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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Mick Kenny - UPDATE Date: 04 23 03 The following message is from Roisin Kenny, fiancée of Mick Kenny, who is currently being held at Mountjoy Training unit. Please send birthday cards for Mick’s upcoming 50th birthday! Address follows below. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ April 22, 2003 Statement from Roisin Kenny --------------------------- Please remember Mick Kenny who is now in the 6th year of a five-year sentence, nine months away from his release date, in a semi open prison with no right to temporary release or a move to Shelton Abbey where he would get an early release. Mick has been treated differently to any other prisoners in the south of Ireland from his arrest, three years on remand to now and he has been refused compassionate grounds following the sudden death of his former wife, when his children all needed him (and still need him now). Mick applied for temporary release when I was last over (last month) for 7 days on end, we were told not once but three times a day that he should hear about getting T.R.(Temporary Release) “any moment now”; to be told on our last visit that it was not going to happen, before he was told a day after I left "O you know you could well hear word back tomorrow". It was explained to him that in his particular case, any requests had to go not only to the D.O.J. (Department of Justice), but to someone else who deal with his case; that someone else kept us waiting to then destroy any hopes we had to get together with the children three times a day on a daily basis. Later on Mick was told that he could not get anything and is still waiting to find out why. He has since been given a letter from the D.O.J stating that he is not being treated any differently to any prisoner. Yeah??? Well!!! It doesn't look like it to us. Romsin O'Cmonnaith ************************************************ Mick Kenny’s 50th birthday is May 5th! Please send birthday cards to Mick Kenny at: The Training Unit, Glengarriff Parade, North Circular Road, Dublin 1 ------------- For a list of Irish Republican Prisoners’ Birthdays please go to: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/monthly_birthday_list.htm ************************************************ For more about Mick Kenny go to: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/mick%20kenny.htm ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
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chairde; Unregulated prison-camp torture and deaths, the plastic bullet cripplings and murders of children, Derry’s “Bloody Sunday”, the horrific 1981 Hunger Strike, terrorist bombings of Dublin and Monaghan, and on and on—have these outrages against and sacrifices of their countrymen held absolutely no lasting meaning for those who deem themselves to be Irish? Has the unceasing disinformation and propaganda spewed out by Britain and her subservient Free State succeeded in dulling the memories and natural feelings of Irish citizens so that the majority today can actually believe they live in a democratic and independent nation? Unfortunately, since the imposition of the Stormont Agreement, a.k.a. the Good Friday Agreement, far too many seem to believe the blandishments and pie-in-the-sky promises of their politically-compromised and self-serving politicians. As we celebrate the 87th Anniversary of the glorious Easter Rising of 1916, it is apparent to even its staunchest supporters, if they choose to be honest, that the Stormont Agreement has brought not peace, but merely a level of pacification to Ireland. And for those who buy into the false and duplicitous promises promoted by this Brit-sponsored document, they and their children will exist within a nation torn asunder to suit the aims of a foreign occupier, a brutal occupier which has for centuries attempted to extirpate and destroy all vestiges of a distinct Irish ethnicity and nation. Most unfortunately, those individual ex-republican leaders, in whom so many had trusted to complete the struggle for self-determination and sovereignty, have used the terrible sacrifices of their countrymen as stepping-stones to constitutional politics and self-enrichment! It is demonstrable; anyone who in the same breath will preach about a reunited and free Ireland, while receiving a regular pay-packet from England’s Treasury, is but a fork-tongued liar. Now, is there reason to hope? Of course, for though the present seems fraught with stalemate, the sell-out by former comrades, as well as the active workings of certified police states to stifle dissent and political discourse, we must remember it has happened before; and ultimately those who truly have a love for Ireland will come together to redeem her rightful place in the world. At this Easter, the officers and membership of the Irish Freedom Committee renew our mission pledge to assist needy dependents of Irish Republican Political Prisoners held in British and Irish jails. Forgotten and treated as pariahs by those who, in years past, had demonstrated for and supported the same basic rights; these Irish citizens are suffering for their legitimate beliefs. As an American-based organization, unattached to any foreign principle, we would urge all sincere, republican-minded groups, organizations and individuals to set aside egos, personalities, and petty philosophical differences while putting their heads together to plan for England’s final and complete departure from the nation of Ireland. A pleasant, happy and healthy Easter to all our Friends and Supporters; - The Irish Freedom Committee |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Easter Statement – Irish Republican Prisoners Date: 04 18 03 2003 Easter Statement from Republican Prisoners in England, Portlaoise, and Maghaberry Prisons. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ 2003 Easter Statement from Republican Prisoners ----------------------------------------------------------- “Easter Greetings from all True Republicans in England, Portlaoise, and Maghaberry Prisons. "We are gathered here today to commemorate the 87th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. "We honour the bravery and tenacity of the Irish volunteers, men and women who during that fateful week sacrificed everything for the love of their country and freedom for the Irish people. "Though outnumbered and outgunned by British occupation forces with their heavy artillery and gun-boats, the Irish rebels held their positions for almost a week and inflicted heavy casualties on Crown forces. Many of the volunteers also lost their lives directly in the fierce fighting, street by street, before surrendering. The rebel leaders who survived were later executed by the British in a frenzy of savage reprisals, in a vain attempt to restore the badly shaken pride and arrogant supremacy of the Imperial occupiers. "This brutal attempt by Crown forces to crush the spirit of Irish freedom, failed then, and will continue to do so, as long as any part of Ireland remains under occupation. Irish volunteers, men and women of every generation have resisted, including our own Joe O’Connor, Ronan McLaughlin, and Kevin Murray, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of Irish freedom. "Today we remember and salute them all, and let their courage and perseverance be a shining example to all of us Irish men and women, who are now the true custodians of this ancient banner of freedom on its way to victory.” ENDS ************************************************ WRITE TO IRISH POLITICAL PRISONERS! ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Inquiry results: BRITISH ARMY COLLUSION in MURDERS Date: April 17, 2003 See links below for PDF files of the Stevens Inquiry findings, which have been released today. The findings give proof that the British Army and RUC police forces colluded with the largest loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), to murder Irish civilians. Confirming what has been known on the ground for decades, these findings should be read in tandem with former BBC producer Sean McPhilemy’s book “The Committee”. Loaner copies of the original BBC documentary on which “The Committee” was based are available from the IFC – please contact us for more details. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ BBC News Thursday, 17 April, 2003, 17:12 GMT 18:12 UK Army 'colluded' with loyalist killers "I conclude there was collusion in both murders and the circumstances surrounding them" -Sir John Stevens, Metropolitan Police Commissioner ------------ WHAT IS COLLUSION? - Wilful failure to keep records - Absence of accountability - Withholding intelligence and evidence - Agents involved in murder ------------ Rogue elements within the police and army in Northern Ireland helped loyalist paramilitaries to murder Catholics in the late 1980s, the UK's most senior police officer has said. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner's report into collusion between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries also found that military intelligence in Northern Ireland helped to prolong the Troubles. Sir John Stevens said informants and agents "were allowed to operate without effective control and to participate in terrorist crimes". The latest report, called Stevens Three, found that members of the RUC and Army colluded with the largest loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), to murder Catholics. Its key findings were: - Actions or omissions by security forces led to deaths of innocent people - Murders of solicitor Pat Finucane and student Adam Lambert could have been prevented. - Collusion in both murders of Pat Finucane and Adam Lambert - Government minister was compromised in House of Commons - Three official inquiries wilfully obstructed and misled The report, which centres on the murder of Catholic solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989 and Protestant student Adam Lambert in 1987, was delivered to Northern Ireland Chief Constable Hugh Orde on Thursday. Sir John said: "I have uncovered enough evidence to lead me to believe that the murders of Pat Finucane and Brian Adam Lambert could have been prevented. "I also believe that the RUC investigation of Pat Finucane's murder should have resulted in the early arrest and detection of his killers. "I conclude there was collusion in both murders and the circumstances surrounding them." The overwhelming bulk of the detail has been witheld because of potential future prosecutions. The Director of Public Prosecutions is considering whether criminal charges should be made against up to 20 Army and police personnel. A statement issued by the DPP's office said: "The contents of these files which are voluminous will be given careful and expeditious consideration. "However, it is not possible at this stage to say when any decision as to prosecution will be reached." After receiving the report, the chief constable said Sir John in his 21 recommendations had stressed the importance of the criminal investigation. "He confirmed that he had today sent a large file to the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide