Home of senior RSF figure raided

The home of the 80-year-old honorary Vice President of Republican Sinn Féin was raided by the PSNI police on the evening of January 25th in Dungiven County Derry.

Mickey McGonigle (pictured, right) said that 15 PSNI members raided his house while he was away. His 79-year-old wife felt threatened as the PSNI “pulled everything out of their drawers”.

Other family members were refused access to the house for two hours while the raid took place. The party said it condemned the raid on the elderly couple.

“This is yet another attack from the PSNI on Republicans. The PSNI may have changed their name but they have the same aim.”

In the end, the only item the PSNI removed from his home was a key for his car.

Mr McGonigle was at a loss to know why he was targeted.

“I’m the honorary vice president of Republican Sinn Féin and what were they coming to me for? They searched every corner of the house, the very drawers. They even went through the bread and the fridge.”

In a separate incident, the chairperson of Saoradh in Dublin and his partner were stopped and harassed in their return home from the Bloody Sunday weekend in Derry.

It was “a clear attempt to disrupt the development of the party and our continued development and strengthening of links nation wide,” said Brian Kenna.

“It is no coincidence that the 2024 Unfinished Revolution National Easter Commemoration will be in Dublin in March and the establishments north and south do not want to see people come together to support a revolutionary republican event with a message that resonates with people who are fed up of the two failed partitionist assemblies in this country.

“This type of harassment only makes us want to work harder in ensuring our revolutionary martyrs are honoured fittingly this year in Dublin with people coming from across the country to attend the Unfinished Revolution Easter Commemoration on March 30th.”

Urgent Appeal