireland and abroad have been so because of our ideological beliefs. Our belief in the Proclamation of the Republic, declaring "the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland…" The belief that an alien government has no right to govern nor administer the affairs of the Irish people.
The oppressive nature of the regime imposed on Republican prisoners in this camp was bound to breed resistance. It is the unfortunate belief of the British authorities that today’s Republican prisoners can be criminalised and brutalised unimpeded. This is a misconception. Although we may be small in numbers, we can guarantee that we will resist at all costs.
The parallels that exist in today’s campaign and that which existed in 1976-1981 are striking, although I won’t pretend to know exactly what the men and women went though then. I do know that we are fighting against the same policy and we are faced with the same ‘monsters’.
In 1976-1981, those courageous men and women in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh and Armagh were fighting against a more visible form of criminalisation - that of a prison uniform and being forced to work for the system. Of course those weren’t the only problems.
In today’s prison camps, we are fighting against a different more invisible form of criminalisation. In this establishment we don’t have the convict garb, nor are we forced to work. In comparison to 1976-1981 we are more comfortably off. But criminalisation whether visible or invisible must be resisted. The fact that this establishment is intent on forcing us to accept policies of controlled movement, no free association for Republican prisoners, and forcing our families to do without visits for weeks on end. The fact that we are locked in cells for up to 22 hours, the fact that we are denied all handicraft facilities and limited education is all that is available. Education which clashes with association - as a result one or the other must be forfeited. This is an exact throwback to the years 1976-1981.
Why shouldn’t we be given the freedom to move freely on our own landings during periods of unlock? Why should we forfeit education for a period of exercise? Why shouldn’t we be allowed to clear our own wings? Why shouldn’t we expect to see our families on a weekly basis? Why shouldn’t we be allowed to make handicrafts or souvenirs?
Why shouldn’t we? All of the above are widely available to ordinary prisoners. And indeed they would be available to ourselves if we conformed. This we won’t do. We will not renounce our principles nor will we allow ourselves to be bribed by a corrupt, sectarian prison establishment.
Our demands, which are widely available to ordinary prisoners proves that we are not being elitist. We are not asking to be treated differently, but to be treated with dignity and respect.
We have never asked for the keys of the wing nor would we. We do not expect control of the landings nor do we expect the screws to leave their positions.
We have been totally reasonable in our repeated requests to be treated equally and fairly. The fact that the British have ignored our pleas should be challenged by all right thinking people in Ireland and abroad.
The protest which has been forced upon us by British intransigence could be sorted out at the stroke of a pen, if only these people came to realise that we are only asking for what is already available.
We hereby ask that all politicians, north and south; all clergymen and women; the people of Ireland and abroad, and all those who have suffered years of degradation at the hands of the British ‘monsters’ support us by supporting our demands. We ask you to write letters of support, denouncing the current policies in newspapers and to British politicians.
We ask you to support those who are defenceless.
O/C, CIRA POWs
Maghaberry Concentration Camp, Occupied Six Counties"
3. RUC PROBE CALL REJECTED
FR Aidan Mullan’s call on the nationalist people in the Six Occupied Counties to report "criminal activity" to the RUC/PSNI ignores the fact that the British presence in Ireland is in and of itself criminal. As James Connolly defiantly stated in front of his court martial at Dublin Castle, the British presence is "forever a usurpation and a crime against human progress". The primary responsibility of the British colonial police force is to provide the first line of defence for English rule in Ireland.
It is also noteworthy that Fr Mullan’s call comes in the wake of a highly publicised incident of child abuse by the RUC, whereby an eleven year-old girl was arrested, photographed, fingerprinted and had a DNA sample taken in Strand Road Barracks in Derry City.
Encouraging collaboration with the RUC/PSNI does not eliminate crime but merely helps to perpetuate an even greater crime against the Irish people.
4. RUC/PSNI WITHDRAW LAND CLAIM
THE RUC were forced to back down over plans to force residents to surrender land originally seized by the British Crown Forces in the early 1970s. They had claimed that the land was necessary to build a "fit-for-purpose" barracks in Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh - despite the fact that the barracks already occupies an enormous amount of land in the village.