what to do in terms of criminal charges and whether prosecutions should be brought," said Mr Orde. He said many of the police officers questioned in the Stevens investigation had since retired. Mr Orde said he was determined that there would be no collusion under his command. The Finucane family has always believed the security forces were involved in his murder and have dismissed the report. His widow, Geraldine, said a full judicial inquiry was the only way to deal with the issue. Mr Finucane, a high-profile Catholic solicitor, was shot dead by the UDA in front of his family at his north Belfast home. The report also considered comments by former government minister Douglas Hogg, who said a month before Mr Finucane's killing that some solicitors were "unduly sympathetic" to the IRA. The inquiry found that to the extent that Mr Hogg's comments were based on information passed on by police, they were not justifiable and the minister was 'compromised'. Michael Finucane, the son of Pat Finucane, has called on the prime minister to set up an independent inquiry into his father's murder. "What needs to be looked is the extent to which it reached back into the Establishment," he said. "Those questions have not been answered in a public fashion and until there is a tribunal of inquiry established I don't believe they will be." However, Adam Lambert's mother has said she does not think there is a need for any inquiry. Ivy Lambert said she understood others felt differently but that her family had always supported the police and security forces. "They were under tremendous pressure at the time and mistakes were made," she said. The report also says its inquiries were obstructed by police and army officers, and vital evidence was concealed and destroyed. Since 1989, Sir John Stevens has been investigating allegations that elements within military intelligence and the RUC's Special Branch were colluding with loyalist assassination squads. During the course of the latest Stevens inquiry, the activities of the Army intelligence Force Research Unit were investigated. It recruited Brian Nelson as its agent at the top of the UDA. His role was to gather information on murder targets. Nelson, who died last week, insisted his handlers knew in advance that Pat Finucane was being targeted. The Stevens Report said his murder could have been prevented. The Stevens' investigating teams found obstruction and even harassment from both the Army and elements of the RUC's special branch. Sir John said a fire at their offices in 1990 was arson and that throughout their inquiries, they were spied on and betrayed by police and Army colleagues. He added that he is still determined to try to bring Pat Finucane's killers to justice - and he is still investigating just how far up the chain of command the collusion might have gone. ----------------- KEY DATES February 1989: UDA kill Catholic solicitor Pat Finucane September 1989: Stevens One - Sir John Stevens appointed to investigate alleged collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries 1990: Stevens offices hit by fire 1992: British agent Brian Nelson says Army knew Mr Finucane was target 1993: Stevens Two - Director of Public Prosecutions orders further investigation April 1999: Stevens Three - Sir John Stevens appointed to investigate Mr Finucane's murder 11 April 2003:Nelson killed by massive brain haemorrhage 17 April 2003: Sir John submits report ------------------- Stevens Report: At a glance (BBC) The Stepvens Report in full (links to PDF file) ------------ ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Maghaberry PRO – “Surrender” lessons from history Date: 04 13 03 Second of two statements issued today from Republican Prisoners at Maghaberry Gaol. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ 13 April 2003-04-13 PRO POW’s Maghaberry Gaol Aontroim. “We won the war, Now let’s win the peace” |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Maghaberry PRO – “We will not be criminalized!” Date: 04 13 03 The following is the first of two statements issued today from Republican Prisoners at Maghaberry Gaol. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ 13 April, 2003 PRO POW’s Maghaberry Gaol Aontroim. A chairde, a chomrádaithe beannachtaí chugaibh go léir. I would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity to contribute and for allowing us a voice which is being denied elsewhere. We send greetings to our comrades in all other gaols at home and abroad. (An Phoblacht Abú) There are many issues which affect republican prisoners post ‘Good Friday Agreement’. As a direct result of that agreement, Political Status that was fought and dearly paid for was ended by the British Government. They along with the NIO and the Prison Service say they no longer recognise POW status. This is a blatant falsehood borne out by the fact that they go to extreme lengths to keep us apart from each other. So ‘it’s back to the future’ for Republican prisoners- the battle continues- our first goal being ‘Segregation’. Segregation for Republican prisoners is probably the most important and imperative issue facing us at the minute. In the past month alone there have been eight ‘death threats’ (that we know about) from Loyalist prisoners against Republicans, two actual assaults and many insults and confrontations. The prison authorities perpetuate such an environment by ensuring republicans are spread very thinly throughout the gaol- we are never allowed to be in the ascendancy. A typical example is a wing of 24 prisoner-no more than 2 republicans are placed on the wing