Pseudo gangs, the media and the dark legacy of Frank Kitson
On Sunday January 6 Republicans from throughout
Munster and other parts of Ireland gathered in Limerick for the annual
Seán Sabhat commemoration organised by Republican Sinn Fein. Little did
we think that the scene was being set for the playing out of a Kitsonian
melodrama, but more of that later.
To begin with a very fitting ceremony was held at the Republican Plot in Mount St Lawrence including a fine oration delivered by Geraldine McNamara of Co Tipperary, the National Publicity Officer of Republican Sinn Féin. All in all it was a dignified tribute to the memory of a noble Irish patriot.
Sadly the day was marred by the activities of a small gang who have, since May of 2010, been actively attempting to steal both our identity and good name. I am conscious of the accusation that to talk or write about them is to give them an attention that they do not deserve and indeed some would say an attention they crave after. It is a point I would largely agree with but there are times when certain facts need to be placed on the public record.
This we have not flinched from doing in the past and indeed will do so again in the future if we deem it necessary to vindicate the good name of Republicanism and in protecting it from the calumny of such groupings. However, it is the actions of the media that I wish to discuss here and their collaboration with this gang in an act of identity theft. I will begin by giving a brief account of the events as they unfolded in the days following the commemoration. The Irish Independent on Monday January 7 in its print and online editions gave prominent position to the event staged by the Limerick gang, smearing the good name of Republican Sinn Féin in the process.
A phone call to the newsroom of the Irish Independent was followed by an email. However instead of simply returning our call, in what appears to have been a rather convoluted process, our email was passed on to the Limerick Leader, who did at least have the courtesy to contact us. That evening RTÉ television’s main news programme Six One News carried what was essentially the earlier report of the Irish Independent.
The RTÉ newsroom was immediately contacted and informed that the event reported in their news bulletin was not organised by Republican Sinn Féin. A statement was also sent to RTÉ as well as all other national print, broadcast and online media. Despite a demand that the later nine o’clock news bulletin carry our statement, the only concession to truth made by RTÉ was to drop the name of Republican Sinn Féin from the later bulletin. It took them a further two hours to amend the report on their website, and this involved merely including a couple of lines referring to a comments made by a “spokesman” from Republican Sinn Féin.
The rest of the report persisted with the lie that Republican Sinn Féin had organised the event. The online news service, The Journal.ie, carried the statement in full. Despite this wide dissemination of our statement, the Irish Independent, the Irish Times and the Evening Herald all continued to spread the big lie in their editions on Tuesday, January 8. Once more the Irish Independent was contacted and a statement and letter released.
It was only at lunchtime on the Tuesday that the Irish Independent even deigned to contact us. Over the course of two days the Irish media displayed an almost total disregard for truth or accuracy in their reportage. Based on previous experience if the media really believed this event had been organised by us they would have been more than forthcoming in seeking comments, interviews etc.
The fact that the only contact made by the media was in response to contact we made with them, and that largely of the token variety, is itself very telling. The most disturbing aspect of this entire charade is that the media were willing to propagate this lie for days while paying little or no regard to the principles of accuracy, truth and balance.
Gangs such as the one at the centre of this story fit the criteria of the infamous ‘pseudo gang’ concept, first devised by General Frank Kitson of the British Army. They made their first appearance in British occupied Kenya in the 1950s. Since then their effectiveness has been honed and perfected by the British in various theatres of operation, from the Six Counties to Iraq. The South African apartheid regime used such gangs to discredit the ANC.
These state sponsored gangs work to an agenda designed to both discredit the true revolutionary movement in the eyes of the people and at the same time sow seeds of doubt and division in the ranks of the legitimate movement. Frank Kitson has indeed bequeathed a dark legacy to the world and in Ireland it seems there are those who are all too willing to implement his strategy. Vigilance and care are called for as seldom.
To begin with a very fitting ceremony was held at the Republican Plot in Mount St Lawrence including a fine oration delivered by Geraldine McNamara of Co Tipperary, the National Publicity Officer of Republican Sinn Féin. All in all it was a dignified tribute to the memory of a noble Irish patriot.
Sadly the day was marred by the activities of a small gang who have, since May of 2010, been actively attempting to steal both our identity and good name. I am conscious of the accusation that to talk or write about them is to give them an attention that they do not deserve and indeed some would say an attention they crave after. It is a point I would largely agree with but there are times when certain facts need to be placed on the public record.
