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26 Jan
0

Vulture Housing Banners Removed in Belfast

by in Housing, Stormont Can't Deliver

Vulture Housing Banners Removed in Belfast

A number of banners have appeared across parts of West Belfast in recent days, an area with arguably the biggest demand for housing in the Six Counties and waiting lists that are years long.

Speaking as the banners were being removed, Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Aindriú Mac Ruaidhrí said, “These banners, put up by profiteers hoping to make a few quick thousands at your expense, offer to buy up housing fast. No doubt for as low as possible, in order to sell on for profit, or to rent out for extortionate amounts.”

“The banners are accompanied by a letter campaign covering Belfast and beyond, posted through letterboxes in the hope that they might fall into the hands of someone facing financial difficulties or hardship, so that their difficult situation might be more profitable for these vultures.”

“These profiteers prey on the vulnerable and downtrodden. Housing is a human right, not a commodity to be bought or sold for profit. In a Socialist Republic, all housing would be seized for the common good of all our people. If you live in it, you should own it.”

“These banners will be going where they belong – in the bin – if you see one near you, do your community a favour – take it down.”

ENDS

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23 Jan
0

Stalked by the PSNI

by in Imperialism, PSNI, Stormont Can't Deliver

Stalked by the PSNI

Just yesterday (Saturday 22/01/2022) two Lasair Dhearg activists, both Public Spokespeople for the organisation, were stalked for several hours and over several miles by the same PSNI vehicle as they made their way into and about Belfast City Centre.

Beginning on the Lisburn Road in the South of the city, the vehicle first passed both activists as they a distance from Derryvolgie Avenue where the passenger of the vehicle leant sharply across the driver and gestured a sarcastic thumbs up to both activists.

Shortly after this, the heavily armoured car stopped, the officers alighted, and indicated to both activists that they were to be subject to a forced Stop & Search which had been authorised by the Secretary of State, including collection of their personal information.

The stop itself lasted several minutes, though the same vehicle and its occupants went on to stalk both activists as they made their way into and about Belfast City Centre, passing them a minimum of 15 times and loitering about the areas within which they stopped.

The PSNI have forcibly stopped and searched over 374,000 people in the past ten years. The equivalent of approximately one fifth of the total population of the Six Counties.

These statistics serve as a reminder to the rest of us to know your rights when faced with a situation such as this:

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

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Five Decades of Injustice: Bloody Sunday
21 Jan
0

Five Decades of Injustice: Bloody Sunday

by in #OTD, 100YearsPartition, British Army, Historical, Imperialism, PSNI, Stormont Can't Deliver

Five Decades of Injustice: Bloody Sunday

People will travel from across Ireland and beyond next week to gather on the streets of Free Derry. The Bloody Sunday march for justice will mark 50 years since 14 unarmed and innocent civilians were gunned down by Britain’s notorious Parachute Regiment.

Derry’s Alannagh Doherty, a spokesperson for Lasair Dhearg, said, “On Sunday the 30th of January I’ll march with thousands of others to demand justice on the very streets where those innocents were brutally gunned down by foreign troops.”

“The Bloody Sunday Massacre was a horrifying event that would go on to shape the legacy of the conflict. There was no shortage of recruits for the IRA in the subsequent years in what became a defining period in the struggle for freedom.”

“This year’s march, five whole decades since our City mourned the loss of 14 members of our community, is about continuing that fight for justice and letting the British state know that this issue is not going away, as much as they would like it to.”

“The graphic scenes caught on news reels and cameras that day remain etched in the memories of those that were there and serve as a reminder to the rest of us of the ability and intent of the occupying regime when it comes to putting manners on the natives.”

“We know that the state knows who is responsible. We know that the state is fighting tooth and nail to prevent those responsible from being brought to justice. And we know the state and their security agencies are actively covering up and preventing that justice.”

“‘Sorry’ from the British government is not enough. Those brutally killed on Bloody Sunday and the thousands of others through countless generations who were maimed or murdered have never received justice.”

“Lasair Dhearg will be joining this year’s Bloody Sunday march, join us, and demand more than ‘sorry’ – demand justice – at Free Derry Corner, Sunday, 30th of January at 2.30PM.”

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10 Jan
0

Plastic Bullets and the PSNI: Don’t Join.

by in British Army, Imperialism, PSNI, Stormont Can't Deliver

Plastic Bullets and the PSNI: Don’t Join.

