éirígí Defends the Irish Right to Commemorate 1916

national | anti-capitalism | press release Saturday May 31, 2008 06:30 by éirígí

éirígí Defends the Irish Right to Commemorate 1916

31/05/08

éirígí in mid-Ulster engaged recently in a number of commemorative events time scaled to coincide with the beginning of the Easter Rising and the execution of the last of its leaders.

This provoked a carnival of reaction from unionist politicians and the RUC/PSNI in the mid-Ulster area, resulting in public condemnation of the commemorations by no less than five DUP representatives, and the theft and destruction of commemorative materials and flags by unknown entities throughout the period.

Speaking in response to the DUP’s condemnation of éirígí’s commemoration of the 1916 Rising, éirígí mid-Ulster spokesperson Cathy Jackson said:

“April 24, saw a number of activities organised by éirígí across Ireland to mark the 92nd anniversary of the 1916 Rising. These activities included the widespread distribution of copies of the 1916 Proclamation and the erection of a number of flags – including some in Magherafelt town centre.

“We publicly stated at that time that those flags would remain in place from the April 24 until May 12. These two dates respectively mark the 92nd anniversaries of the start of the 1916 Rising and the final day of executions of the leaders of the Rising by the British military.

“The DUP have since stated that we were ‘deliberately raising tensions’ in the area. We in éirígí totally refute this allegation. We have no desire to raise tensions within our community. The very concept of sectarianism is an anathema to the core values of socialist republicanism.

“The only action, which in any way should be construed as tension-raising, was the removal of these flags on three separate nights, on at least one occasion under the watch of the RUC/PSNI.

“It comes as no surprise that the DUP have reacted in such a manner to the flying of nationalist flags. Such prejudice is entirely in line with the DUP’s long-stated and bigoted views of the Irish language, of Catholicism, of the role of women in society, of homosexuality and a host of other issues.

“The DUP’s reaction at the flying of nationalist flags in Magherafelt for a period of a little over two weeks is made all the more galling by the fact that a large Union Jack flies in the centre of the town for fifty-two weeks of the year.

“The majority of people in Magherafelt and the surrounding districts do not identify with this British flag and find it deeply offensive that it remains in place all year round.

“Of course the whole flags issue is only a symptom a wider illness in Ireland – that of the British occupation of the Six Counties. Magharefelt is as Irish as Macroom or Mullingar and there is nothing the British government can do about it. That government would do well to note that we in éirígí are not willing to forgo our right as Irish citizens to publicly remember those who have died in the fight for Irish freedom.

“A day will come, hopefully in the not too distant future, when a British government will end the so-called union and withdraw from Ireland. And when that day comes the day of the unionist parties will be over, which will allow us all, catholic and protestant, Irish and non-Irish, to work together on the creation of a new society, where tolerance will replace bigotry and need will win out over greed.”