18 June 1998 Edition

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London republicans face the future

By Fern Lane

Several hundred London-based republican activists gathered on Saturday 13 June for the Wolfe Tone Society's annual James Connolly/Bobby Sands commemoration and to celebrate the bi-centennial of the 1798 Rebellion.

Caoimhghín O Caoláin TD told the conference that, 200 years on, Irish Republicanism still held to the same fundamental principles which Wolfe Tone, inspired by the French Revolution, had advanced; liberty, equality and fraternity.

But, he went on, ``the challenge for Irish Republicans today is to recognise the needs of the time and adapt our strategy to maximum effect. Keeping our eyes firmly on our ultimate aim of Irish unity and independence, we must expand on to new political ground, all the time increasing our strength.''

As always, however, there remains ``a combination of British securocrats and hard-line unionists who abhor the idea of fundamental change... There are many within unionism who wish to rebuild the decommissioning issue as a barrier to the full and equal participation of Sinn Fein in the new political structures. These unionists have strong allies within the British civil service in the north... They have allies also among the securocrats in the British Army and RUC who have a strong vested interest in maintaining the status quo.''

In a question-and-answer session Caoimhghín invited people to ask any question they wished, no matter how difficult, because ``believe me, there is nothing you can ask us, no question at all which we have not asked ourselves about this whole process''.

He commended the role of Martin McGuinness, particularly during the early stages of negotiations with the Conservative Government. ``I wish I could have swapped places with any of you during those meetings,'' Caoimhghín said, ``so that you could have seen just how well and how powerfully our case was argued by our Chief Negotiator''.

Also attending the day's activities was former POW Tom Holland who took part in a lively workshop on the role of prisoners in the peace process and addressed the main rally on the release of prisoners.

Quoting from the song `Joe McDonnell' he said, ``And you dare to call me a terrorist while you look down your gun'', pointing out that ``if there was any justice at all in the six counties, the Police Federation would be at the forefront of a Saoirse campaign.'' Real justice, he said, would have meant that RUC officers routinely engaged in murder, torture and collusion with Loyalist death squads would have been imprisoned. The reality is, however, than not one of them has been required to answer for their crimes.

Labour MP John McDonald told the audience that reform of the RUC was not acceptable; the only viable option is to disband it completely. He also condemned efforts by both unionists and the Conservative Party to make the release of prisoners conditional on the decommissioning of weapons.

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