Several Crossmaglen residents received letters at the end of July informing them that the RUC no longer intended to pursue their claim over the stolen land, and that it would subsequently be returned to the owners. It is understood that the 26-County Administration had taken an interest in the controversy.
5. IFI DROPS ISRAEL EMBASSY AS SPONSOR OF FILM
THE Irish Film Institute (IFI) cancelled its sponsorship arrangement with the Israeli embassy in Ireland for the screening of an Israeli film at the IFI cinemas in Dublin over the August bank holiday weekend, August 4\7.
The screening of the film, Walk On Water, went ahead as scheduled on August 4.
IFI director Mark MulQueen informed the embassy of the decision July 31 in a statement which reads: "The decision is taken in light of the current activities of the Israeli government and prompted by the performance of your ambassador in explaining these acts to the Irish public. It is important for us to separate the screening of an Israeli feature film from activities of the Israeli government. In allowing the screening to go ahead, this is not an act of artistic censorship, something we would be loath to do."
In Walk On Water, a Mossad agent is on the trail of an ageing former Nazi officer. As part of his plan he poses as a tourist guide and sets out to befriend the man’s gay grandson. The film is being screened at the 14th Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which opened at the IFI on August 4 and continued over the bank holiday weekend.
The Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, which takes place in August, has dropped the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as one of its sponsors.
A group of filmmakers in the festival- among them Palestinian directors Elia Suleiman, Sameh Zoabi, Annemarie Jacir and Lebanese-born Ekie Khalife and Myrna Maakaron-demanded that the festival withdraw the Israeli ministry from its sponsors.
The filmmakers say that they made the demand "in consideration of the hundreds of innocent civilians that have been murdered by the state of Israel in its ongoing campaign."
6. INDEPENDENT INQUIRY ORDERED INTO PRISON KILLING
IN an unprecedented move the 26-County Justice Minister Michael McDowell established an independent inquiry into the murder on August 1 of an inmate in a protection cell in Mountjoy prison, Dublin, by another prisoner who had recently spent a period in the Central Mental Hospital.
The dead man, Gary Douch, (21) Tallaght, Dublin was badly beaten and strangled in a sustained attack. His alleged killer is a 23 year-old man from Coollock. His excrement was found smeared on the dead man.
He was arrested at the prison on August 1, following questioning he was transferred back to Cloverhill on August 2 and is expected to be sent to the Central Mental Hospital. He has admitted to the killing. He was awaiting trial for robbery and has previously escaped custody. He has previously escaped from custody.
The suspect, who was regarded as violent, had been transferred from Cloverhill Prison to Mountjoy on July 30 after spending time in the past ten days at the Central Mental Hospital. He was assigned to a holding cell in the basement of the prison until a suitable bed became available.
Prison sources said that overcrowding in Mountjoy has reached record levels in recent weeks. On July 31 there were 527 inmates being held in a prison with an operational bed capacity of 470.
The man who died was sleeping in the same holding cell as his alleged killer.
Gary Douch approached prison staff on the evening of July 31 and expressed concerns for his safety. It was decided he should be transferred from C1 wing to the holding cell for his own safety. There were six other prisoners in the cell sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
Gary Douch was serving three years for assault and possession of drugs. He was a drug addict. Some time during the night he was upon by the suspect. None of the other inmates raised the alarm. They told gardaí they were too fearful to do so, they also allege that the suspect attempted to get them to attack Gary Douch’s lifeless body.
Prison warders only became aware of what happened when they unlocked the cell door at 6.30am. The other prisoners left the cell without saying what had happened to Gary Douch, it was only following a head count that he was found lying among the mattresses and taken to the Mater hospital where he was pronounced dead.
One of the questions for any inquiry is how the attack on Gary Douch was not more quickly discovered as prison warders are supposed to check cells every 15 minutes, and why a man expressing fears for his own safety was placed in a cell with six other prisoners.
