SFY harass Special Branch
by Michael Pierse
Dublin Sinn Féin Youth activists held a protest last Friday
outside the Garda Special Branch headquarters in Harcourt Street,
Dublin. The protest was against an escalating campaign of
harassment being conducted against SFY activists in the Dublin
area by the Special Branch.
One SFY member in particular has been targeted in the last few
weeks. On several occasions the Branchmen have visited his house
telling the twenty year-old man that they will tell his mother of
his involvement in SFY. This childish behaviour has been ignored
to a large extent by the activist, although, he admits, it does
become repetitive and annoying. His girlfriend, also an SFY
member, was treated last week to a visit from the Branch on an
utterly spurious pretence. Commenting on the visit she said one
``really has to understand how nauseating it is to see these
pig-ignorant obesities smirking on your doorstep - it really is
annoying.''
A newly joined female member of SFY has also been subject to
harassment. Following her return from a picket in Omagh, Co
Tyrone, in defence of the GAA's Rule 21, the Special Branch
phoned her father, who works in the Department of Foreign
Affairs, and informed him that they knew she had travelled to
Omagh that Sunday.
For these reasons, amongst others, SFY in Dublin organised last
Friday's picket, which was a resounding success. The picketers
wielded banners with the names of the offending Gardaí and
chanted slogans calling for an end to the harassment. The sound
of screeching whistles wailed in the car windows of the Special
Branch, who hastily absconded. Although one Garda lost his rag
and assaulted three members of the group, he was unable to quell
the enthusiastic protestations of the picketers.
Des Foley of Dublin SFY said that ``this current acceleration in
Special Branch harassment of SFY members is extremely unhelpful
and must not continue. It is our right as political activists to
continue our work within communities and on a national level - we
will not be deterred from our objectives by any degree of state
intimidation.''
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