This we have not flinched from doing in the past and indeed will do so again in the future if we deem it necessary to vindicate the good name of Republicanism and in protecting it from the calumny of such groupings. However, it is the actions of the media that I wish to discuss here and their collaboration with this gang in an act of identity theft. I will begin by giving a brief account of the events as they unfolded in the days following the commemoration. The Irish Independent on Monday January 7 in its print and online editions gave prominent position to the event staged by the Limerick gang, smearing the good name of Republican Sinn Féin in the process.
A phone call to the newsroom of the Irish Independent was followed by an email. However instead of simply returning our call, in what appears to have been a rather convoluted process, our email was passed on to the Limerick Leader, who did at least have the courtesy to contact us. That evening RTÉ television’s main news programme Six One News carried what was essentially the earlier report of the Irish Independent.
The RTÉ newsroom was immediately contacted and informed that the event reported in their news bulletin was not organised by Republican Sinn Féin. A statement was also sent to RTÉ as well as all other national print, broadcast and online media. Despite a demand that the later nine o’clock news bulletin carry our statement, the only concession to truth made by RTÉ was to drop the name of Republican Sinn Féin from the later bulletin. It took them a further two hours to amend the report on their website, and this involved merely including a couple of lines referring to a comments made by a “spokesman” from Republican Sinn Féin.
The rest of the report persisted with the lie that Republican Sinn Féin had organised the event. The online news service, The Journal.ie, carried the statement in full. Despite this wide dissemination of our statement, the Irish Independent, the Irish Times and the Evening Herald all continued to spread the big lie in their editions on Tuesday, January 8. Once more the Irish Independent was contacted and a statement and letter released.
It was only at lunchtime on the Tuesday that the Irish Independent even deigned to contact us. Over the course of two days the Irish media displayed an almost total disregard for truth or accuracy in their reportage. Based on previous experience if the media really believed this event had been organised by us they would have been more than forthcoming in seeking comments, interviews etc.
The fact that the only contact made by the media was in response to contact we made with them, and that largely of the token variety, is itself very telling. The most disturbing aspect of this entire charade is that the media were willing to propagate this lie for days while paying little or no regard to the principles of accuracy, truth and balance.
Gangs such as the one at the centre of this story fit the criteria of the infamous ‘pseudo gang’ concept, first devised by General Frank Kitson of the British Army. They made their first appearance in British occupied Kenya in the 1950s. Since then their effectiveness has been honed and perfected by the British in various theatres of operation, from the Six Counties to Iraq. The South African apartheid regime used such gangs to discredit the ANC.
These state sponsored gangs work to an agenda designed to both discredit the true revolutionary movement in the eyes of the people and at the same time sow seeds of doubt and division in the ranks of the legitimate movement. Frank Kitson has indeed bequeathed a dark legacy to the world and in Ireland it seems there are those who are all too willing to implement his strategy. Vigilance and care are called for as seldom.
Challenge the powerful and rouse the down trodden
New Year Statement from the Leadership of Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin extends fraternal New Year greetings to friends, comrades and supporters in Ireland and internationally. Millions of working-class people in Ireland and across Europe will greet the coming year with a sense of fear and foreboding. The recent budget announced by the 26-County Administration shows that the unrelenting policy of austerity - dictated by their political masters in Brussels - is not only to be continued but increased, squeezing all sections of our people beyond breaking-point. In the eyes of the political class and their media cheerleaders the working poor and unemployed, the elderly and the young are all expendable. The very concept of a society which can educate its young and care for its sick and elderly is being sacrificed on the altar of the EU’s political and economic ideology of centralised authoritarianism and finance capitalism.
The decision by the British Government to host the G8 Summit in Co Fermanagh on June 17 and 18 is highly symbolic and presents an opportunity for progressive forces to make the important connection between the old imperialism in the shape of British occupation of the Six Counties and the new imperialism represented by the economic colonisation of the 26 Counties by the EU/ECB/IMF troika. Republican Sinn Féin will be holding an alternative Anti-Imperialist Forum on the weekend before the G8 summit to present national as well as international alternatives to these twin imperialisms.
For Irish Republicans our struggle is both political and economic, anything less would be to ignore the reality of imperialism and consequently to dilute our revolutionary programme. As with James Connolly we believe that it is not enough to merely remove the physical presence of imperialism in the form of British military occupation without creating a New Ireland based on real political and economic democracy; an All-Ireland Federal Democratic Socialist Republic. Ninety years after the death of Liam Mellows his teaching has never been more relevant: “If the Irish people do not control Irish industries, transport, money and soil of the country, then foreign or domestic capitalists will. And whoever control the wealth of a country and processes by which wealth is attained control also its government.”