As the PSNI works to recruit from Republican communities such as our own in attempts to shore up their religious figures, you would do well to examine each aspect of the force’s human rights record, particularly that of its use of deadly weapons; weapons like the plastic bullet.

Since the introduction of the plastic bullet in the 1970’s and until the modern day, hundreds of thousands of them have been fired by British forces on Irish soil.

It is widely believed that the PSNI maintains a stockpile of over 50,000 plastic bullets at any one time, and since their introduction into the Six Counties, 17 people have been killed, seven of which were children. The plastic bullet, despite the death and injury it has caused, is still in use by the PSNI, with the Stormont government refusing to act toward its removal.

In theory, plastic bullets should be fired at the lower part of a target’s body and from a distance of more than 20 metres. But we all know theory doesn’t translate into practice and that these deadly bullets are fired at any part of the body including the upper abdomen and the head, and within that range. This has been borne out by the facts over many decades with many succumbing to wounds to the upper body and head by plastic baton rounds fired well within their range guidance.

Indeed, a 1999 report into the use of these deadly weapons during the Drumcree standoff determined that of the 8,165 rounds fired during the crisis, 39% were potentially life-threatening and impacted the upper part of the target’s body.

The report, carried out by five of the North’s most senior doctors at the time and published in the Journal of Trauma Injury, Infection and Critical care, considered these injuries inflicted to the body from the abdomen up to the head as constituting a risk to life.

The health and medical community have clearly laid out the lethality of these types of weapons and yet, in the face of decades of campaigning, with families torn apart by the pain of the loss of their loved ones, and with countless others permanently maimed and injured, the use of these weapons continues.

The British Government, its puppet assembly in Stormont, the PSNI and so-called ‘Policing and Community Safety Partnerships’ know exactly where our community stands when it comes to the use of these lethal weapons. Some of them have had decades to take them off the shelves if they wanted to. Instead, they continue to buy them, to store them, to train with them and to shoot them on Irish streets.

So you should remember the next time you see a PSNI recruitment poster on your street, that the PSNI have and continue to deny justice for those families who lost loved ones due to the use of these deadly weapons.

Don’t Join the PSNI.

ENDS

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Lasair Dhearg relaunches Supporters Network
08 Jan
0

Lasair Dhearg relaunches Supporters Network

by in #OTD, 100YearsPartition, 1981, AntiFascism, British Army, CDCs, Commemorative, Covid, Ecosocialism, EU, feminism, Historical, Housing, Imperialism, International, KnowYourRights, LGBTQ+, PSNI, Smash Leinster House, Stormont Can't Deliver

Lasair Dhearg relaunches Supporters Network

Lasair Dhearg has today announced plans to restructure and repurpose its old ‘Clann’ network into what is now known as ‘Lasair Dhearg Supporters Network’.

Explaining why, the former Blanketman and political ex-prisoner Pádraic MacCoitir said that, “An all-members meeting held internally just some months ago discussed the need to bring the Network much closer to Lasair Dhearg itself. We feel that the Network could be better utilised with those wishing to take part in different forms of activism being increasingly able to do so when working with local branches.”

“At present, there are scores of members throughout Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, North America, Europe and Australia who are already playing an active role within the Supporters Network, and indeed, within Lasair Dhearg itself. So it is hoped that alongside the rebranding, a more formal alignment would allow for a greater integration of those already on the periphery of the main organisation.”

“This couldn’t come at a more important time for us as, having only opened up for new members just 26 months ago, our Belfast base has expanded significantly and we are on the cusp of formalising branch structures in Derry and hopefully following that up in Dublin and elsewhere as we transition to a National organisation. So if we do have supporters in those areas, or indeed beyond, we ask that you consider formalising that support by becoming a member of Lasair Dhearg Supporters Network.”

Membership of the Lasair Dhearg Supporters Network is available to anyone who agrees with the manifesto of Lasair Dhearg, it is subscription based and membership is renewed annually. Lasair Dhearg reserves the right to waiver a subscription or to withdraw membership at any time. 

All members will receive a Members Pack, invitation to annual Ard Fheis and/or All-Members meetings, and they will be assigned a point of contact with a local, national or international organiser. As the network grows, and as consideration is given to organising via different digital platforms, LDSN members will be invited to take part.