while there can be up to10 or 11 loyalists on the same wing. The rest of the numbers are made up with criminals and many of these can be loyalist in outlook. So you can see the scenario. Not only would republicans need eyes in the back of their heads and nerves of steel every time we come out of our cells but our guardian angels would need to be on 24 hour alert as well. As we continue to point out the very real danger of a fatality looms large everyday. The procrastinating of the British Gov., NIO and the Prison Service left us with no alternative but to raise the tempo of our struggle for segregation. As a result of action taken the prison service reacted by ‘locking down’ the gaol for 5 days, a number of prisoners were assaulted by screws in the course of cell searches and nearly 200 prisoners were strip-searched. One political prisoner from South Down, who was assaulted, was himself charged with petty offences that were fabricated against him in an attempt by screws to counteract his claim of assault. Most other prisoners were prevented from removing ‘legal papers’ from cells during searches or to be present during searches (which is in contravention of their own law lords ruling) No doubt the screws had a good read at our private ‘legal papers’ uninterrupted. Prisoners were then refused exercise, visits, legal hearings, such as ‘remand legal visits’ or phone-calls, or letters to or form the gaol. All in all the whole five days showed up the prison service for what it is, an oppressive vindictive arm of the British Government used to try to break the resolve and spirit of Republican POW’s in particular and the Republican Struggle in general. However, as Republican prisoners in the past, we will not be criminalised- we are asking for nothing more than we are entitled to as prisoners of war. As yet the Prison Service and the British government have refused to move on the issue. We believe the current political situation on the outside has a lot to do with this refusal. In short, the ‘coalition of the willing’ (British Gov., Sinn Fein leadership, SDLP,Unionists) and other quislings cannot afford to have an official admittance that there are still Republican Prisoners of War, it would not sit cosy with their media friendly image of normalisation of the North. British judges’ blatant sectarianism in relation to Bail hearings has become more and more apparent in the past year. In a recent case a well-known UDA leader, caught in possession of a loaded small arm and loose rounds for another weapon, was promptly given bail. The only concern the judge had was the loose rounds and the fact they did not fit the said gun. No thought for the poor sod who was going to get the rounds that weren’t loose. Since 1998 few republican prisoners have received bail while countless loyalists are granted it despite the severity of the charge against them. Perhaps some investigative journalist from those highly independent newspapers or TV programmes would like to enlighten us as to the reasons. Don’t hold your breath! An Phoblacht Abú! Is mise le meas, PRO Maghaberry gaol. *********************************************** DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR POLITICAL STATUS TO IRISH REPUBLICAN POLITICAL PRISONERS. 1. THE RIGHT TO SEGREGATION 2. THE RIGHT TO RECOGNITION AS A GROUP 3. THE RIGHT TO HAVE THEIR OWN SPOKESPERSON 4. THE RIGHT TO A WING OF THEIR OWN CRISIS AT MAGHABERRY – PLEASE HELP!! ************************************************ FOR MORE INFORMATION: 04 01 03 - UPDATES - Maghaberry Prison 03 22 03 - Maghaberry Prisoner Attacked - Please Help 02 25 03 - Irish Freedom Committee REPORT FROM MAGHABERRY
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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Anti-Irish British Justice Date: 04 10 03 In statements released to the media today, Belfast human rights advocate Joe Dillon called the draconian sentencings of three Irish men to up to 22 years each "another British miscarriage of justice". His statement continued; "The treatment given to these Irish citizens in court today clearly demonstrates that demonisation that despite all the hype for the so called equality agenda of the Good Friday Agreement Irish citizens have suffered again at the hand of British injustice.
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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Heavy-handed sentences condemned - IPAC Date: 04 10 03 The statement below is from the Irish Prisoners Aid Committee, London. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ PRESS RELEASE IRISH PRISONERS AID COMMITTEE - LONDON THURSDAY APRIL 10, 2003 The London-based Irish Prisoners Aid Committee has condemned the heavy-handed sentences handed down at the Old Bailey yesterday by Justice Gibbs- on five Irish men - allegedly involved in a bombing campaign in London and the Midlands in 2001. A spokesperson for the committee said many Irish people in Britain will be appalled and shocked at the length of sentences imposed on Aidan and Robert Hulme, Noel Maguire, John-Paul Hannan and Jim McCormack. "Since their arrests all five men have been subjected to what can only be described as inhuman and degrading treatment. Up to recently they were only allowed 'closed' visits with their loved ones. Fresh clothing handed in at the prison for them was 'lost,' and letters posted to them were mysteriously delayed for many weeks in the prison postal system. They were held in dingy cells without windows for up to 22 hours a day - an offence in British law to keep an animal in - punishable by a custodial sentence! A