Internment, Torture and Resistance

cork | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Wednesday February 01, 2012 21:59 by Prisoner solidarity group-Cork City.

Independent Protest

Internment, Torture and Resistance!
Independent Public Protest in solidarity with all republican prisoners in Maghaberry!

It is now quite clear to most that the practice of Internment is being used again in the occupied six counites.What we have now is selective Internment!, selective of individuals who dare oppose the British state in the north, especially those who would be ex-prisoners themselves,having served lenghty sentences for political action against the british occupation. In Maghaberry itself the riot squad prison officers/screws are subjecting republican prisoners to degrading forced strip searches even though strip searching from a security point of view is obsolete,and a practice they agreed to do away with following the 12th August agreement! However there is resistance to this torture, both inside and outside Maghaberry!

Internment has been a practice used by both the 26-county state, and the British state in the north for decades,at times its use is on a mass level,but today it is quite selective.As the former British General Frank Kitson once said 'the law is nothing more than a way of getting rid of undesirable members of the public.'
Beneath all the 'peace process' propaganda and the squeeky clean image of the new 'Northern Ireland' lies a festering sore.

The 12th August Agreement was brokered in 2010,between the prisoners and prison administration by independent facilitators,the issues at the heart of the agreement are controlled movement and strip searching.Controlled movement is the denial of free association ,controlled movement was supposed to be phased out but has not yet happened.
Forced Strip searching involves 5-6 screws holding down,beating and tearing clothes from prisoners to search them going to and from court proceedings and visits,this inhumane treatment isnt even necessary from a security point of view,so why is it happening?
The British state believes that it can break resistance by breaking the prisoners.This will fail. For over 7 months now prisoners have been on dirty/no shave/no wash protests and the crisis seems set to escalate.
On the outside support is building for the prisoners with demos, white line pickets car convoys and marches to highlight their struggle,

Cork City will be no exception.........The Prisoner Solidarity Group is an independent group of activists in cork city formed to organise protests in solidarity with ALL republican prisoners and to encourage unity among republicans and the left but especially to highlight the ongoing struggle in Maghaberry prison.As a group we oppose internement by section 30 in the 26 counties, or internment by remand in the occupied 6 counties,and we call for the repatriation of any republican prisoners held overseas.Due to the worsening situation in Maghaberry prison we decided to put together an independent group as we feel the best way forward for all concerned is a united independent campaign to call for the implementation of the 12th of august agreement.

We call on republicans,socialists,
anarchists and trade unionists and all those who support Human rights and justice to stand up for those who have stood up for themselves in defence of their dignity and their struggle.

A public protest in solidarity with the prisoners will take place on SAT FEB 18TH at daunt sq at 3PM.
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PSG-Cork City