7. UNIONS CLASH OVER MERITS OF PROPOSED ‘PARTNERSHIP’ AGREEMENT
TWO of the 26-County State’s biggest unions have clashed over the merits of the proposed new partnership deal, with one claiming it is "not worth the paper it is written on".
Mandate, which represents thousands of low-paid workers in the retail sector, said workers had been "sold a pup" by those who had negotiated the agreement, Towards 2016.
Recent energy price and interest rate increases meant the pay element of the new deal was already "practically obsolete", the union added.
Unions are currently balloting members on the agreement, which provides for a 10 per cent pay increase over 27 months. A decision on whether to formally ratify it will be taken at a special conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) on September 5.
Although Mandate is affiliated to ICTU, it declined to take part in the negotiations on the deal, claiming social partnership had failed to address the issue of low pay. The union has instead served separate pay claims on major retailers within the 26-County state.
Mandate national official Linda Tanham said the 0.25 per cent increase in interest rates announced at the end of July by the European Central Bank brought into focus the "failure at the heart of the new agreement".
"The interest rate jump, combined with recently announced increases in utility bills such as ESB and gas, has rendered the minimal pay increases negotiated at the recent pay talks practically obsolete before the ballot on Towards 2016", she said.
Linda Tanham said that with inflation running at almost 4 per cent, it was clear that the position taken by Mandate in relation to the negotiations had been vindicated.
"It now appears that we have been sold a pup and the nominal pay increases provided for under Towards 2016 are not worth the paper they are written on for thousands of working families." She added: "In effect, the interest rate hike represents more than many workers will receive under the recently concluded agreement. Moreover, additional increases are expected over the coming months."
8. SHELL SET TO RESUME WORK ON CONTROVERSIAL PIPELINE
SHELL E&P Ireland is set to resume work on its controversial Corrib gas terminal in September, following its confirmation that it intends to modify the route of the Corrib gas onshore pipeline near Rossport.
In a separate development the company said that it wished to "review" its legal position in relation to ongoing 26-County High Court injunction proceedings.
Dublin High Court Judge Mary Laffoy, ruled that the company must produce a range of documents, including the petroleum lease granted by the 26-County state for the project, for the full court hearing on Corrib issues in the autumn.
She also identified the issue of planning permission for the pipeline-exempted by the Dublin administration in 2002- as an issue in the proceedings, due for mention again on September 28.
It is understood that any decision by the company to drop its court action against six defendants, including three landowners jailed last year, could be contingent on receiving assurances that counter-claims lodged against it would be withdrawn.
Shell’s legal representatives have sought meetings with solicitors for all six of the landowners, but two of them, one of them the largest landowner on the proposed pipeline route, Bríd McGarry have said they intend to pursue their legal action.
Whilst Shell has given no details of any pipeline change, it appears that it relates to the particular onshore section as identified by the Dublin administration’s mediator Peter Cassells.
In his report, published at the beginning of August, Peter Cassells proposed that the route be modified "in the vicinity of Rossport to address community concerns regarding proximity to housing". He urged "consideration be given to involving Bord Gais in the project".
Shell-to-Sea campaign spokesman Dr Mark Garavan said that it does not address the central issues in relation to the proposed gas terminal’s "unsafe and unsuitable" onshore location, and says it believes the company is "reacting to an unfavourable High Court ruling earlier this week".
"It is time for the Minister for the Marine to ask for a new plan of development," he added. The report on landslides published on August 3 made this all the more pressing, he said, given the proximity of Dooncarton mountain and the issue of peat instability.
9. ‘WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY’ BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORDS
THE award winning Ken Loach film on the Tan war and counter revolutionary period from 1920 to 1923 The Wind that Shakes the Barley has become the highest-grossing independent Irish-made film at the box office in Ireland, according to the Irish Film Board.
The Palme d’Or recipient has, since its release on June 23, accounted for €2.7 million in takings to date at the Irish box office. It supersedes previous records set by Intermission, starring Colin Farrell, which grossed €2.5 million in 2003, and Man About Dog, a farcical tale about stealing a greyhound, which grossed €2.1 million in 2004.