bright light was kept burning in their cells 24 hours a day - known to cause sight and eye problems in later life. In December 2002 Jim McCormack and John-Paul Hannan were compelled to embark on an eight day hunger-strike - which resulted in conditions being slightly improved. Unless the men decide to appeal all five will now apply for repatriation to prisons in Ireland - a right under European Union legislation. All five are currently being held in Belmarsh Prison. Cards, letters etc are welcomed by the men. They can be contacted at - BELMARSH PRISON WESTERN WAY THAMESMEAD LONDON. SE28-OEB ENGLAND. ENDS ************************************************ PLEASE SEND CARDS TO THE “BELMARSH FIVE”: - Aidan Hulme - Robert Hulme - Noel Maguire - Jim McCormack - John-Paul Hannan Belmarsh Prison Western Way, Thamesmead, London SE8-OEB, England ************************************************ Questions? E-mail the IFC POW Dept. ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: “BELMARSH FIVE” SENTENCED MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!! Date: 04 09 03 In an outrageous travesty of justice a British court today sentenced five Irish prisoners at Belmarsh to draconian sentences, based purely on the fact that they “knew” one another and by association all of them must be guilty. Jim McCormack and John-Paul Hannan had previously pled guilty, but all five had repeatedly attested to the innocence of the Hulme brothers and Noel Maguire. Aidan Hulme – Sentenced to 20 Years Robert Hulme - Sentenced to 22 Years Noel Maguire - Sentenced to 20 Years Jim McCormack - Sentenced to 22 Years John-Paul Hannan - Sentenced to 16 Years The statement below is from London republicans attending the trial and sentencing. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ From London Republicans reporting from Old Bailey Trial 04 09 03 ----------- xxxxx a chara The trial was true to form in the end - it was being naive thinking the lads might be found not guilty - even though the judge last week seemed to be directing the jury in a particular direction. Before passing sentence, the judge suspended court proceedings for twenty minutes, so as he could sum up the statement by the prosecution - and the last- minute appeals by the defense team. When the court was recalled at mid-day he directed the defendants to remain seated as his pre-sentence statement was going to be lengthy! He went on to say that although much of the 'evidence' was circumstantial - the CCTV images were hazy and unclear - that the identity of the driver of the car allegedly carrying the bomb had never been established by the prosecution - the jury was satisfied some of accused were responsible - and ALL the accused knew each other! He accepted also that one of the defendants wasn't even in Britain at the time of the BBC explosion. Nevertheless all the Accused had been found guilty 'by a court of law' - and he would hand Down 'appropriate' sentences. NOEL MAGUIRE WAS SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS ON COUNT (1) AND TO 8 YEARS ON COUNT (2) - TO RUN CONSECUTIVELY. HE WILL THEREFORE SERVE 20 YEARS. ROBERT HULME WAS SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS. AIDAN HULME WAS SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS - BUT CAN APPLY FOR A REVIEW OF HIS SENTENCE AFTER SERVING 1/3 OF IT. JIM McCORMACK - AT 35 THE ELDEST OF THE ACCUSED AND HAS 6 YOUNG CHILDREN - WAS SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS - AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR PAROLE UNTIL HE HAS SERVED 2/3 OF IT. JOHN-PAUL HANNAN - WHO WAS ONLY 16 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF HIS ARREST - WAS SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS. HE WILL SERVE HIS SENTENCE IN AN ADULT PRISON - AND NOT IN A YOUNG OFFENDERS INSTITTUTION AS IS THE NORM FOR PRISONERS HIS AGE. ALL THE MEN WILL SERVE THEIR SENTENCES IN 'TOP SECURITY' PRISONS IN ENGLAND - WHICH HAVE NOTORIOUSLY TOUGH REGIMES, RESTRICTIONS ETC. We don't know yet if any of the men will appeal against conviction or sentence. If they don't - they will apply for repatriation to prisons in Ireland to serve their sentences. We don't know if any of the prisoners will appeal against conviction or sentence - if not, all of them will apply now for repatriation to prisons in Ireland. Slan ************************************************ PLEASE SEND CARDS TO THE “BELMARSH FIVE”: - Aidan Hulme - Robert Hulme - Noel Maguire - Jim McCormack - John-Paul Hannan Belmarsh Prison Western Way, Thamesmead, London SE8-OEB, England ************************************************ Questions? E-mail the IFC POW Dept. ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Announcement: London Supporters at Old Bailey tomorrow Date: 04 08 03 For those of our subscribers in London please join supporters at the sentencing tomorrow at the Old Bailey. Please show your support to these young men who have been clearly railroaded by the worst of British “justice”! - IFC POW Dept. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ ANNOUNCEMENT April 8, 2003 RE: “Belmarsh Five” Trial – GUILTY VERDICTS A chairde. Following the outrageous verdict in the trial of Aidan, Robert and Noel this morning, Republicans and sympathisers will be attending their sentencing at 10 am GMT tomorrow. Old Bailey, London EC4. 10am. Bring Revolutionary Voices all! Saoirse! ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: “Belmarsh Five” Trial - GUILTY VERDICTS MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!! Date: 04 08 03 The Irish Freedom Committee regrets to inform our subscribers that Guilty verdicts have just been returned in the trials of Aidan Hulme, Robert Hulme, and Noel Maguire. Previous to the three trials, Jim McCormack and John-Paul Hannan had pled guilty to conspiracy charges. All five have strongly protested the innocence of the Hulme brothers and Noel Maguire. Aidan Hulme, Robert Hulme, and Noel Maguire will be sentenced tomorrow morning. It is expected that Jim McCormack and John-Paul Hannan will be sentenced later this week. The Guilty pleas were returned after prolonged delays which saw an 11th-hour suspension of a jury member; a highly unusual development in this trial. Evidence used against the three included a WAP phone text message and CCTV tapes which the prosecution admitted were “poor quality” and impossible to make identities from. An attempt was also made to lodge the possession of Toby Handen’s “Bandit Country” as evidence against one of the accused. Please send cards to the Belmarsh Five at the addresses below. Go raibh maith agat; - IFC POW Dept. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ PLEASE SEND CARDS TO THE “BELMARSH FIVE”: - Aidan Hulme - Robert Hulme - Noel Maguire - Jim McCormack - John-Paul Hannan Belmarsh Prison Western Way, Thamesmead, London SE8-OEB, England ************************************************ QUESTIONS? Contact IFC POW Dept. ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Ed Moloney in Boston tomorrow night Date: 04 07 03 Journalist and author of “A Secret History of the IRA” ED MOLONEY will be speaking in Boston tomorrow night—Details follow below. We encourage anyone in the Boston area not to miss this opportunity to hear Ed Moloney speak. For more information contact the Irish Cultural Center at the telephone number provided below. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ "IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY LECTURE: The Irish Cultural Centre, 200 New Boston Drive, Canton, Massachusetts. 781-821-8291. April 8th at 7 p.m., with Ed Moloney, journalist and author of "A Secret History of the IRA" ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: UPDATES – Maghaberry Prison Date: 04 01 03 EMERGENCY SITUATION AT MAGHABERRY CONTINUES: ---------------------------------------- THREATS TO FAMILIES The Irish Freedom Committee has been informed that families of republican political prisoners at Maghaberry are being further criminalized and threatened under new rules regarding phone calls. Prisoners must now provide a list of telephone numbers to the prison staff with full details of each person they wish to phone, including addresses and their relationship to them. The prison will be placing the calls and will also now be able to end calls when they want, cutting conversations off mid-sentence. This is yet further confirmation of an all-out effort by the prisons to break the link between the prisoners and their families. In addition, providing names and addresses and family information to the prisons is a dangerous development as there is an established link of information being passed from British security forces to loyalist paramilitaries. PRISONER ATTACKED As we related to you last week, republican prisoner John Connolly was viciously attacked with scalding water thrown into his face at Maghaberry while taking exercise. John is recovering from his facial burns, but no-one has been held responsible for the unprovoked attack. Irish political prisoners at Maghaberry are living under death threats from loyalist paramilitary prisoners housed alongside them, and several like John have already been very viciously attacked under this senseless “forced integration” policy. PLEASE HELP!! The Irish Freedom Committee asks that all of our supporters please take the time to send an e-mail to the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Prisons Service HERE: This simple process takes only a few moments if you want to use our “Sample Letter”, or use your own words if you can. Please keep your letters polite but firm. A direct e-mail link is provided to the appropriate British Government offices. EVERY VOICE COUNTS!! Please help Irish Political Prisoners by sending an e-mail today. Irish republican political prisoners at Maghaberry Prison in Antrim are being pushed to the brink of endurance under deadly conditions, and many on the outside now fear that there is no choice left for these men but to take the drastic step of blanket or hunger strike protest. PLEASE DON’T LET THESE MEN BEAR THIS BURDEN ALONE. The Irish Freedom Committee encourages all concerned human rights activists to contact your elected officials regarding this emergency situation, and to remain vigilant as this urgent situation continues. DON’T ALLOW MORE BLANKET PROTESTS OR DEADLY HUNGER STRIKES!! DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR POLITICAL STATUS TO IRISH REPUBLICAN POLITICAL PRISONERS. 1. THE RIGHT TO SEGREGATION 2. THE RIGHT TO RECOGNITION AS A GROUP 3. THE RIGHT TO HAVE THEIR OWN SPOKESPERSON 4. THE RIGHT TO A WING OF THEIR OWN Go raibh maith agat; - IFC POW Dept. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ CRISIS AT MAGHABERRY – PLEASE HELP!! ************************************************ Please send cards and letters to Republican prisoners at Maghaberry and other prisons in Ireland and Britain! Go to www.irishfreedomcommittee.net - click on POWs. Remember prisoners’ birthdays – click “Monthly Birthday List” on POWs page! ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Riding the waves of wartime propaganda – Commentary by Eoghan O'Suilleabhain Date: 04 01 03 The following essay by Boston MA Irish Freedom Committee member Eoghan O'Suilleabhain has been published in the Blanket Magazine. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ http://lark.phoblacht.net/dicksfreaks.html The Blanket Dodging Double Dicks at the Freak Dance By Eoghan O'Suilleabhain "Why of course people don't want to go to war, but voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lacking patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." - Herman Goering Ok campers, surf's up (again)! Now we're going to have to learn to ride these waves of wartime propaganda, or drown. The first swell up today is from one of the usual wave making machines also known as The Boston Sunday Globe, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The New York Times, so draw your own conclusions: JERUSALEM --- Israeli helicopters swooped down on a Gaza Strip neighborhood early yesterday and fired a salvo of rockets at a car carrying a top leader of the militant Islamic group Hammas killing him and his three body guards. * Now for sake of discussion only, put aside any moral judgements you may have about this as the act of war that it is, and ask yourselves why the USA and its paramilitary (the CIA) has not done same with Sadam Hussein? Cue bureaucratic computer voice: wouldn't this kind of singular executive action with extreme prejudice be preferable to launching a full scale regionally destabilizing war? Affirmative, if Sadam Hussein is as dangerous as Augusto Pinochet or Winston Churchill was, then have at him. That will compute. Could it be though that Sadam Hussein really isn't the reason for George Jr. Bush and Company wanting to go to war with Iraq? After all, if Sadam were to be taken out like the Palestinian Hammas Military Leader Ibrahim Makadmeh was as described above, what bogey man fig leaf would Shrub (little bush) have left but the denuded obvious --- oil. No wonder Russia, France & Germany are concerned. They plainly prefer the devil they know. But I digress. Oops, here comes another wave: Israel security sources said Makadmeh was a key link to Hammas's military planning and execution, and was considered one of the organization's most extreme leaders. Intelligence officials said Makadmeh had masterminded many attacks against Israelis, including one on an Israeli tank Feb. 15 outside a Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza Strip that killed the tank's four-man crew. ** Let's face it, Makademeh was one effective Nationalist freedom fighter. So he had to go. Sort of like the Vikings having to kill a Celtic Chieftain from Drumcondra for scuttling their illegally docked long boat on the River Liffey. The gall some native people have. They actually think they can fight back against the (ahem) new reality. Will these aboriginal people never learn? Why can't they just get with the global programme and whatever form of subjugation it takes? After all, only foolish romantics loathe foreign occupation and rule. Poor Ibrahim Makadmeh! He probably could never see the wisdom of Israelis defending Palestine from the Palestinians anymore than a lot of people couldn't see the wisdom of the USA defending Vietnam from the Vietnamese or Britain defending Ireland from the Irish. And Boston Globe correspondents Mitnick & Ghazali (the article's Authors) possibly didn't realize the service they were providing the Israeli Government of Ariel Sharon when they uncritically reported that blurb without any analysis or context. Ah sure, they're just reporting the facts as mere mechanics in the wave making machine that they are. Leave opinion pieces for the Editorial page. Everything has its place. But fat chance seeing an editorial or commentary in The Boston Globe or The New York Times asking what an Israeli tank was doing in someone else's country guarding an illegal occupation of Jewish settlers. This would be an act of war anywhere else except maybe in Russia's occupation of Chechnya, Turkey's occupation of Northern Cyprus, and thanks to the Belfast Agreement of 1998, Britain's occupation of Northern Ireland. Fatter chance still of seeing an article or editorial in the Globe or Times asking why there are any illegal occupations of Jewish settlements at all in Gaza or the West Bank? And it will be life in a fantasyland before we ever see either of these two somehow esteemed rags support sanctions against Israel for violating multiple UN Resolutions for the past 30 years. Now do the math, that is 18 more years than Sadam Hussein has been violating UN Resolutions. And that's according to Colin Powell, the USA's Negro up front, who keeps repeating for anyone who will listen that Sadam has been violating UN sanctions now for the last 12 years. Of course that dove Colin Powell always neglects to ever mention his own fire bombing of Panama City in 1989, wherein at the behest of Bush One he collaterally damaged to death over 2,000 civilians as they slept. All in an effort to extradite the previously installed CIA thug Manuel Noriega on drug charges from which he'll eventually be paroled. Go figure, but with talons like that who needs olive branches? Moreover, Powell conveniently overlooks Israel's attacks and invasions of Palestine and the fact that Sadam Hussein has never attacked the USS Liberty or hired the spy Jonathan Pollard. Yet, I could have sworn that George Sr. Bush entered the first Gulf War in 1991 because Sadam Hussein had attacked and invaded Kuwait. I can still remember watching the news one night back then seeing reporters and cameramen following the then Bush down Massachusetts Avenue by Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They