Help us to build a credible, viable, Socialist Republican alternative, JOIN:

www.lasairdhearg.com/join  |  lasairdhearg@gmail.com  |  text JOIN LDSN to +447518952831

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04 Jan
0

2021 Year in Review

by in 100YearsPartition, 1981, AntiFascism, British Army, Commemorative, Covid, Ecosocialism, EU, feminism, Historical, Housing, Imperialism, International, KnowYourRights, LGBTQ+, PSNI, Smash Leinster House, Stormont Can't Deliver

We’ve been busy these past twelve months. This is a quick look at all the activism we’ve conducted and taken part in over the past year. From Belfast to Dublin, Derry to Cork, our members have been constantly pushing the Socialist Republican message.

Join Us! – Bígí Linn!

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2022 New Year Statement
01 Jan
0

2022 New Year Statement

by in 100YearsPartition, 1981, AntiFascism, British Army, Commemorative, Covid, Ecosocialism, feminism, Historical, Housing, Imperialism, International, KnowYourRights, LGBTQ+, PSNI, Smash Leinster House, Stormont Can't Deliver

2022 New Year Statement

Lasair Dhearg sends revolutionary greetings to our members and supporters across Ireland and internationally. We send solidarity to the exploited peoples of the world and those who suffer at the hands of capitalism and imperialism. We extend solidarity to those who fight injustice in the pursuit of a better world and those who are incarcerated for doing so.

Reflecting upon the past year and the months lying ahead, we take this opportunity to extend our thanks to those working within the health systems in both failed states in Ireland as they continue fighting around the clock with minimal resources to guide us through the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It is not governments that have guided us through the last few years but those on the front line fighting tooth and nail for our survival. We owe them a debt that can never be repaid.

Since the inception of Lasair Dhearg in August 2017, and the opening up for new members in late 2019, we have experienced continued successes, and we continue to build a network of supporters in Ireland and abroad. So far, we have achieved our yearly strategic objectives in the building of a viable and creditable Socialist Republican alternative across Ireland, one that we hope will be capable of meeting the expected challenges of the future.

As we close 2021, a year we defined as one for ‘national growth’, with plans to grow beyond our mostly Belfast-based membership, we reflect upon the successes of these previous twelve months. With our sights set firmly on the cities of Dublin and Derry, we have now evolved over that period to having an established presence in all three cities. This has been accompanied by a growing supporters network across Ireland and internationally, all contributing to our continued development.

Indeed, 2021 witnessed the first Lasair Dhearg events in both Dublin and Derry, alongside commemorations, days of action, presence at protests and more. It is our intention to formalise branch structures in these cities in the near future, as we continue the transition to a new all-island Socialist Republican Movement. 

In Belfast, we continued with our campaigns to highlight important issues and drive forward that Socialist Republican message. Utilising effective propaganda techniques, our relatively small organisation has been able to push our message to a much larger audience on the streets and via social media.

Whether it was the unchanged nature of the PSNI or the supply of Israeli produce in local stores; gender based violence, racism or homophobia; the lack of adequate and appropriate housing or the targeting of multinational corporations complicit in imperialism; or indeed the inauguration of war criminals such as Hillary Clinton as chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, Lasair Dhearg has constantly and consistently pushed boundaries in order to get our message out there. For this, our activists should be proud of the work and the time that they have committed in recent months. Activism is the foundation upon which Lasair Dhearg was founded and upon which it continues to exist, and we ask those who support that activism and believe in our message not just to ‘join us’, but to take collective ownership of the project that we continue to develop in the fight for a Socialist Republic.

To manage growth, Lasair Dhearg will be repurposing and relaunching its supporters network in the coming months; we hope that a realignment will allow for the more effective utilisation of this network in terms of broadening our base and continued activism.

2021 was a year of anniversaries; 20 years since the rebranding of the RUC and the ‘birth’ of the PSNI; the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Hungerstrike, 50th anniversary of internment and 100 years of partition. Throughout the year Lasair Dhearg continually challenged the state narrative and combatted the normalisation of the PSNI in republican areas, whilst marking notable dates in a fitting manner.

In January we set out to ensure that the ten men who died on the Hungerstrike 40 years ago would be remembered and celebrated alongside the women and men who struggled with them in the H-Blocks and Armagh Gaol; to this end, we launched ‘Stailc ‘81’.

