Newry Protest Against PSNI Harassment

Once again republicans have been forced to take to the streets to stand up against MI5/PSNI harassment in Newry.

Over 70 people took part in yesterday’s [July 2] protest at Ardmore PSNI barracks in Newry, in direct response to a relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation directed towards republicans in the area by the PSNI.

The protesters were met with a large presence of PSNI thugs in several cars, armoured landrovers and on foot around the barracks, obviously fearful of éirígí’s intentions. For the duration of the protest the PSNI videoed and recorded everyone, including children, some of whom were stopped and searched last weekend.

Speaking at the protest éirígí’s Stephen Murney thanked all those who attended.

“Just a few months ago we were forced to come to this barracks to protest against harassment, now here were are again with double the numbers. At a time when people are being persecuted by the PSNI and MI5 it’s heartening to see so many people, young and old coming here to confront the thugs responsible for harassing them. Last week we announced that we would intensify our Different Name, Same Aim campaign, this protest is only the start of things to come,” Murney said.

The main speaker at the protest was rúnaí ginearálta éirígí Breandán Mac Cionnaith.

In his speech Breandán highlighted the unchanged nature of the force.

“In November 2001, amid much fanfare, the British government re-branded the discredited Royal Ulster Constabulary with a new name. And with that new name, the occupying power promised ‘a new beginning’ to policing in the Six Counties.

“Almost a decade later, it is now abundantly clear that, instead of delivering a ‘new beginning’, the PSNI has simply continued with the same failed anti-working class and anti-republican agenda of the RUC and Royal Irish Constabulary before them. The lie of ‘community-based’ policing has been exposed by the reality of increased draconian legislation, harassment and brutality,” he said.

Mac Cionnaith continued, “éirígí activists in Newry are no strangers to Crown Force harassment. Our activists, along with other republicans are being stopped under the draconian British Justice and Security Act. It’s clear that our activists and supporters in the area are being singled out for special treatment because of their political activities.

“The PSNI are only proving by their own actions that they are an unchanged, unaccountable paramilitary force. The PSNI remains a British police force, enforcing British law in support of the British occupation.

“No amount of PSNI harassment, in Newry or anywhere else, will prevent éirígí activists from continuing the work of rebuilding the republican struggle.”

Breandán concluded, “Despite what those constitutional nationalist parties who sit in Stormont may claim, that move has neither affected the function or the form of the PSNI. Nor has it placed manners on them, as one prominent apologist for British policing once claimed.

“The PSNI remains a British police force, enforcing British law in support of the British state. Like police forces across the capitalist world its primary aim remains the protection of the state and the protection of the interests of the ruling class; interests which run in direct contradiction to the interests of the working class and of republicans.”

Republican Newry will be seeing a lot more actions in the coming weeks and months and we urge all those who oppose British policing to join us in our struggle.

Newry Protest against Ongoing PSNI Harassment

Protest against ongoing MI5 and PSNI harassment of republicans, organised by éirígí.

Saturday 2nd July. Ardmore PSNI barracks, Belfast Road, Newry, 2pm

éirígí Easter Commemorations

Below are video's & photographs from last months éirígí organised Easter Commemorations

DUBLIN

BELFAST

NEWRY

WICKLOW

Tweet

The Miami Showband Massacre

Sometime after 2.30am on the 31^stJuly 1975, five members of the Miami Showband were travelling back to Dublin on the road between Banbridge and Newry when they were stopped in the townland of Buskill  by what they thought was a routine UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) military checkpoint.  What followed was the slaughter of three of the band members and the unintentional exposure of the involvement of British military personnel in carrying out and assisting loyalist death squads in their murder campaign.

Earlier that night they had played a gig at the Castle Ballroom in Banbridge. Following the gig, the band loaded all their gear onto their equipment van driven by the bands road manager. One of the band members, drummer Ray Millar, headed off in his own car to Antrim to stay the night with family. The other five boarded the band's van and started off on the trip home to Dublin.

When they were stopped, they were directed into a lay-by where they were taken from the van while it was 'searched'.   They were ordered by one of the UDR gang to stand over beside a hedge and to give their names and other details.  As the 'search' of the van continued, another member of the gang appeared on the scene.  According to the testimony of two of the Showband survivors, Stephen Travers and Des McAlea, this man, who was clearly in charge  and barking orders at  the others, was an army officer with what they described as a "crisp English accent". 

Stephen Travers was concerned that the two UDR men who were 'searching' at the back of the open van would damage their instruments and tried to go over and warn them to be careful but he was bundled back into line.  Just then,  a bomb that the gang were trying to hide in the van exploded prematurely throwing the band and gang members close to it in all directions.

Two of the UDR members, Wesley Somerville and Harris Boyle, died instantly in the explosion.  They were  also senior members of the illegal UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force).  The UVF gave them a full paramilitary funeral, including a volley of shots, in a ceremony that was conducted by the DUP MP Willie McCrea.

None of the band members were killed in the bomb blast.  Des McAlea was thrown over a ditch by the force of the explosion, suffering only minor injuries and managed to make good his escape across fields.  Fellow band members Fran O'Toole, Tony Geraghty and  Brian McCoy were not so lucky.  While they survived the blast, the gang were intent on killing all of the band to eliminate any witnesses who might have been able to identify them as responsible for what had happened.

