Plight of Republican prisoners highlighted in Belfast

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Wednesday July 12, 2006 21:01 by RSF - Republican Sinn Fein

Hundreds attend Belfast white line picket to support Irish political prisoners!

SUPPORT THE POWs

Press Release/Preas Ráiteas

Plight of Republican prisoners highlighted in Belfast

ON Saturday, July 8 a very successful white-line picket was held on the Falls Road, Belfast, outside the Republican Sinn Féin offices.

Over thirty prisoners are currently refusing to eat food in their cells in protest at the unsanitary conditions - the cells also incorporate a lavatory.

Republicans from Belfast as well as the nine counties of Ulster and from other parts of Ireland took part in the picket, following which a short public meeting took place. The picket got a great reception from the general public for the prisoners' campaign.

The public meeting was chaired by Brendan Magill, Lurgan who said a few words and introduced Des Dalton, Vice-President, Republican Sinn Féin who said:

"As we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century the same struggle engaged in by Bobby Sands and his nine comrades in the H Blocks of Long Kesh is again being played out in Maghaberry prison. 25 years ago today Joe McDonnell became the fifth man to die on hunger strike. In that momentous year of 1981 ten men were to die on hunger strike to vindicate the right of all Republican prisoners to political status. Since 1917 22 Irish Republican prisoners have sacrificed their lives to deny Britain's attempt to criminalise the struggle for Irish freedom. Today Irish Republican prisoners are taking on the latest attempt by the British government to criminalise them and their cause.

"This prison struggle is not a recent phenomenon but is one almost as old as the Republican Movement itself. Criminalisation of Irish Republican prisoners has over a long period been used by the British Government to discredit in the eyes of the world the Irish people's fight for freedom. If they can show that Irish Republican prisoners are criminals, then by extension their cause is also criminal using this logic.

"This latest attempt to criminalise the Republican struggle is unique in Irish history in that in this instance the policy of criminalisation has been endorsed by those who would describe themselves as Irish nationalists and republicans. The various commemorations of the 25th anniversary of the H-Block hunger strikes by those who signed up to the criminalisation of Irish Republican prisoners with the signing of the Stormont Agreement in 1998 is an act of sickening hypocrisy.

The conditions being endured by the prisoners in Maghberry are hellish, the British prison service in this instance are not content to criminalise the prisoners but are also attempting to criminalise the prisoner's families. All of this is set out in this month's edition of SAOIRSE.

Republican Sinn Fein is calling on people to support the work of CABHAIR in raising funds for the support of the prisoner's families. We are also calling on people to support the campaign of the Irish Republican Prisoners Action Group (RPAG) by join pickets such as today, leafleting, writing letters to the papers etc.

Twenty-five years on from that tragic and heroic year of 1981 we cannot leave another group of Irish Republican prisoners to take on the British government on their own.

ENDS