Engaging with comrades old and new to ensure that the legacy of the Hungerstrikers continued to inspire future generations, the anniversary of each of the ten men who died was marked at their grave-side. Online events recounting memories from the prison struggle and of those who died went out to thousands on social media. The Bobby Sands Creative Writing contest was supported by scores of contributors with poetry, short stories, art, photographs and more; culminating in the publication of ‘Dóchas: An anthology from the Bobby Sands Creative Writing Contest’, a 38 page booklet celebrating the struggle of those in and out of the prisons during that period of history. Hundreds of the free booklets were distributed across Ireland. 

As hundreds gathered for the launch of a new mural dedicated to the ten Hungerstrikers during their 40th anniversary year, Stailc ‘81 ensured that alongside other events, committees and more, those who struggled and gave their all during that period of history would not be forgotten.

40 years on since that Hungerstrike, and indeed 50 years on from internment in 1971, Lasair Dhearg reiterates its position that republican prisoners in Ireland today are political prisoners and that those women and men currently held in British and Free State Gaol’s should be ensured their human rights and the right to political status.

2021 was a year that will cast long shadows into the future of Republicanism in Ireland. One of those shadows was cast by Sinn Féin’s decision to declare their support for the Free State ‘Special Criminal Court’. Condemned by Republicans and human rights activists for generations, the Special Criminal Court is utilised by the Twenty Six County state to intern and convict Republicans in the absence of a jury and has, in the past, sentenced them to death. This is why Sinn Féin opposed the SCC up until their about-face in October of 2021 and it is why Lasair Dhearg and other right-thinking activists continue to oppose it today. 

The roots of the current occupation of Ireland’s Six Counties were marked in 2021 with the centenary of partition; a full 100 years since imperialists and counter-revolutionaries split our country in two. Those generations forced to exist within that rotten little Six County statelet, have suffered state-imposed sectarianism, jobs and housing discrimination, pogroms, internment, imprisonment, collusion and state brutality, torture and state-sponsored Unionist death squads, special powers, denial of language rights, denial of their rights as women, denial of their rights as members of the LGBT+ community and more. 

Our campaign ‘100 Years of Oppression’ stated that 100 years of Orange supremacy was nothing to be celebrated, and we brought this message to the grounds of Stormont and the walls of Free Derry; it found its way into the bus stop advertisements in Belfast City Centre and to the distribution of articles and content to over 80,000 people on social media and countless others on the streets of those occupied Six Counties.

These past 12 months we have proudly stood in solidarity and with workers on picket lines in Belfast, Dublin and Derry including dockers, QUB staff, Dublin Fire Brigade, NHS staff and Glen Dimplex workers. We have celebrated the role of women in the liberation struggle, organising events to remember Margaret Skinnider in Dublin, Ireland, and Coatbridge, Scotland; as well as Winifred Carney and Mary Ann McCracken in Belfast. Alongside the marking of International Women’s Day in 2021, we have actively championed the rights of women by tackling issues such as bodily autonomy, misogyny and revenge porn.

As internationalists, Lasair Dhearg organised and attended events throughout the year in solidarity with other peoples across the globe. From Cuba to Palestine, and from Haiti to Nicaragua, this solidarity included direct action against Citibank in Ireland in support of the Anishinaabe people and their fight against the Line3 oil pipeline being forced through indigenous lands.

The world is fast approaching climate catastrophe as the greed of imperialists and finance capital reigns supreme. A system that moves away from fossil fuels and reverses the rampant commodification of the planet’s resources for profit is what is desperately required – this is what socialism can deliver. 

This commodification extends beyond natural resources and into every aspect of our lives, its effects are there to see in the respective housing systems in both failed states in Ireland. Whether it is the crumbling homes of the MICA block housing disaster, or the crumbling damp-ridden portfolios of the rich and powerful north and south.

At present, there are more empty homes across both states than there are families in need of a home; Ireland’s housing issues could be solved at the stroke of a pen if only those in government had the political will. That is why only a Socialist Republic could solve the housing crisis, and it would do so by seizing all empty housing and utilising it for the common good; provision, not profit. The right to a home is an inalienable right, and is essential to a full and healthy life.

The coming years are important not just for Irish Socialist Republicanism but for the nation as a whole. At some point in the near future, the people of Ireland, held down by the weight of our chains, will decide to no longer exist on our knees but to stand tall, and to cast off those chains as we march forward into a new 32 County Socialist Republic. We must be ready.

“…beware
Beware of the thing that is coming,
beware of the risen people,
Who shall take what ye would not give.”

Bígí Linn – Join Us.

