Republican News · Thursday 28 November 2002

Troops Out Movement Speaking Tour - "Communities under Attack"

BY SEAN MacCONMARA
TROOPS OUT MOVEMENT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE

Last week, the Troops Out Movement hosted speakers from Short Strand and north Belfast on a week long tour of England. The tour coincided with the launch of the video "The Siege of Short Strand" of which a 20-minute version was shown at each of the meetings.

On Monday, the two speakers were welcomed by the Birmingham branch of the Troops Out Movement and met with Telling Tales, a Birmingham based theatre & song group whose performances are based on reality interviews. In the evening, they spoke to a well attended meeting in Birmingham Council House. They were interviewed by West Midlands radio and The Morning Star newspaper, who published a quarter page article the next day.

On Tuesday they were in Coventry, where they met cross community religious leaders, the Director of Peace Studies from Coventry University and were interviewed by the Evening Telegraph newspaper and the local commercial radio. They also met with the Conservative Lord Mayor of Coventry, who was sent a message of support from the Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast. More meetings took place, one with the Coventry Irish Society and one with Survivors of the Holocaust. In the evening they addressed a meeting hosted jointly by Coventry Trades Union Council and the Irish in Britain Representation Group.

On Wednesday, they were met in Manchester by the North West branch of the Troops Out Movement. In the evening they spoke in The Friends Meeting House hosted by Manchester Women & Ireland group. On Thursday morning, they were interviewed on local radio and went on to speak to trainees at The Workers Film Cooperative.

Thursday evening brought them to Preston, where they spoke to an audience at the University of Central Lancashire, comprising of students, lecturers and a good turnout of the general public.

On Friday they were in Liverpool, where they addressed a meeting at St Michael's Irish Centre, which was very well attended by the local Irish community, trade unionists and members of the James Larkin Republican Flute Band, who were very hospitable.

The week of meetings was very successful and enabled the audiences to see and hear for themselves first hand accounts of the ongoing pogroms in Short Strand and north Belfast.

"The Siege of Short Strand" can be viewed on the Web at http://www.32s.org