Legal fightback over anti-republican measures

Republicans are taking to the courts to fight attempts by British forces to abuse the law in order to oppress and marginalise normal political activity.

One young man this week won back the right to take part in public protests after a legal challenge in the High Court.

Jude McCrory had been charged in connection with disturbances outside Maghaberry jail last month following a demonstration in support of hunger striking prisoners. His bail terms had included a ban on being within 100 metres of any protest -- but after a court hearing, a judge agreed to lift the prohibition.

The change came after defence barrister Eoghan Devlin noted that the demonstration outside Maghaberry prison in support of the hunger strike was a “broader church” than just republicans.

“What the prosecution want to do is stifle this man’s right to protest,” Mr Devlin said.

The judge agreed, but ruled that Mr McCrory must not contact others charged in connection with the demo.

However, dozens of republican activists are still on highly restrictive bail conditions.

Some former republican prisoners have already been placed on a “register” which requires them to satisfy a string of Orwellian restrictions, curfews and electronic tagging. Three were recently arrested and brought to court for a “failure to notify” the PSNI.

The restraints are being imposed on them for no other reason than their involvement in legitimate political activism, Saoradh said.

The British establishment “and their cheerleaders within constitutional nationalism” had utilised every weapon in their arsenal to “thwart, destroy and derail” Irish republican activists from their goals, they said.

“Their weapons consist of the abuse, assaults and detentions of the children and families of republican activists; weaponising various agencies and companies to target and starve activists of their means of living; house raids, stop and searches, MI5 intimidation and the ongoing criminalisation and torture of our Republican Prisoners to name a few.”

The party said that Crown judges now found it “hard to swallow” the degree to which the British state is willing to go to suppress republicanism.

“The MI5-controlled PSNI have become so immersed in causing maximum disruption to republicans that they are willing to leave British court rooms with a red face, accused of stripping republicans of their basic rights,” they said.

Urgent Appeal