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PSNI shocking statistics show ‘Catholics’ twice as likely to be arrested and charged than ‘Protestants’
09 Dec
0

PSNI shocking statistics show ‘Catholics’ twice as likely to be arrested and charged than ‘Protestants’

by in 100YearsPartition, Imperialism, KnowYourRights, PSNI, Stormont Can't Deliver

PSNI shocking statistics show ‘Catholics’ twice as likely to be arrested and charged than ‘Protestants’

Discrimination against the Republican, Nationalist and Catholic community has today been confirmed by the PSNI’s own statistics as it was revealed that the force, formerly named the RUC, are twice as likely to arrest and charge a ‘Catholic’ in the Six Counties than they are a ‘Protestant’.

“This lays bare the very clear bias against one community,” says Lasair Dhearg’s Pól Torbóid, “from a police force that is overwhelmingly Protestant and Unionist.”

Pól said, “Those statistics, recorded by the PSNI themselves from 2016 to 2020, show that they arrested 57,000 ‘Catholics’ and only 31,000 ‘Protestants’. Of those subsequently charged, 27,000 were ‘Catholic’ and only 15,000 were from the ‘Protestant’ community. This very clearly shows two very obvious biases within the PSNI; if you are perceived to be from the ‘Catholic’ community then they are twice as likely to arrest you, and then you are more likely to be charged.”

“The PSNI’s Acting Assistant Chief Constable Sam Donaldson, in response to the release of the statistics, has said that they are ‘tasked with following the evidence without fear or favour, and in accordance with the law’. Such victim-blaming comments clearly lay the cause for these disgusting statistics with the community facing twice the number of arrests from a clearly biased ‘police force’.”

“More concerning is the deliberate targeting of the Catholic, Nationalist and Republican community with degrading stop and search legislation which has been used by the PSNI at least 374,000 times in the past ten years. This astronomical figure is equivalent to one fifth of the population of the Six Counties being stopped without consent and then forcibly searched. What is extremely worrying about this is that it is clearly being utilised against one community but the PSNI are refusing to record the community background of those searched because it would clearly display the rampant discrimination by the force against the Republican, Nationalist and Catholic community.”

Daniel Holder, the deputy director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) said that they have been concerned “for some time” that the PSNI is not monitoring the community background of individuals subjected to police powers like stop and search, and other measures.

Mr Holder said: “The past equality impact assessment into the use of spit-hoods revealed an alarming figure that 80% of those on which a hood was used had a disability. In terms of community background it also recorded that use on Catholics was twice that of Protestants.

“What was surprising is that no explanation or analysis was provided as to the reasons why this might be the case in the PSNI document, which also bizarrely stated there was not a differential when there clearly was.”

In relation to the release of the statistics, Pól Torbóid added, “These figures have only come to light as The Detail submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the PSNI. In a separate FoI request to the force, The Detail asked why the force doesn’t record the community background of people subjected to stop and search. The PSNI fudged their response with a nonsense reply stating cost grounds.”

Pól concluded, “We all know that the PSNI are going to great lengths to target the Republican, Nationalist and Catholic community with recruitment into their sectarian force. This has been clear over recent months with advertisements in specific areas and publications. We also know that they deliberately target the same community with stop and searches, arrests and then subsequent charges, and this has now been backed up by the PSNI’s own statistics.”

“Two decades of the PSNI and nothing has changed; nor will it ever, regardless of the religious make-up of its heavily armed ranks.”

ENDS

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MacCoitir slams Leisure Centre costs increase!
06 Dec
0

Louder for those at the back – outsourcing and privatisation doesn’t work! MacCoitir slams Leisure Centre costs increase!

by in Stormont Can't Deliver

Louder for those at the back – outsourcing and privatisation doesn’t work! MacCoitir slams Leisure Centre costs increase!

Pádraic MacCoitir, protesting the handover of leisure centres to GLL in 2014

The disastrous decision taken by Belfast City Council in 2014 to outsource and privatise our leisure centres has now be proven to be undemocratic with revelations revealed in last Wednesdays council meeting. 

The decision to outsource/privatise our publicly owned leisure centres from Belfast City Council to Greenwich Leisure Limited (a supposed ‘social enterprise’) was met with fierce criticism and protest from communities in 2014. Despite this, many Belfast councillors voted to plough ahead and turn over all 16 leisure centres and sites to GLL. 

With news that GLL are attempting to implement a cost increase across leisure services next year, the meeting involved a mention of the outcome of a legal opinion which had ruled that GLL was automatically entitled, under the contract arrangements, to increase leisure charges in line with the annual increase in the consumer price index, without seeking approval from anyone. 