The gang opened fire on the band members who were dazed and in shock following the blast. Stephen Travers was hit in the intial gunfire and was seriously wounded.  Both Tony and Fran had tried to carry him off to safety but they were unable to and tried to make their escape themselves.  As Stephen lay there he could hear the UDR men chase down his friends in the fields and murder them despite their pleas for mercy.

Brian McCoy,  hit nine times by machine gun fire, was the first to die.  Tony Geraghty was shot four times in the back.  Lying helpless on the ground, band frontman Fran O'Toole died after being shot in the face twenty two times. 

One of the soldiers waded though the aftermath of the explosion kicking at bodies to ensure that they were all dead.  Seriously wounded, traumatised and terrified, Stephen decided to lie still and pretend to be dead as the Soldier approached.  Luckily for Stephen, just as he came near him, one of the other soldiers shouted that "those bastards are dead.  I got them with dum-dums".  The soldiers then departed the scene, and despite suffering horrific injuries Stephen survived the attack.

Among the other UDR soldiers involved in the massacre were James Somerville, a brother of Wesley who was killed in the blast, as well as Thomas Crozier and Rodney McDowell.  These men, along with a host of other RUC and UDR men were all part of what was known as the 'Glenane gang', a notorious UVF unit operating in the Mid-Ulster area in the mid 1970's and responsible for countless other  sectarian atrocities in the area and across the border.

That unit, led  by Robin Jackson (known as 'the Jackal) , were involved in  a bomb attack in Dundalk in 1975 that resulted in two deaths and dozens of injuries and the Dublin/Monaghan bombings that killed 33 people and injured more than one hundred.  The weapon used to kill  Brian McCoy was the same weapon used in the assassination of IRA volunteer and Long Kesh escapee John Francis Green six months beforehand in county Monaghan.

According to a number of former British army Intelligence operatives, Robert Nairac a member of the British Militarys undercover 14th Intelligence company, was working with the 'Glenane gang' and was involved in the planning and carrying out of the John Francis Green assassination as well as the Miami Showband massacre.

The political establishments on both sides of the border may be willing to dismiss the Miami Showband massacre and other atrocities such as the Dublin/Monaghan bombings as the actions of "rogue" soldiers, RUC men or Intelligence operatives.  However, the evidence, the refusal of the British government to come clean and co-operate with the Barron inquiry into the Dublin/Monaghan attacks and the record of British military involvement in Ireland shows otherwise.

The history of the British army in our country has been a shameful and bloody one.  Both directly, and indirectly through collusion with their allies in the loyalist death squads,the British security forces have consistently engaged in terrorising the nationalist community and those who opposed the British occupation of Ireland by whatever means necessary, including mass murder.

Collusion has been central to Britain's policy of maintaing their occupation of Ireland.  Since the foundation of the 6-county state, nationalists and republicans throughout the six counties have lived with the reality of the British state actively assisting Loyalist death squads.  The list of victims of British collusion is lengthy and includes Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, Sam Marshall and Eddie Fullerton to name just a few.

 

All attempts to establish the truth about collusion between the British occupying forces and the loyalist death squads has been hampered and blocked by the British state.  They refuse to reveal their full role in atrocities such as the Dublin/Monaghan bombings and continue to deny the truth and justice that the victims' families deserve.

Despite this, the families continue to campaign tirelessly to find the truth.  Once again, éirígí pays tribute to the families' determination and fully support their efforts to achieve the truth and justice that for too long has been denied to them.

Different Legislation, Same Harassment

As éirígí predicted, the recent suspension of Section 44 of the British government’s ‘Terrorism Act’ has not deterred the PSNI in its campaign of harassment against the nationalist community.

On Sunday [July 18], two éirígí activists were driving along the Armagh Road in Newry when they were stopped by the political police.

 The activists were removed from the vehicle and were forced to endure a humiliating search in front of dozens of pedestrians and motorists under sections 21 and 24 of the British government’s Justice & Security Act. 

They were then questioned about their movements and their personal details were recorded while the vehicle was thoroughly searched by other members of the PSNI for unknown items.

The remit of the British government’s Justice & Security Act, which was introduced in 2007 as one of the final elements of the normalisation strategy, is confined to the Six Counties. The act contains repressive powers for the political police, the Six County judiciary and the British army.

Rúnaí ginearálta éirígí Breandán Mac Cionnaith said: “Only last week, éirígí predicted that section 44 would simply be replaced with equally abhorrent legislation. It’s now clear that our prediction has become reality.

“éirígí activists in Newry are no strangers to Crown Forces harassment. In recent times, they have been harassed while delivering leaflets and, just last month, an activist’s home in the Derrybeg estate was targeted in a dawn raid which extended into a search operation of the estate itself which lasted the whole day. Now, our activists are being stopped under the draconian British Justice and Security Act. It’s clear that our activists and supporters in the area are being singled out for special treatment because of their political activities.

“The PSNI are only proving by their own actions that they are an unchanged, unaccountable paramilitary force. The PSNI remains a British police force, enforcing British law in support of the British occupation.”

Mac Cionnaith continued: “No amount of PSNI harassment, in Newry or anywhere else, will prevent éirígí activists from continuing the work of rebuilding the republican struggle.”