[Ppnews] Irish PP Easter Statement

[PPnews at freedomarchives.org]

IRISH NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY PRISONERS OF WAR STATEMENT: EASTER 2005

The INLA POW's give our continued support to the Leadership of both the 
INLA and IRSP. We send Easter greetings to all our Comrades within the 
Republican Socialist Movement, to friends and supporters at Home, and 
throughout the World. We extend our support and solidarity to our fellow 
political prisoners. To the Basques and Catalan prisoners, to the Turkish 
and Kurdish death fasters, to the Palestinian prisoners and to all 
political prisoners in Chile, Puerto Rico, USA and through out the World. 
We stand resolutely with, and pay tribute to all those fighting imperialism 
worldwide. We support the freedom fighters of Iraq.

Comrades on this, the 89th Anniversary of the Easter Rising, we gather once 
more to pay homage and to remember all those who gave their lives for a 
democratic Socialist Republic. We pay respect to and honour the republican 
dead - no matter what organisation they belonged to. While today, we in the 
Republican Socialist movement remember in particular our own martyred dead 
and our fallen comrades; we do not forget or ignore those other Republicans 
who sacrificed their lives so that this country could be free. We remember 
them all with pride.

At noon on that Easter Monday in 1916, members of the Irish Citizen Army
and the Irish Volunteers occupied the GPO and strategic building around the 
centre of Dublin. From the steps of the GPO Padraig Pearse read aloud the 
proclamation of the Irish Republic, announcing that they were setting up a 
Provisional Government replacing Britton's. These were extraordinary events 
involving ordinary men and women who lived in extraordinary times.

To day let us pause for a moment, and reflect on what, all those who died 
for the Republic, think they were doing. Irish men and women bravely fought 
and died for the rights of all of us, for all the people of this island to 
live in political, economic and social freedom in a Republic that cherishes 
all the children of the Nation equally.

Ask yourself, "Who today, stands by that concept of the Republic. The fat 
cats of Irish business life; The politicians who feed on corruption, greed 
and bribery, these very same politicians who have labelled Republicans 
Socialists as criminals. The full force of the establishment have united, 
to try and denigrate the sacrifices of all those we honour here today by 
there continuance in making unsubstantiated allegations of criminality 
against our Movement.

The facts speak for themselves, imprisoned INLA members were all convicted
of political offences, there is no members of the INLA awaiting trial for 
criminal offences, No Member of the INLA or indeed the IRSP is involved in 
any type of criminality. However there are those out side of the Republican 
Socialist Movement who use the name of the INLA for there own ends, some 
with the approval and encouragement of the security agencies both north and 
south. These parasites who have descended into this type of activity, 
besmirch the name of Republicanism and not only is there no place for them 
in our movement, there is no place for them in society, for like the 
capitalist system they are a piraya who feed off the working class. There 
will never be a place in our movement for anyone who believes they can use 
it for personal advancement or financial gain.

Unlike Fianna Fail which has seen high ranking members of there party 
involved in criminal activities such as money laundering with the Guinness, 
Mahon, Cayman Trust, C J Haughey was rather partial to the odd bribe or two 
and ex Fianna Fail Minister Ray Burke is in jail on bribery and corruption 
convictions. The hypocrisy of the establishment is breath taking. None of 
these stand for the Republic, for they have allowed the poor of this 
country to slip into further debt and misery, with the gap between the rich 
and poor growing wider.

Nor do the Racists who preach hatred and enflame sectarianism, or the trade 
union leaders who have sold out the workers, nor those who wish to maintain 
oppression and inequality. None of these stands for the Republic we want to 
see.

We as Republican Socialists cannot and will not live under British colonial 
or unionist rule, for that rule is unjust, cruel, discriminatory and 
imperialistic. Seven years on since the signing of the GFA, what has 
changed? West minister maintains direct rule. The British army still patrol 
our streets, there intelligence service still operates clandestine 
operations, they continue to maintain and update their military 
installations. Sectarian clashes have increased and there is still no real 
justice or equality for the Republican- Nationalist community. Dessie O 
Hare continues to be held as a political hostage by the free state 
government who has reneged on its commitments under the GFA and Republican 
Prisoners in Maghaberry are denied recognition of there political
status which was won because of the sacrifice of the hunger strikers in 81.

Comrades, It is time for us in the Republican Socialist Movement to take 
stock of where we are and where we are going, and how best to prepare 
politically and organisationally for the next phase, which will be our 
struggle, ie the class struggle. There is a danger at the moment of 
Republican Socialists ending up simply reacting to events. We encourage and 
fully support the Ard Chomhairle of the IRSP who are actively involved in 
preparing a long-term overview of a strategic and political understanding 
of what has to be done to achieve our aims and objectives.

Now that there is an acceptance of the primacy of politics, as outlined in 
the TA Power documents, the development of the party is critical, if we are 
to prepare the Irish working class for the struggles ahead. Political 
leadership comes from a political party that fully understands the 
situation and who possess the necessary tactics, strategies and policies 
that enables the working class struggle to move forward.

Our role should be to act as a catalyst to the struggle of the people, 
North and South, protestant and catholic so as to give them a cohesive 
programme of direction whilst raising their level of political 
consciousness. Our Movement has this potential if we are prepared to take 
the political responsibility that goes with it, and one of those 
responsibilities is to give voice to the people. There is a duty on each 
and every comrade to identify with, and participate in the everyday
struggles of the people. Educate, agitate and organise comrades. It was the 
way of James Connolly it was the way of Costello, Onward to victory.

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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