IRIS/IRISH REPUBLICAN INFORMATION SERVICE #36

In this issue:

1. Betrayal will not end at arms destruction

2. Eve of All-Ireland Rally at GPO, Dublin

3. Cork RSF website

4. Action against use of Shannon by US troops needed

5. Branch knew of priest plot

6. Nearly 150 warned of threat to lives in loyalist feud

7. Counter terrorism experts hold secret Belfast meeting

8. Over three hundred political prisoners in France

9. Police stand back while roadblocks cause chaos

10. Nationalists still most deprived community in Six Counties

11. Sectarian incidents double in past year

12. Target woman 'lucky not to have been hurt'

13. Church attacked by vandals

14. Trouble after Tyrone GAA victory

1. BETRAYAL WILL NOT END AT ARMS DESTRUCTION

IN a statement following the destruction of arms by the Provisionals' military wing on September 25, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, President, Republican Sinn Féin said that the betrayal of the Republican Cause by the Provisional Movement will not end with the destruction of arms at the behest of the British government. They will be required by their masters to accept and participate in the British police in Ireland.

The statement continued: "Bobby Sands and the other hunger strikers died agonising deaths rather than wear a British convict uniform. Now the Provisionals will don British police uniforms to enforce British rule in Ireland against the Irish people.

"With the destruction of their own arms the Provisional IRA is no longer an army and should dissolve immediately and stop the pretence. IRA General Order No 11 (see The Long War by Brendan O'Brien) stigmatises such action as an act of "treachery" to be dealt with as such.

"Irish history teaches us that there will always be an IRA to oppose English rule here. It was not merely for civil rights under British rule in the Six Counties that the British occupation forces were resisted and such great sacrifices endured.

"A really permanent peace will be secured by British disengagement. A new four-province Ireland will give full power and decision-making to all sections of the population, both nationalist and unionist."

2. EVE OF ALL-IRELAND RALLY AT GPO, DUBLIN

REPUBLICAN Sinn Féin held its annual Eve-of-All-Ireland rally at the GPO in Dublin on Saturday, September 24.

Proceedings were chaired by Joe O'Neill, Republican Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle, Donegal.

Des Dalton, RSF Vice-President said in the course on an address that As a member of the GAA it saddened him to hear on the news that morning that the GAA intended to invite the British colonial police to take part in the Sigerson Cup Colleges Competition.

He went on: "This is part and parcel of the ongoing campaign to normalise the British occupation of Ireland. British rule in Ireland will never be normal or acceptable, it is immoral and a crime against the Irish people. On the weekend of the All-Ireland Football finals, a celebration of the historic Irish nation, when people from Tyrone and Down, can stand with people from Kerry and Mayo as equal members of that nation this decision of the GAA leadership betrays the fundamental ethos and ideals of the association.

We call on members of the GAA to make their voice heard; we call on GAA clubs and teams to refuse to play against British forces teams. We all will have to step up the campaign against this latest attempt to turn the GAA into a recruiting sergeant for the British Crown forces in Ireland."

Richard Walsh, Ard Chomhairle, Derry said that whilst sectarianism has traditionally been associated with loyalism and British policy in Ireland, the Stormont Agreement's removal of the national question from the British agenda has led to a massive increase in sectarian attacks from nationalist quarters.

He said: "The University of Ulster's Dr Pete Shirlow claims that '68% of 18-25 year olds have never had a meaningful conversation with anyone from the other community'. Derry City has witnessed frequent attacks on the loyalist Fountain estate in recent months, resulting in a letter to the Derry Journal entitled "Would You Petrol Bomb Wolfe Tone?"

"Suzanne Breen acknowledged that 'most violence in nationalist areas was once directed at [British forces],' whereas 'now it is more sectarian'. Can there be any doubt that the Provos are using sectarian violence to encourage support for the RUC? They already collaborate openly with them through their policing wing, Community Restorative Justice (CRJ).

"And according to RUC Chief Constable Hugh Orde, he has 'met with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness in Downing Street and at root and branch level talks are taking place between [the RUC] and [the Provos],' adding that it was time for them to 'end the charade'. They should, of course, also end the charade that they are, in any sense, Republicans."

Josephine Hayden, Vice-President of Republican Sinn Féin said in the course of her remarks that faithful Republicans would not support English rule in the Six Counties or collaborate with it through the Establishment south of Britain's Border.

"We will not be co-opted or bought. Today British MLAs and MPs are to hold a meeting here at this historic spot where the All-Ireland Republic was first proclaimed. Let them take note - they have forfeited the right to stand here, they are no longer Republicans, in 1986 they forfeited the right to use the honoured and honourable name Sinn Féin. Let them change their name to some new title," she said.

"The Stormont Agreement cannot work because it was based on lies and contradictions. The nationalists were told it would lead to a free and united Ireland while the unionists were persuaded it would strengthen British rule here.

"Republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail are denied political status once more. This time it was not just the British who denies them POW status - it was removed by the Stormont Agreement in 1998 with the collaboration of the Provisionals. The struggle to regain this status must be intensified in the coming year. I take this opportunity to send solidarity greetings to Republican prisoners in Maghaberry and Portlaoise jails.

"The alternative lies in a new Federal Ireland of the four provinces with maximum devolution to local level which would provide checks and balances against abuses by either side."

Kerry Republican Liam Cotter, gave a rousing speech in which he pledged that true Irish Republicans would carry on the struggle for a free and united Ireland.

Cathaoirleach Joe O'Neill closed the proceedings by saying that it was incumbent on all Irish people to continue to resist English rule in Ireland, especially at this time when former comrades were about to commit the ultimate crime against the 32-County All-Ireland Republic by "decommissioning" the weapons they had originally received for the freedom of Ireland.

3. CORK RSF WEBSITE

THE Mac Curtáin/Mac Suibhne Cumann of Republican Sinn Féin in Cork have in the last few months established a website putting forward the aims and objects of Republican Sinn Féin and the Republican Movement. The website is a mine of information on Cork's history in the Republican struggle down the years as well as Republican policy documents and current news and may be accessed at which can http://www.rsfcork.com/index.htm

4. ACTION AGAINST USE OF SHANNON BY US TROOPS NEEDED

ANTI-WAR activists attending a rally near Shannon airport on September 24 were told that protesting against the use of Shannon by the US military was no longer enough, that action must now be taken.

Addressing the rally, which was attended by almost 1000 people, Ed Horgan of PANA (Peace and Neutrality Alliance) said: "Over the coming months and years if necessary we must renew our efforts to remove the US military out of Shannon. We must do this by mass demonstrations if these are possible, or by small groups and even individual demonstrations and peace actions."

He added: "We are here to promote peace by peaceful means, but standing idly and silently by while innocent people are being murdered and tortured in our name is not good enough. We must first of all speak out the truth, but more importantly we must take action to stop evil. Protesting is no longer enough. Bertie Ahern once said that the 100.000 people who marched in Dublin in February 2003 were supporting his stand on the Iraq war. That was a lie and he said it once, but once too often."

5. BRANCH KNEW OF PRIEST PLOT

A CAMPAIGNING Belfast priest was targeted for assassination by the British-backed loyalist death squad, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA/UFF) with the full knowledge of RUC Special Branch. An extract from UDA and British army double agent Brian Nelson's diaries reveal that Fr Des Wilson was to be the subject of a loyalist murder bid in the late 1980s.

Nelson was asked by a leading loyalist from the upper Shankill in west Belfast to gather information on the priest, however, his British colonial police Special Branch handlers warned him not to become involved. Fr Wilson said he had no idea loyalists were intent on killing him two decades ago. He said the RUC Special Branch never warned him that his life was under threat and accused detectives of a dereliction of their duty.

Fr Wilson said: "This is news to me, but in truth I am not surprised. The police never warned me I was being singled out for murder, they derelicted their duty. If they had approached me I would have simply taken reasonable precautions, but it would not have prevented me from what I was doing. I knew what I was doing upset the people in power, including Special Branch."

Fr Wilson was involved in developing social and economic initiatives to combat deprivation in Belfast. His work often brought him into contact with members of the loyalist community.

"I could talk to them and while I knew some were enlightened and shared the same views on education and community development, at the same time I knew they could not prevent me or would not prevent me from being shot."

Nelson's diaries came to light in the early 1990s after his cover was blown. He was relocated to England by the British army and is reported to have died there in 2003.

6. NEARLY 150 WARNED OF THREAT TO LIVES IN LOYALIST FEUD

NEARLY 150 people in the Six Counties have been warned by the British colonial police that their lives may be under threat from feuding loyalist groups.

The British government's ceasefire watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission, said on September 22 that the loyalist shooting war -- in which the Ulster Volunteer Force intends to "wipe out" the smaller Loyalist Volunteer Force -- involved the worst violence it had ever investigated. Ten men have been shot dead in feuding since Billy "King Rat" Wright and his associates were stood down by the UVF in 1996 after the sectarian murder of a nationalist taxi driver. Wright formed his own group, the LVF, and tension has festered ever since.

But this summer the rivalry erupted into a six-week murder spree across north and east Belfast. The IMC report found that in July and August the UVF shot dead four men it perceived to have LVF connections, and attempted to murder 15 more.

Loyalist areas of Belfast were in panic over the summer as targets were attacked while sitting in cars or walking their dogs. One man had to jump from a bedroom window to avoid gunmen. In the Garnerville estate in east Belfast, UVF men supervised the forced evictions of families said to be linked to the LVF whilst the RUC/PSNI stood by without intervening.

