Republican News · Thursday 11 July 2002

Ardoyne and the Twelfth

A Chairde,

The Parades Commision's decision to permit the Orange Order to hold their 12 July march through the Ardoyne area leaves the nationalist community there with a very real problem.

After the Orange Orders' barbaric actions at Drumcree last Sunday, Ardoyne residents and the nationalist community at large are asking why is Ardoyne being forced to accept these collared thugs? A more pressing question for nationalists is what action should they take on Friday, the day of the proposed Orange march?

Ironically, I believe the Orange Order answered the latter question for us last Sunday. After their rioting, the press and even most unionist politicians condemned the Order.

Now, with the Six-County pressure cooker turned up to the full, the press, the Orange Order and unionist politicians will be expecting and hoping that the nationalist community of Ardoyne will vent their anger at the Parades Commission's decision and at the Orange Order's Drumcree riots by rioting as the Order did last Sunday.

It will be their vindication for last week's rioting and an their fuel for an end of summer excuse that not all of the season's disturbances were caused by them.

I believe the people of Ardoyne can see see through unionist plans and that they will not play into the hands of the Orange Order/unionist politicians this Friday. Then we will see how David Trimble's beloved "Christian", Orange Order are the real threat to peace in the Six Counties this summer.

Noel Campbell,
PRO, Castlebar Sinn Féin

Somme insult

A Chairde,

I am writing this in total anger and disbelief that a republican can bring himself to lay a wreath in honour of the British Crown forces.

Alex Maskey and whoever has influenced him have let the movement down and severely damaged its republican credentials. Perhaps someone should inform Mr Maskey of the following points:

* While he is laying a wreath in honour of British forces, a memorial to three brave Volunteers who died at the hands of those forces is lying desecrated in Fermanagh.

* The Irish people who fought for the British Army in 1916 were nothing but traitors who turned their backs on the fight in their own land to fight with the enemy in a war which had nothing to do with them.

* Sinn Féin and particularly Ógra Shinn Féin condemned the band Westlife for launching Poppy Day - one year on and we have republicans laying wreaths at British war memorials!

I'm sure Pearse and Tone would be full of admiration for the people who made this unrepublican decision.

How in God's name can grassroots people stand up and condemn the RUC and British Army when one of our most senior members is below in Belfast laying wreaths in their honour? The forthcoming elections will be interesting when canvassers will have to try and explain that one.

The only honour the Brits should get is the honour that they are not being carried home in coffins anymore.

God save Ireland!

John G Lyons
Crossmaglen

Mayor Maskey

A Chairde,

Mayor Maskey's speech re: the Battle of The Somme was very moving and very correct. I pray that non-republicans will also be moved by his courage and sincerity. The spirit of real freedom is in his words.

Brian Anson,
Cairde Sinn Féin,
France

Dismayed

A Chairde,

I am dismayed by your front page story two weeks ago and the justification for commemorating the mass slaughter at the Somme. I recognise the need to validate the feelings of unionists. I can understand why a gesture in recognition of their convictions is politically necessary.

But why validate the prosecution of a war that was without any valid justification? Rich imperialist countries used the poor to fight their battles and slaughtered them in the process. Irish Protestant workers thought they were saving the union and their privileged position vis a vis Catholics. John Redmond conned Irish nationalists into thinking they were saving "little Catholic Belgium" from the rapacious Hun - the same "little Catholic Belgium" that Roger Casement condemned for unspeakable racist brutality in its African Empire in the Congo. The British conned their soldiers and gullible civilians with propaganda about Germans eating babies - lies of such hysterical stupidity that a cynical public found it hard to believe true stories of the anti-Jewish pogroms by German Nazis in WW2. Why is there no recognition of dead Germans in WW1 in Alex Maskey's statement?

In what way is their suffering the lesser? Is it because they were not Irish?

yone who donned a British uniform (for whatever misguided motive) in WW1 became an agent of an imperialist slaughter when they fastened a button on the tunic. When James Connolly said "We serve neither King nor Kaiser, but Ireland", he formed the core belief of the alliance that came together in the 1916 rebellion. Those who fought in WW1 also fought for Britain in Dublin in 1916. The Irish Volunteers and members of the Citizen army who fought them were portrayed as allies of Germany by the British and indeed the Proclamation talks tactically about "gallant allies in Europe".

To dignify a commemoration of the industrialised slaughter at the Somme as a "tribute to all the men who made the supreme sacrifice at the Battle of the Somme and during the First World War" is to endorse the basis of this "sacrifice", the same sacrifice made by those who sacrificed themselves in defence of the same British Empire on the streets of Dublin.

Who chose the picture of the 'British soldiers' going into battle on the front page? I never thought I would see the British soldiers in battle commemorated on the front page of An Phoblacht? You could have chosen the famous picture of the British and German soldiers fraternising (to the disgust of German and British officers) and playing a game of football on Christmas 1916 - it would also have made more sense in the context of the

World Cup.

Placing a wreath on the Cenotaph is one thing and that act in itself can be justified. But it does not detract from the need to speak the truth about mass slaughter in the name of Empire. Justifying, however inadvertently, the system that caused countless millions of deaths (and the sectarian division in Ireland) should be avoided in my opinion.

Think again, APRN and Alex.

Thomas Mahon,
Dublin

Well done, Alex

A Chairde,

Again Sinn Féin officials have demonstrated to the world that they are the moral leaders of a new Ireland. While others are awash with holier than thou speeches, the Lord Mayor of Belfast did the right thing in the right way.

The good Mayor showed dignity and compassion for all the people of Ireland. I only wished that we had a Sinn Féin party here in Philadelphia.

Beir Bua!

Gerry O'Hare

Newgrange South

A Chairde,

As you know, the structure at the Boyne River is probably the oldest (circa 5,000 yrs) observatory on Earth in good working condition. It is the property of the people, in particular the Irish people.

I had reason recently to bring two cousins (US-born Irish citizens) to Newgrange and to my dismay we were unable to gain entry.

We approached from the northern side, the structure being on the north side of the Boyne, but were told that we would have to go to the south side (about 20 kilometres away) and buy tickets for a bus.

As my cousins were on a tight itinerary that did not suit us.

For my own part, I used to visit the structure long before it became fashionable. However, it seems the powers that be are of a mindset to exclude the Northern Irish from experiencing this part of their heritage.

Gerry Concagh
Dún Laoghaire
Co Dublin

Arctic praise

A Chairde,

Thank you for posting your newspaper on the internet. It makes it a lot easier to read about news that is happening over there.

Since it is hard for me to receive the paper itself, now I can look it up every week on my computer. I also would like to thank everybody involved with the writting and editing of the articles. Please keep up the great work. Thank you.

Thomas Solder,
Girdwood,
Alaska
USA