If you are asked to believe all the Political and Media hype about this ‘‘shared future’’ or ‘‘island of equals’’ and the new dispensation that is being promoted by Sinn Fein and other politicians, then you must ask yourself the following questions. Is there freedom of expression? Is there freedom of speech? Is there freedom to express your political view? What type of treatment is given by the State and the Forces of the State to those Republicans who express their view publicly?
An example of the treatment republicans can expect if they are a member of a Republican Society who actively campaign for better facilities for their community or express opposition against Political Internment, Political Policing or demand equality for all by promoting the ideals of 1916, can be seen clearly by how one (not so unusual) Ardoyne activist is treated. He is a member of the Seán MacDiarmada 1916 Society, and all he does is expose the hypocrisy, injustice and inequality in the corrupt failed system that poses as a democracy.
Within the last year he has been stopped, searched, abused and threatened by the unreformed PSNI/RUC more than thirty times. His house is regularly raided, his children terrorised and wife abused, the children’s computers and mobile phones confiscated, his wife and children are subjected to stop and search while they go about their daily business.
He is being pestered and harassed by MI5 in an attempt to recruit him as an Agent, and he has also been approached while on holiday by these sinister men, and regularly receives menacing telephone calls from them trying to intimidate him.
He is forced to take legal action against the PSNI/RUC and MI5 in an attempt to stop this despicable, immoral intimidation. He is regularly cautioned or charged with ludicrous or petty charges that he has proven time after time to be the unlawful abuse of the Law. Because of their action he now doesn’t answer unknown numbers on his telephone, and has to be conscious of everyone around him, this is what passes as normality.
This is not the end of this man’s plight for being a republican activist, he has also received death threats, and there is a real and genuine danger to his life, he is fully aware that the security forces have passed his details on and colludes with those who would harm him.
This ‘‘shared future’’ looks strangely like the bad old dark days that we have all been told by politicians have gone. This is the type of actions republicans that aren’t willing to compromise their ideals face on a daily basis, even children carrying Hurley sticks are considered to be in possession of offensive weapons. Nationalists are still being treated like second class citizens in their own country and nothing, yes nothing, has changed for republicans in Ardoyne and many other parts of this little Artificial Sectarian Statlet who face repression and harassment everyday for having opposing political views to the status quo and expressing a longing for a united country where all citizens are treated equally and all our children cherished the same.
You can see by the photo’s just some of the Stop and Search Dockets, Search Warrants, Death Threat Notices, Cautions and Summons collected in the last year by this man and the future looks no different.
Good piece Aodan. Questions raised that some want hushed up.
ReplyDeleteAodan your post is indeed a synopsis of daily life for many republicans here, the new beginning never really happened to all but a few,one can see the difference how those carpetbaggers on the hill represent their constituents the lol and flag protesters are supported and aided and abetted by the unionist parties,while nationalists are as you rightly say are subjected to pre 94 ruc daily harassment only this time quisling $inn £ein are in full support of the psni/ruc mouthing the odd critical soundbite but never anything that may force them to stand up for the people from these areas, the recent arrest of their supporter Downey shows what a complete bollocks they made of negotiating the gfa and Weston park agreements, it really is a new beginning and it looks like the future for a long time to come is orange.
ReplyDeleteAodan , good piece and it's right that this police political harassment be brought to the attention of everyone on the WWW , alas , I have to say , Nothing has changed, We are still under Unionist Domination , just as they planned it when SF signed the GFA , Still under British Police/MI5 rule , next will be the psni/ruc/MI5 drones flying over every nationalist area and all data goes straight to MI5 for there secret evidence collection , it's an addition to the touts , but with video which no one is allowed to see.
ReplyDeleteCompare the treatment of this man to that of the average Sinn Fein supporter who is able to go about his/her normal business unmolested by the British state. Those who dissent from the current political arrangements are subject to continuous police harassment and targeting by the security services. Family life is disrupted to the point were even the young children feel the burden of unwanted attention For these republicans there has been little or no change to the repressive nature of the state. They exist on a daily diet of police scrutiny and interference in almost every aspect of their lives.
ReplyDeleteMi5 is unaccountable and unlimited in its scope. "National security" overrides everything including individual and collective rights which are viewed as merely obstacles to be ignored. Oversight and accountability measures have no bearing on the activities of the security services. The politicians are powerless to rein them in and no amount of complaining will alter that fact. Those who attempted to convince us of the merits of supporting policing are now exposed to the realities of political policing. What a shame!
As I read this I thought just what 'itsjustmacker' was writing, 'nothing has changed'.
ReplyDeleteSo much for the Éire nua we were promised and where we wanted our children to grow up in without the harassment, threat, beatings, internment and possible murder.
His greatest asset is the recording capacity of the internet and it's ability to highlight his, and his families case, globally since, if the bowsies in brit-security maintain their approach it can be highlighted to more than just a revived ICJP or British-Irish Rights Watch while, unlike the free-state justice minister, the evidence can be maintained.