1984 or 2024?

An opinion piece by Saoradh National Chairman, Stephen Murney, on the continued use of lists by British occupying forces excluding republican activists from talking to each other.

George Orwell is very much accredited with almost predicting what a future society would look like in his novel ‘1984’.

Despite being published in 1949 Orwell amazingly foresaw a ‘Big Brother’ society; the type that we live in today.

Orwell’s novel depicts a totalitarian state that has an entire population under constant surveillance with the latest technological advances including cameras and listening devices. A society where you have to obey those in charge where you even have to think and speak a certain view and where dissent is strictly forbidden.

Yet depsite being published 75 years ago it could have been penned yesterday. Instances of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and violations of freedom of expression, among other themes have become a reality.

One thing I want to focus this piece on are the “Persona Non Grata” lists being forced on political activists on bail, namely those who dissent from the status quo and rightfully oppose the imperialist occupation and all it entails.

These lists contain the names of scores of political activists, mostly Saoradh members. These include former and current Republican Prisoners, friends, comrades and family members.

The recipient is forbidden to associate, contact or even speak to anyone on the list. The vindictiveness of this was plain to see recently when a young Derry Republican was subject to such a list with his own father’s name on it.

The reasoning behind such a condition being imposed on Republicans is simple. It is merely to hamper and hinder their political activism and to effectively exile and ostracise them within their own communities.

Coupled with other conditions including bans on attending political meetings, protests and even entering Saoradh political party offices tells us one thing; the British state and its apparatus are determined to crush our Revolutionary project and have been since our formation in 2016.

They have failed to destroy us but they have certainly tried. For hundreds of years the Republican Revolutionary struggle has endured everything imaginable, and we are still here.

It is our duty to dissent and to continue to pursue the goal of a 32 County Socialist Republic.

Urgent Appeal