MI5 still trawling for agents and informers

Just days after a senior member of Saoradh was named as an MI5 agent, a republican activist revealed three individuals who identified themselves as members of the “security services” had tried to recruit him.

A member of Republican Sinn Féin related the disturbing and sinister approach made to him by aegnts in County Fermanagh. The approach took place as he was taking his young child to a toilet while he and his wife were shopping in Enniskillen.

The RSF activist said that as he was leaving the toilets, he noticed two men and one woman quickly walking after him. One of the men called him by his first name, and surrounded him in front of his child. They claimed they knew he was “not doing well” at his work and that “business was bad”. They said they could help him overcome all of these difficulties if he could help them.

It was then the activist realised who they were and told them to “get lost”, and said he didn’t want to speak to them. The female agent mentioned two republicans on both sides of the border and claimed they were “very dangerous people”. They said they were very interested in these two men and knew that he was friendly with both.

“Without a minute’s thought the republican activist told them to get lost again and barged by them and made his way back to his vehicle where he contacted Sinn Féin Poblachtach,” RSF said. They urged others with similar experiences to come forward.

MI5 AGENDA OPPOSED

The party also hit out at the rising influence of British intelligence in policing across both the north and south of Ireland, as seen in recent raids and arrests directed against Saoradh.

“With MI5 agent Drew Harris now working as commissioner of the 26-County State police, co-operation between the two forces in Ireland has never been stronger.

“It is clear that orders from the highest level of British intelligence were conveyed to Garda HQ to co-ordinate with the Six-County police on the date and time to raid a wide variety of addresses across Ireland.”

Glaswegian Dennis McFadden (pictured) was named in court last month as being a double agent in an MI5 operation against Saoradh, in which several senior figures were arrested. This week, Saoradh vice-chair Mandy Duffy and treasurer Sharon Jordan, facing charges of being members of an “IRA Executive”, were refused bail.

RSF described McFadden as an “integral part of the British war machine” whose word could not be taken at face value.

“These events prove that the British State will do anything in order to remove those who oppose their agenda within the Occupied Six Counties,” they said.

“In this case they deliberately set about entrapping people by placing a person with organisational and computer skills into a group in order to disrupt and entrap leadership members.”

They warned that justice for republicans is non-existent in the north of Ireland.

“The men and women arrested will, most likely, languish for years in cells awaiting trial, on trial, conviction, appealing conviction and if lucky they will eventually be freed, but only after spending a long time in jail.

“We need only look at the case of the Craigavon Two to know that British justice in Ireland means no justice for Republicans who oppose the occupation. Even one of the top British Human Rights judges said their conviction was unsafe, yet they are still in jail on the word of another tout.

“The recent jailing of Christine Connor for 20 years shows the cruelty and vindictiveness of the British State.

“Sinn Féin Poblachtach condemns the role of the British State and intelligence services in any part of Ireland. We call for the release of the men and women arrested and jailed on these trumped-up charges. The use of supergrasses is not a new tactic; it has been used in the past against the republican/nationalist people of the occupied area.”

They condemned those political parties who have remained silent about MI5’s actions.

“Those who call for information to be passed on to the renamed and discredited police in Occupied Ireland need to look long and hard at themselves and the political parties they support,” they said.

“You cannot legitimately call yourself a republican and at the same time not oppose this form of ‘policing and justice’.”

Urgent Appeal