Belfast City Council solicitor John Walsh stated: “It will be no surprise to members, and I have said this before, this is an arm’s length legal arrangement, so legal control of this rests with GLL. So you may have an opinion on it, but ultimately in my view it is perverse to bring it back, because you can’t change anything.” 

Following last week’s council meeting Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Pádraic Mac Coitir commented: “As bad as the situation already was with workers conditions, job losses and rising prices, the revelations from Belfast City Council’s solicitor on Wednesday shows the situation to be much worse.”

“At a time when working class communities are under attack with cuts to benefits, increased housing and energy costs alongside wage stagnation, the idea that costs should be increased is completely wrong. The revelations that Belfast City Councillors are now legally powerless to actually prevent this price increase shows how incorrect this whole undemocratic ‘partnership’ was to begin with. For those who opposed this deal in 2014, we have been proven to be correct.”

Pádraic said, “We call on Belfast City Council to take back control of our leisure centres from GLL/Better to end this disastrous and undemocratic ‘partnership’, these leisure centres belong in the hands of the people not a ‘social enterprise’.”

ENDS

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26 Nov
0

As children die in the English channel, humanity dies with them.

by in Imperialism, International

As children die in the English channel, humanity dies with them.

In recent days deaths in the English channel have made headlines as human beings flee poverty and war, and seek a better life elsewhere. Among the dead were families, including young children and babies.

‘Tragedy at sea’ is how the British press have collectively labelled the British government policy of offering no assistance to the families perishing in the English channel.

Just generations ago, as tens of thousands of soldiers fled a fascist blitzkrieg during the second world war, the same state rallied thousands of boats to collect troops from the same beaches from which families are now climbing into barely floating rubber dinghies, having paid their life savings for the benefit.

That same state now proactively ignores the plight of those that cry out in the direction of the English town of Dover for help, as they sink lifeless, children in arms, to the sea floor.

Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Pádraic MacCoitir commented:

“Over the past number of years we have seen many tragic cases of people crossing dangerous waters such as the Mediterranean Sea and English channel. Too many women, men and children have perished and what we get from European governments and their ministers are crocodile tears.”

“The majority of people crossing are escaping from war zones and seeking a safer place for themselves and their families. Those war zones are in countries such as Libya, Syria, Afghanistan which are bombarded almost every day by the same countries that deny entry for those wanting out. Millions of people have been forced to flee and unfortunately there’s no hope in sight.”

“As we see scenes of people in dinghies we hear the usual racist comments from some who say they shouldn’t try to go to other countries for safety.”

Pádraic continued, “Irish people know all about being forced to leave these shores at times such as An Gorta Mór. Did they want to leave villages and towns where they were born and raised? Of course not. The same is true for those risking their lives as they leave the countries they love.”

ENDS

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22 Nov
0

Belfast Honours Winifred Carney

by in Commemorative

Belfast Honours Winifred Carney

Upwards of 50 people attended a commemoration in Milltown cemetery on Saturday [20th November 2021], organised by the socialist republican group Lasair Dhearg, to mark the seventy-eighth anniversary of the death of Winifred Carney. Carney was a lifelong and unapologetic socialist, trade unionist and republican. She died on November 21st 1943. 

A short parade, led by a Republican colour party, took place from the gates of Milltown cemetery to Winifred Carney’s graveside. 

Once assembled at the grave Nicola Nic Gabhann, chairing the event, welcomed those in attendance and spoke of the importance of honouring Irish revolutionary women. Following a minute’s silence, which was impeccably observed, a wreath was laid on behalf of Lasair Dhearg by Martine Jackson. 

Lasair Dhearg Derry member Alannagh Doherty then proceeded to give the main oration. Providing an overview of Carneys life; including her time as a suffragist, a teacher and a trade unionist, her time as a member of Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army and detailing her stand alongside James Connolly and her other comrades in the GPO in Dublin in 1916. 

Concluding, Alannagh stated: “Carneys story was one of community, struggle and liberation for all.” 

Nicola Nic Gabhann then asked the crowd assembled for order before Amhrán na bhFiann was played.  On behalf of Lasair Dhearg Nicola then thanked those who played a part in the commemoration and those in attendance. 

Ar aghaidh linn le chéile

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21 Nov
0

Irish Language Impasse shows Stormont Can’t Deliver!

by in 100YearsPartition, Imperialism, Stormont Can't Deliver

Irish Language Impasse shows Stormont Can’t Deliver!

Tuesday 16th of November saw more than 50 Irish Language Advocacy groups come together to call on British Secretary of State Brandon Lewis to ‘immediately move Irish language legislation at Westminster’. 

As these groups gathered at the Cultúrlann on the Falls Road on to highlight their campaign, the British government was refusing to commit to any timeframe and said it had nothing further to add to last month’s statement. 

Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh of campaign group An Dream Dearg said the letter published by these groups sent a “very clear message” to Mr Lewis. 

“The secretary of state gave a very clear and unambiguous commitment in June of this year that if Stormont failed to implement Irish language legislation by September, the British government would do so at Westminster by October,”  

“We are now in the middle of November and to date no Irish language legislation has been moved at Westminster.” 

“All deadlines to date have passed, and still we wait. Community confidence is now incredibly low,” it states. 

“The days of Irish speakers being treated as second class citizens here are now over.” 

Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Aindriú Mac Ruaidhrí commenting on the situation stated: 

“More than two decades ago in the Good Friday Agreement and in the subsequent 2006 St Andrews Agreement, a commitment was made to take action to promote and protect the Irish language. The British Secretary of State Brandon Lewis said in June of this year that the necessary legislation would be delivered in October.” 

“After years of countless delays, false promises and statements of ‘no return to the status quo’ we are still in a situation where Irish Language speakers in the Six Counties are denied their very basic language rights. Despite multiple election cycles and hundreds of millions of pounds being spent on the circus of the Stormont Executive, the fact that Irish Language advocacy groups are required to campaign to the British Secretary of State, it is clear that Stormont Can’t Deliver on basic rights.” 

“The Irish Language has been denied official recognition in the Six Counties solely for sectarian reasons and this is copper-fastened by partition and the Unionist veto. New Decade New Approach, as predicted by many, has evidently turned into New Decade Same Old Approach.” 

ENDS

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19 Nov
0

‘Support Workers in Struggle this Winter’ – Pól Torbóid

by in Imperialism, KnowYourRights, Stormont Can't Deliver

‘Support Workers in Struggle this Winter’ – Pól Torbóid

Yesterday (18th of November) saw the successful resolution of an industrial dispute with workers at Glen Dimplex LTD based in Portadown. Despite Glen Dimplex LTD having a turnover of £659m in 2020, they offered workers in Portadown an insulting pay offer to an overworked workforce whose pay was already below other manufacturing sites locally. At a time when the Glen Dimplex workforce was working on equipment to ensure the heating of homes, the poverty pay from this company was putting workers’ ability to heat their own homes in doubt.

Following Unite the Unions efforts in agitating for industrial action, the workers engaged in three days of strike action last week demanding a £1 per hour increase alongside payment recognition for workers’ service throughout the pandemic. This strike action from the workers gained an improved inflation busting 13.5% pay increase alongside the recognition payment which workers voted 67% to accept. This victory for the Glen Dimplex workers shows militant trade unionism pays off.

Wednesday 1st of December will see staff at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University engage in three days of strike action in a dispute over pay and pensions.  While a recent report by the Office for Students shows total remuneration for vice chancellor’s averages £269k, staff pay has fallen by 20% after twelve years of below inflation pay offers and one third of academic staff are on insecure contracts. The union is asking for pension cuts to be revoked; and for employers to improve their pay offer and commit to meaningful agreements and action on casualisation, workload, and equality pay gaps. But employers are currently refusing to revoke pension cuts or to even acknowledge issues like casualisation.

Dublin City Council have been threatened with a ‘full-blown dispute’ in recent weeks and a potential strike if staffing issues are not fixed in the Dublin Fire Brigade. The staff shortages have been described as a ‘crisis’ that puts fire fighters in danger when out on operations and understaffed. The number of staff within Dublin Fire Brigade is 31 below the 965 minimum that was agreed by the Unions, DCC and Dublin Fire Brigade Management in the Work Relations Commission as far back as 2015. The staff shortages mean that 20% of shifts over the last six months were so understaffed that at least one appliance had to be out of service.

Talks with management and Dublin City Council have subsequently broken down and the firefighters have now taken their issues to the Health and Safety Authority, with potential strike action pending. It has been reported that Stations were down fire engines  in Rathfarnham, Dolphins Barn, Kilbarrack, Finglas, Swords, North Strand and Tara Street in recent days, with personnel subsequently diverted from river rescue to Finglas fire station to cover staff shortages.