One of the murdered men, Craig McCausland (20) was shot dead after three men burst into the house he shared with his partner and her children, aged six and nine. His family have launched a campaign for justice, saying he was not a member of any paramilitary group.

The IMC recorded six shooting incidents, 18 explosives or petrol bomb incidents and a car ramming related to the feud. The LVF attempted two murders but most of the violence was carried out by the UVF, which had also assassinated a perceived rival in May 2004.

According to the report: "A number of explanations have been offered to us: the history of rivalry and hatred, personal animosity, the LVF's involvement in drugs, allegations and counter-allegations about treachery, criminal competition, greed and power," the report said. It concluded that the UVF had simply decided, "now is the right time to finish off the LVF".

The IMC said the UVF's political representatives in the Progressive Unionist party had lost control over the paramilitaries and recommended renewing financial sanctions on the party.

7. COUNTER TERRORISM EXPERTS HOLD SECRET BELFAST MEETING

IT was reported on September 16 that some of the world's leading 'counter-terrorism' specialists had been meeting in secret in Belfast, at a conference hosted by the RUC/PSNI. Senior policemen from the US, Canada, Britain and the 26 Counties took part.

The "Leadership in Counter Terrorism" programme , which ended on September 16, addressed intelligence and counter terrorism, policy development and resource assignment matters. The programme was developed by the RUC/PSNI Police College in partnership with the FBI Academy and Scottish Police College.

8. OVER THREE HUNDRED POLITICAL PRISONERS IN FRANCE

IT was reported on September 15 that there are a total of 358 political prisoners in French jails.

Of those, there are: 159 Basque militants; 94 islamists; 76 Corsican nationalists; 13 GRAPO (Spanish fighting communists); seven Action Directe (French fighting communists); one Breton nationalist (a sort of French SNLA, a few others are amongst the Basque prisoners for being arrested in connection with Basque activism) and eight so-called international terrorists (ie Carlos the Jackal group)

9. POLICE STAND BACK WHILE ROADBLOCKS CAUSE CHAOS

MOTORISTS faced major disruption for a second day following roadblocks on a series of main routes on the evening of September 14 and demands were made for action to be taken to stop loyalist protests causing traffic chaos across Belfast.

The RUC/PSNI were criticised for describing the demonstrations as "peaceful" and for making no arrests. Bus travel across counties Antrim and Down was also severely disrupted after Translink cancelled services to north and east Belfast, Bangor and Newtownards due to concerns for passenger safety.

By 4pm the first of many protests had again sprung up across Belfast, with routes in the north and west of the city worst affected. The Westlink was closed for a time for a second consecutive night, as was the M1 at Stockman's Lane in south Belfast.

There were also protests at Black's Road and the loyalist Seymour Hill estate in Dunmurry. A security alert at Station Road in Greenisland caused long tailbacks for commuters but it was eventually declared a hoax. By 6pm most protests had finished, with only Denmark Street in the Shankill and the Crumlin Road still blocked.

A spokesperson for the British police said that the protests were illegal, but that o arrests had been made.

"They are blocking traffic but they are not committing any other offence - they are not endangering lives or causing damage," she said. "If it did turn nasty, police would move in to calm the situation."

It is very clear if those protesting had come from the nationalist community the protests would have been stopped and many would have been arrested.

10. NATIONALISTS STILL MOST DEPRIVED COMMUNITY IN SIX COUNTIES

IT emerged on September 15 that official statistics show that unionist claims that weak community infrastructure and a lack of funding were contributory factors behind recent loyalist rioting.

Nationalists accused unionists of using the deprivation claims as an excuse for the three days of loyalist violence, which resulted in 63 arrests.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Reg Empey said on September 14 that recent loyalist rioting was "much more deep-seated than many are prepared to accept".

He claimed that loyalist communities were "now suffering more deprivation, more educational underachievement and greater unemployment than ever before".

Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Diane Dodds accused the British government of neglecting those areas where the violence had been most intense.

However, reports commissioned by various British departments in the Six Counties, including the Department for Social Development, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and other British government agencies reveal that nationalist areas suffer greater deprivation than their unionist neighbours. The department's research was carried out last year by Deloitte MCS. It found that nationalists are much more likely than unionists to live in areas with weak community infrastructure.

Nationalists make up 57% of the population of such areas even though they account for just 44%of the Six-County's population. Unionists comprise 41% of residents in areas with weak infrastructure but make up 53% of the Six-County's overall population.

British government statistics have consistently demonstrated that nationalists, particularly nationalist women, are at least twice as likely as unionists to suffer unemployment.

That statistic remains virtually unchanged despite three decades of various anti-discrimination laws.

According to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, nationalist children are also more likely to have jobless parents, gain no qualifications, suffer long-term unemployment and earn less.

