Protest against British Army recuitment

A British Army recruitment event in Belfast city centre was disrupted on Saturday, September 12 after éirígí activists staged a demonstration.

The JobServe Live! Belfast careers exhibition in the Europa Hotel included among its participants the British army, the British Royal Navy and the PSNI.

A number of éirígí activists entered the Europa on Saturday afternoon and informed staff that they were there to protest against the presence of British military personnel in the building.

The activists, carrying posters declaring Britain Out Of Ireland – Saoirse Anois, then surrounded the British army recruitment stall and removed and disposed of all the recruitment material on display.

After the protest, éirígí general secretary Breandán Mac Cionnaith said: “This Belfast City Council-sponsored event, which claimed to offer careers advice, information about job opportunities and tips for improving CVs turned out to be a propaganda exercise by the British army and other state forces in occupied Ireland.

“Like the Tall Ships festival, this recruitment day and Ireland’s economic collapse have been used in an attempt to recruit young people into a foreign army of occupation.

“British armed forces in Ireland have colluded with unionist death squads and are directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Irish men, women, and children. The Six Counties remains under occupation and 5,000 British troops remain garrisoned in military bases across the north.

“The Special Reconnaissance Regiment is actively collaborating with the PSNI on a daily basis, while M15 has its largest base outside London in north Down. All these are reasons to actively oppose the British occupation whenever the opportunity presents itself, as éirígí did on Saturday.”

Mac Cionnaith continued, “Further afield, the United Nations has estimated that the US-British led occupation in Afghanistan was directly responsible for the deaths of at least 2,000 civilians last year. This year, that figure is expected to rise considerably. In Iraq, it is estimated that one million Iraqis have lost their lives as a direct consequence of the US-British led invasion and occupation.

“The British government and its armed forces have the all the morals of a cruise missile. No citizen with any self-respect or concern for their fellow human beings should enlist in their ranks.”

Mac Cionnaith concluded: “As long as the British army is intent on carrying out stunts like Saturday’s in occupied Ireland, éirígí will be actively opposing them.”

Urgent Appeal