Currently residing at fourth and fifth positions of the top-grossing independent Irish-made films at the Irish box office are John Boorman’s The General and Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters.
Based on the story of two brothers who fought in the Tan war, The Wind that Shakes the Barley was financed without the involvement of major US studios.
The production costs of 6.5 million euro were incurred by director Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films and Irish company Element Film. On its opening weekend alone, the film made 377,000 euro. Six weeks later, it remains in the top five attended films in Ireland, according to Carlton Screen Advertising.
In the context of overall box-office receipts in Ireland, the film starring Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham and Padraic Delaney has become the fourth-highest-grossing film in Ireland this year, fending off competition from a number of so-called Hollywood ‘blockbusters’.
10. BRITISH POLICE CRITICISED OVER ASSAULT CASE
A BRITISH colonial police investigation into a case of attempted murder in Co Antrim was hindered by "significant failings", the British police ombudsman reported on August 8.
Nuala O’Loan’s office made the criticisms following examination of the RUC\PSNI inquiry into a sectarian assault on Gerald McRandal, a 33 year-old nationalist, in Larne in October 2002.
Her investigators uncovered "investigative errors" and identified a shortage of RUC\PSNI personnel in the town at the time of the attack.
Just three members of the British colonial police were on patrol covering a population of 30,000 at the time of the assault, which left Gerald McRandal brain damaged. Only two members of the RUC\PSNI were able to attend the scene of the attack.
Two people were subsequently charged in relation to the case but their trial collapsed in early 2004. The report cited "insufficient officers on duty to deal with a major incident" and the failure to request assistance from neighbouring areas.
It also said two members of the RUC\PSNI who attended the scene made "a major error in judgement" by deciding to leave the area in search of the attackers rather than stay to preserve the scene and any forensic evidence.
According to the British police ombudsman’s office the case fell following the withdrawal of eight witnesses and the failure of a member of the RUC\PSNI to disclose a notebook she had used on the night of the attack.
Nuala O’Loan has recommended that one member of the British colonial police be disciplined and another be sent for additional training. She also reported: "The initial police (sic) response was inadequate and a number of serious investigative errors occurred."
The report added: "The failure to cordon off and protect the scene following the attack was a major failing and rendered any evidence from the scene virtually worthless.
This was compounded," the report asserts, "by the fact that police (sic) failed to inform defence solicitors about an unofficial notebook containing information central to the case. It is clear that while these investigative failures did not on their own cause the collapse of the attempted murder trial, they did further weaken a case in which eight key witnesses had already withdrawn their evidence."
It was also revealed that the unofficial notebook was not made known to the defence solicitors. According to the British police ombudsman’s office when the prosecution was made aware of its existence and the reference to the name of an accused, decision was made to withdraw all charges.
11. ANTI-WAR PROTEST CALLS FOR PRESSURE TO BE PUT ON ISRAEL
THE 26-County Administration should do more to push for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon, was the message from a rally held outside the Israeli embassy in Dublin on August 8.
A spokesman for the Irish Anti-War Movement, which along with Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised the rally, told the rally that the 26-County administration should expel Israel’s ambassador.
"We believe that if the Government (sic) is serious in saying that it wants to see an end to the hostilities in Lebanon, they should be expelling the Israeli ambassador from this country until Israel ends its onslaught against Gaza and Lebanon and until it complies with international law and ends its occupation of the Palestinian territories," he said.
Another demonstration is due to be held in Dundalk on August 12, the constituency of the 26-County Foreign Affairs minister Dermot Ahern.
It has also emerged that the 26-County army has been drafted in to provide back up to the Garda in protect Shannon airport, for the first time in two years.
Following his acquittal of charges arising from the damaging of a US warplane in July, ant-war activist Ciaron O’Reilly said that he and colleagues were looking into how the airport could be closed down using non-violent means, through occupying the runways and blocking the airport.
Ciaron O’Reilly applauded the action of 12 anti-war protesters in Scotland, arrested at Prestwick airport, on August 7 after they boarded a US plane to search for US weapons being transported to Israel.
ENDS
