Commemorating the 22 Irish Hunger-Strikers.

by Sharon. - Individual. Sun Jul 11, 2010 00:36

Hi !
RSF had the weather against them in O'Connell Street yesterday (Saturday July 10th) at the Hunger-Strike Commemoration , but they still managed to keep between three and five hundred people 'on-site' for an hour-and-a-half ...

Write-up and a few pics can be seen HERE.

Thanks!
Sharon.

NFÉ , RSF Colour Party and Cumann na mBan at the GPO , Dublin, Sat July 10th 2010.

by Sharon. - Individual Sun Jul 11, 2010 20:06

Hi !
Three speeches were given at this commemoration - one from the President of RSF , Des Dalton , one from Shane O'Toole and one on behalf of Ashleen McKenna, from Lurgan in County Armagh , who has two brothers incarcerated in Maghaberry Jail, Co Antrim.
Ashleen was unable to travel to Dublin so her speech was read by Pádraig Ennis , Dublin : the speech delivered by Shane can be viewed at the 'Related Link' below , Des Dalton's speech can be read in the August 2010 issue of 'Saoirse' (which goes to print on Wednesday 11th of that month) and posted below is the speech from Ashleen -

"Over the past number of years republican prisoners have been subjected to physical and mental abuse at the hands of the prison wardens [screws] in Roe House, Maghaberry jail in Co Antrim which houses Republican prisoners [POWs].

The POWs have engaged in a number of protests to highlight the conditions in Maghaberry jail. The conditions in Maghaberry jail have led to a political protest, the abuses that the screws inflict on our men are political abuses and the only way to resolve this, is to take it head on in a political context. The tactics of the screws are to humiliate and criminalise the men but these efforts will fail as said by our comrade Bobby Sands “never will they label our liberation struggle as criminal” . Bobby Sands, a POW, stayed true to this statement and so will the POW’S in Maghaberry; they are not asking for much, just basic human rights as the conditions in Maghaberry are inhumane.

The screws treat the POWs with a hostile nature and on a daily basis the POWs are strip searched. This is just a tactic used by the screws to humiliate our men. Over the past year the screws have been actively violent towards the prisoners which has resulted in several POWs being assaulted. The prisoners are subjected to 23-hour lock down with only two meals a day which are served in disposable containers and slid along the floor to the prisoners.

The POWS are denied proper medical facilities; some prisoners have serious health problems and are not getting the medical treatment they need. The POWs domestic visits are stopped when they refuse to strip for the screws. The screws are also using their drug dogs to stop the POWs families from visiting.

This protest began on Easter Sunday of this year when the POWs took control of part of the jail which lasted 48 hours. Since this time the prisoners only get an hour of the day to exercise, phone home, wash their clothes and receive a legal visit. Initially when the protest began the POWs, as part of the protest, didn’t shave or cut their hair. However, because of the lack of response from the prison authorities on improving the conditions, the POWS had no option but to escalate their protest. Because they have no toilet facilities in their cells they commenced a dirty protest to dispose of their waste.

This is an absolute disgrace to expect our POWs to live in such conditions. We need as much help as we can get from the people on the outside to try to resolve this impasse as soon as possible. The conditions are seriously affecting the health of the men; their weight loss, due to lack of proper food and nourishment, is very worrying.

Our comrade Bobby Sands said: “Everyone, Republican or otherwise, has their own particular part to play. No part is too great or too small; no one is too old or too young to do something” .

We the families along with Republican Sinn Féin will continue the protests on the outside which will include pickets, marches and leaflet drops until the five demands of the POWs are met:

1. Right to free association
2. End controlled movement
3. Right to full time education
4. End to strip searching
5. Adequate medical facilities

POLITICAL STATUS NOW! VICTORY TO THE POWs!"
Both speeches were followed by loud and sustained applause by the hundreds of people present.
Thanks!
Sharon.

by A Freeman Mon Jul 12, 2010 21:07

POWs me arse, those prisoners in Maghaberry Jail are bloodthirsty terrorists!

by Sharon. - Individual. Mon Jul 12, 2010 22:14

Hi A Freeman !

If it wasn't for the "bloodthirsty terrorists" that went before these prisoners , you wouldn't be the limited 'freeman' you are today.
Thanks!
Sharon.