pestered him with questions about why the US should be going to war with Iraq over Kuwait, and he answered: " Well, for the right of the people of Kuwait to live free of the tyranny of Sadam Hussein and why yes of course for oil." And within a half hour of that foot in mouth, the placards appeared in Harvard Square shouting no blood for oil and hell no we won't fight for Texaco. The White House quickly issued a press release saying the President had misspoken, even though he hadn't, but that was enough for all the wave machines to start cranking the cover stories out just like they are now. Only now, they don't seem to be as effective as they were then in whipping up a war fever. That's because they have a tougher sell. Sadam Hussein is weaker now then he was 12 years ago because containment works. So how does Dubya justify Sadam as a looming threat to the US when Iraq doesn't have their tanks and attack helicopters in anyone else's country? Answer: keep repeating the same old lies without any meaningful context or analysis and at all times avoid & deny embarrassing comparisons no matter how obvious. What's the antidote? Reference for starters the written works by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky on propaganda in free market democracies. Their two seminal works on this subject are The Manufacture of Consent (1988) and Necessary Illusions (1989). Both books cover at great length and depth the political economy of the mass media. Herman & Chomsky's major observation is that the media serves to mobilize support for the special interests that dominate the state and private activity. And for them, one of the most appropriate ways to test their propaganda model or how the media function is by close comparison of paired examples. "Of course, history does not provide perfect examples, but there are many cases that are close enough to permit an instructive test." (Chomsky 1989, 151). For instance, why did many newspapers like The New York Times correctly make a big deal about Poland's Communist Government crackdown on Polish labour unions in the 1980's, but never mentioned anything about Turkey's crack down on their own labour unions? Why did the Times correctly report extensively on the killing fields of Cambodia during the 1975 - 1979 years of Pol Pot, but hardly ever reported on the Indonesian killing fields of East Timor during the same time period? And why did the Times support the US invasion of Vietnam in the 1960's (refusing to even report it as an invasion), but was very critical of the then USSR's invasion of Afghanistan in 1980? Such comparisons can only be beyond the comprehension of the severely deluded. Kind of like Dow Chemical Company employees during the Vietnam War who manufactured (among other things) napalm and white phosphorous bombs all the while thinking (because they were so encouraged by management) that their work brings freedom. Sound familiar? Well, it was a lie in the original German too. Like these employees, we all have to learn how to snap out of it because the wave making machines will work incessantly (as they have been) bombarding us with lie after lie in service to power. And the elementary logic behind being so alarmed about all of this can be found in Political Science 101: "The corporate class control the government and the media for their own purposeful ends." And in Economics 101: "Monopolies and Oligopolies are price makers because they can restrict or expand the supply of their production at a whim thus increasing or decreasing the price of their goods or services in the marketplace." Let us now go forth and really denude the obvious: both Bush & Blair are front men for the American and British corporate classes whom are at present looking to control at least half the world's oil supply. No conspiracy either, just a coincidence of elite international business interests that are not likely to include your own or an estimated 500,000 Iraqi lives. So either we help stop this killing train or we will just end up humming unthinking mantras like: "This war with Iraq is not about oil." All the while ignoring a number of other obvious items like Israeli tanks guarding illegal Jewish settlements in Palestine. And Israeli's nuclear arsenal whose weapons of mass destruction are truth be told the real reason behind why other Middle Eastern states are seeking to go nuclear with the they got 'em so we need 'em too rationale. The end is nigh. Dare to question this dominant blind eye ethos at your own risk. But unlike Ibrahim Makadmeh, you are not likely to be shot at dawn as a result. At worst you'll most probably just suffer the typical slings and arrows of the usual mass media wave makers and their chicken hawk minions like Dick Cheney, Richard Pearl and Paul Wolfowitz. All of who, like Shrub, dodged the draft during the Vietnam War like two dick billy goats at a freak dance. So you see Oscar Wilde was right: "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." And if you still don't think so, then go read Herr Goering above one more time. And then let us commit to stop living like the frightened villagers near Dr. Frankenstein's Castle or else we will always be called upon to slay his monsters whenever they predictably run amok. Better we just defrock the Doctor now and put an end to these present day perverse practices. Footnotes: * Mitnick, Josh & Sa'id Ghazali, Israel Assassinates top Hammas military leader in Gaza, BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE, March 9, 2003, page A3. ** Ibid, page A3 (emphasis added). ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |