Republicans confront criminal gangs in show of solidarity with McCabe family

IN A SHOW OF SOLIDARITY with the McCabe family, republicans from across the country travelled to south Armagh to tell the criminals behind the attack which left Francis McCabe Junior badly injured last week that their activities are a disgrace.

While the gathering, on Sunday March 1, was organised to mark the 27th anniversary of the deaths of IRA Volunteers Brendan Burns and Brendan Moley, killed on active service in 1988, south Armagh republicans, with the permission of the families of the fallen Volunteers, agreed that it would also show support for the McCabe family and other people from the area facing intimidation and threat from so-called 'republican dissidents'.

Aidan Moley, a brother of Brendan's, addressed the crowd and, in no uncertain terms, told the thugs responsible for the attack on the McCabe family to “get off the backs of the people”.

Among the large crowd, estimated at 1,000 to 1,500 strong, were members of the McCabe family family, including Frank Senior, a republican of long standing in the south Armagh area.

Again in an uncompromising speech he told the “gangsters” who are masquerading as republicans that their only aspirations were to “make money”.

He dismissed their attempt to give themselves legitimacy by styling themselves the 'South Armagh Brigade' when he stated “there was only one South Armagh Brigade”.

The spontaneous applause reinforced his dismissal of these gangs, especially as those in the crowd from Cork, Dublin, Derry, Tyrone, Monaghan, Belfast and many other counties across the country were people who were and still are in the leadership of the struggle.

One of those, Conor Murphy MP, has been singled out and attacked by these thugs, targeted for demanding that the people of his Newry & Mourne constituency get the proper policing they deserve.

Also targeted was Cullyhanna man Michael Bellew, who was shot and beaten in November last year after gangsters using the name Óglaigh na hÉireann accused him of being a 'tout'.

And the bombing that left Francis McCabe junior with the serious injuries which may result in him losing an eye occurred on Wednesday 25 February as he tore down a poster branding respected south Armagh republican Micéal Caraher a “tout”.

Sunday's show of republican solidarity with the McCabe family and others will send out the message to those masquerading as republicans that their lie is exposed.

It also exposes those in the political establishments and media, North and South, who are peddling the nonsense that the fuel launderers and cigarette smugglers represent republicanism in the south Armagh area.

They fear the rise of Sinn Féin and the real message of republicanism and its challenge to the status quo built on privilege and exploitation.

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