The gap between the have and have nots grows greater year on year, any worker engaging in action to decrease wealth inequality and improving workplace pay and conditions is deserving of our support.

Lasair Dhearg spokesperson Pól Torbóid commenting on the Glen Dimplex dispute and upcoming strike action in Belfast and Dublin, urged support for workers.

“The workers at Glen Dimplex should be commended for the action they have taken to improve their pay, especially in the current economic climate.”

 “The workers in Glen Dimplex, Queens & Ulster University, and Dublin Fire Brigade deserve the support of all socialists, republicans and progressives, and we hope that the matters will be resolved to their satisfaction. Yesterday also saw Unite the Union representatives at Ulster Carpets based in Portadown announce they are balloting for an all out strike to secure pay justice for their members. These workers have shown us all the need for a militant trade unionism in post pandemic times when workers’ rights and conditions are in the firing line”

In conclusion, Pól said, “As we move into 2022 a new political, economic and social order is required right across both failed statelets in Ireland to bring radical, meaningful and effective improvement to the lives of working class people. Militant trade unionism is a key part of this, it is our duty to support workers in struggle.”

ENDS

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15 Nov
0

‘The Typist with the Webley’ – Winifred Carney to be remembered in Belfast

by in Commemorative

‘The Typist with the Webley’ – Winifred Carney to be remembered in Belfast

1916 Rising volunteer Winifred Carney is to be commemorated in Belfast this week with a gathering at Milltown Cemetery on Saturday at 1PM.

The Irish Citizen Army Volunteer, who hailed from the Falls Road, is well known for the role she played during Easter week at the side of James Connolly, and was said to be armed with ‘a typewriter and a Webley revolver’ as they entered Dublin’s GPO.

Nicola Nic Gabhann, who is organising the event on behalf of Lasair Dhearg said, “Alongside Delia Larkin, Winnie founded the Irish Textile Workers’ Union in Belfast in 1911, aligning with and becoming a sister organisation to Connolly and Larkins Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union. By 1912 she would come to lead the organisation as its secretary, working to win women into the ranks of the union. It was here that she met James Connolly.”

“During the Dublin Lockout of 1913, she was instrumental in fundraising for the striking workers, and it was during the following year that she, along with nine others, founded Cumann na mBan – where she went on to gain a reputation as a first aider and a proficient sharpshooter.”

“By 29 years of age, the 1916 Rising was afoot, and Winnie, now Connolly’s personal secretary, held the rank of Adjutant in the Irish Citizen Army.”

“In the days before the Rising she worked late into the night at Liberty Hall preparing mobilisation orders and officersʼ commissions for the Irish Citizen Army. On Easter Monday, as hundreds of women and men made preparations to seize positions across Dublin, she typed out the mobilisation orders for the four city battalions of what was now the unified Army of the Irish Republic. The following days would go down in the history books.”

“After the Rising and the execution of several prominent organisers, Winnie refused to ever trade on her relationship with Connolly, and was determined never to romanticise the events of 1916. Resolute in her principles she always argued that, given the circumstances, the Rising had been the right thing to do.”

“She found herself on the right side of history after the treaty, as she sided with the anti-treaty forces, being arrested on a number of occasions, and eventually interned in Armagh Gaol. An outspoken critic of the Free State, she remained politically active in the face of attacks from both unionist gangs like the ‘Dawson Bates Drumming clubs’ and the might of the catholic Church.”

Nicola added, “Winifred Carney died on the 21st of November 1943 – she was a suffragist, a teacher and a trade unionist, a member of Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army. 

“Join us to remember Winnie and the role she played in the fight for Irish freedom, this Saturday at 1PM, at the gates of Milltown Cemetery.”

ENDS

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04 Nov
0

Video: ‘Drugs, Addiction & Decriminalisation’ – Public talk, Derry

by in Smash Leinster House, Stormont Can't Deliver

Video: ‘Drugs, Addiction & Decriminalisation’ – Public talk, Derry

The full video from our public talk in Derry as we discussed our recent policy entitled, ‘Drugs, Addiction & Decriminalisation’.

Speakers included:
Chair – Caolán Doherty, Lasair Dhearg
Derry Frankie Healy, Drugs Safety Activist
Nicola Nic Gabhann, Lasair Dhearg Belfast
Gary Donnelly, Derry City Councillor

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