'1913 can be the inspiration for a new republic based on social justice' – Gerry Adams

'100 years after the Lockout, this state is one of only three EU member states in which workers have no legislated right to workplace representation'

1913 can be the inspiration for a new republic based on social justice, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adms TD said in a statement marking the centenary of Bloody Sunday 1913.

The republican leader said:

"Today we mark the centenary of Bloody Sunday 1913, one of the key events of the Great Lockout of 1913.

“100 years after the Lockout, this state is one of only three EU member states in which workers have no legislated right to workplace representation.

"Irish workers deserve the legal protection of the government, particularly a government with a Labour Party component. What is the point of Labour in government if not to protect working families?

"These are difficult times for Irish citizens. The working people of this county, north and south, nationalist and unionist, need to hear an alternative to austerity and the right wing ideology underpinning many of our political and media institutions.

"There is a battle of ideas to be won and an alternative to be forged. Trade union leaders and the trade union movement must be part of this.

"The Lockout showed the courage and fighting spirit of the working people of Dublin in 1913. They chose to resist rather than submit. They showed the way forward.

"In Ireland today, parents defending children with disabilities, frontline workers defending each other and vital public services, carers, teachers, health workers – citizens who are standing up for themselves and their communities – are showing the way forward.

"Today's commemorative events should not merely be about remembering the past. They must also be an inspiration for action today.

"Together, through unity of purpose and - inspired by the example of the ordinary working men and women of 1913 – we can build a New Republic on this island – a real republic based on social justice and equality, where the interests of citizens come first. That is Sinn Féin's  aim."

More Lockout community commemoration photos by Michael Nolan at http://flic.kr/s/aHsjHSh6uD