These findings cast serious doubt on unionist claims that social and economic problems contribute to loyalist violence, especially when the findings are combined with the Noble Index of Deprivation, which confirms that the majority of deprived areas in the Six County are nationalist.


POVERTY FACTS

Census Population Stats - nationalists 44%, unionists 53%.

Equality Commission Employment Stats - nationalists 41%, unionists 58%.

DSD Weak Community Infrastructure - nationalists 57%, unionists 41%.

Noble Index of Deprivation - Two thirds of those in top 20 deprived wards in the Six Counties are nationalist.Source: 'Indicators of Social Need for NI', OFMDFM, September 2004

11. SECTARIAN INCIDENTS DOUBLE IN PAST YEAR

A REPORT in a Belfast newspaper on September 25 stated that the number of sectarian crimes has more than doubled in the last year. Latest RUC/PSNI statistics point to a deteriorating situation.


From April 1 to August 31 this year, 726 sectarian incidents were reported - almost five a day. This figure is more than double that for the previous six months, which stood at 339, an average of two per day.

RUC classification of 'sectarian incidents' ranges from verbal abuse to bomb attacks and attempted murders.

The RUC/PSNI said that a sectarian motive is a "significant line of inquiry" in the killing in August of north Belfast nationalist teenager Thomas Devlin.

There was an intense increase in sectarianism during the summer which has spilled outside Belfast to Co Antrim and Co Derry. Out of 42 incidents in the Ballymena district more than half were against the nationalist community.

A number of families were forced to flee their homes following attacks in Ahoghill.

Although the figures for across the north are not broken down by community, it is generally accepted the majority of attacks were carried out by loyalists.

However, the unionist community has not escaped sectarianism with some attacks coming from the nationalist community in north Belfast, the greater Ballymena area and Derry.


Already this month there have been a number of sectarian attacks. Loyalists were blamed on September 24 for a petrol-bomb attack on the home of a nationalist mother on the outskirts of north Belfast.

There were also two separate attacks sectarian attacks on September 21 when a care worker had paint poured over her car while tending to a Co Tyrone pensioner and an assault on three nationalist boys.

12. TARGET WOMAN 'LUCKY NOT TO HAVE BEEN HURT'

THE son of a nationalist woman whose home in Ballymena was targeted in a paint-bomb attack on September 23 has said she was lucky not to have been hurt.

The man, who didn't wish either himself or his 54-year-old mother to be named, said police told them three paint bombs were thrown at the house.

"My mum was in the house on her own at the time and she had just gone to bed two minutes before one of the bottles came through the window, showering the room with glass," he said. "If she had been sitting in the chair a bit longer she could have been hit - she was very lucky. She was up all night after it and was shocked.

"We are Catholics and this was sectarian. Probably what saved more damage from being done was the leaded windows," he said. "The curtains were covered and the paint was all over the floor."

The man said the part of the town where they live is mainly nationalist, although they have a number of unionist neighbours.

13. CHURCH ATTACKED BY VANDALS

ST Gerard's Catholic Church on the Antrim Road in north Belfast was targeted in a sectarian attack on September 23. Paint had been thrown at the front doors of St Gerard's church on the Antrim Road. It was the third time the church, which is not far from the Whitewell interface, has been targeted in this way.

14. TROUBLE AFTER TYRONE GAA VICTORY

A SEVEN-year-old boy was injured when a brick was thrown at a bus returning from the All-Ireland football final on September 25.

The boy, from Dungannon, was hit in the face at Newry Road, Edenaveys. A 12-year-old girl was treated for shock.

Several people were arrested as trouble flared and rival gangs clashed in County Tyrone.

A petrol bomb, missiles and fireworks were thrown at the RUC/PSNI in Cookstown and a number of cars were burnt out in the town and in nearby Dungannon. One car was burned at the scene.

In Dungannon, a car was burnt out and another damaged by fire close to the Stangmore Roundabout on the Moy Road. Stones were thrown at cars carrying fans returning from the match in Dublin.

ENDS

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"I hereby declare that the Continuity Executive and the Continuity Army Council are the lawful Executive and Army Council respectively of the Irish Republican Army, and that the governmental authority, delegated in the Proclamation of 1938, now resides in the Continuity Army Council, and its lawful successors."

Comdt. General Thomas Maguire

Forget ireland.com, in future I'm getting all my news from this fine publication.

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Greatest forest in the history of trees.

Risteard, that cork RSF site is well laid out, you should get them to sort out your main site.

Indeed it is a well-designed site.

__________________
"I hereby declare that the Continuity Executive and the Continuity Army Council are the lawful Executive and Army Council respectively of the Irish Republican Army, and that the governmental authority, delegated in the Proclamation of 1938, now resides in the Continuity Army Council, and its lawful successors."

Comdt. General Thomas Maguire

Yous really need to sort out rsf.ie that is a joke the way it is set up.

Yes it is absolutly aweful lookin g.