Republican News · Thursday 9 May 2002

Hunger strikers honoured

Speaking in Belfast at Sunday's 21st anniversary march to commemorate the 1981 Hunger Strike, Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey reiterated that republicans are still committed to the peace process.

He went on to warn of the dangers posed to the peace process by British intelligence organisations, saying that unionists are being duped by British intelligence into undermining the peace process.

"There are threats to this peace process and they are coming from the murky shadows of British intelligence and gladly latched onto by the no-camp within unionism".

Maskey was addressing several thousand people who had marched from a number of locations across Belfast for the 21st anniversary of the hunger strikes.

Led by marchers carrying portraits of the 1981 hunger strikers and of Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg, the parade assembled at the Sinn Féin headquarters at Sevastopol Street.

A group of marchers carried Palestinian flags as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people who are at present under racist attack from the Israeli state.

Former republican Prisoner of War Feilim O'hAdhmail, who is involved with the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Committee, also addressed the rally. He called for support for the Palestinian people and urged republicans who have a long history of showing international solidarity with oppressed people to support protests backing the Palestinian people.

The rally was chaired by Sinn Féin's Marie Moore, who has worked for republican prisoners for most of her adult life.