In the Six Counties the process of normalising British Rule continues with the designation of Derry as a “UK City of Culture”. Republican Sinn Féin will be actively opposing this hijacking of the historic Doire Colmcille throughout 2013. The recent revelations arising from the discredited de Silva report into the murder of Belfast human rights lawyer Pat Finucane by a British backed loyalist death-squad, exposes the true face of British rule in Ireland.
Today nothing has changed; last year saw an increase in the repression of Republicans and 2013 promises more of the same. We will be once more campaigning for the unconditional release of political internee Martin Corey as well as veteran Republican Marian Price. We take this opportunity to extend New Year’s greetings to the Republican POWs in Maghaberry Prison and pledge them our unstinting support in the latest phase of their fight for political status. By suspending their protest the POWs have placed a serious onus on the Six-County Justice Minister David Ford and the Six-County Prison Service to speedily implement in full the August 2010 Agreement.
As the centenary of the historic 1916 Rising approaches, other important centenaries must also be marked. Next year will see three significant centenaries all of which carry a pressing relevance for the Ireland of today. Next August will mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the heroic 1913 Lockout when Irish workers struck a telling blow in the universal fight for human dignity and freedom. The coming year will also mark the centenaries of the founding of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, both of which would combine in 1916 to form the Irish Republican Army. All will be fittingly marked.
For those who doubt the potency and power of history one has only to consider the words of the filmmaker George Morrison in reference to his masterful Mise Éire film covering the revolutionary period in Ireland from the 1890s to 1918: “ I regard Mise Éire as being a great anti-imperialist document.” History, if utilised correctly, can awaken and inspire the brightest and best of a generation to the possibilities of radical change in the present and the future.
We must resist all attempts to sanitise and package our history in a way that will rob it of its meaning and message for the Ireland of today. Rather than merely commemorating the past we must set out a programme for the future that will challenge the powerful and rouse the down trodden. As Connolly warned a national movement must prove itself capable of: “Formulating a distinct and definite answer to the problems of the present and a political and economic creed capable of adjustment to the wants of the future.”
We appeal to the Irish people to awaken to the realisation that they possess the power to bring about true political and economic change, not the chattering classes in Leinster House. Electing politicians to the corrupt Lenister House institution will not deliver the revolutionary change that is demanded by the present political and economic conditions. As the only political organisation which rejects the two partition states in their entirety, Republican Sinn Féin is best positioned to lead the struggle for a New Ireland worthy of the ideals set out in the 1916 Proclamation.
An Ireland which would harness our natural resources for the betterment of this and future generations, an Ireland which would truly “cherish all the children of the national equally”. In the lead up to 2016 we will be unveiling a series of seven specific polices covering areas such as natural resources, banking, economic development etc, all based on our political, social and economic polices ÉIRE NUA and SAOL NUA. We can only truly honour the men and women of 1916 by making the All-Ireland Republic of Easter Week a reality for all sections of our people.
In 2013 let the slogan of the 1913 Lockout ring in our ears: “The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise.”
An Phoblacht Abú!
Statement in French . . .
Statement in Spanish . . .
Grey Abbey Martyrs: Speech by Seán Dolan
A cairde,
This day last week some of us here today were in Wynns Hotel in Dublin to mark the ruthless executions of Rory O Connor, Liam Mellows, Joe McKelvey and Richard ‘Dick’ Barrett, which had occurred 90 years ago to that day.
Today, here in Grey Abbey Cemetery we are to pay homage to those now immortalised as the Grey Abbey Martyrs, their names are as follows, Patrick Bagnall and Patrick Mangan, Fairgreen, Kildare. Joseph ‘Jackie’ Johnston, Station Road, Kildare. Brian Moore and Patrick Nolan, Rathbridge, Kildare. Stephen White, Abbey Street, Kildare and James O’Connor from Bansha in County Tipperary. These seven men all volunteers in the Irish Republican Army along with Comdt. Tom Behan were members of the Rathbride Column. They were captured by enemy Free State forces on the night of December the 13th 1922, in what was thought to be a dugout at Mooresbridge, not for from the Curragh. This dugout was in actual fact an unfinished tunnel leading to a nearby railway line.
Whilst captured they were found in possession of weaponry. They were subsequently brought before Free State military tribunal’s between the 13th and 18th of December where they were sentenced to death, they were found quilty of being in possession of arms without authorisation. Their executions took place on the 19th of December in the Glasshouse in the Curragh camp in what was the biggest official execution committed by pro-treaty forces during that period. In total 77 men were to meet this end during that ill fated year of 1922.
At the time of their capture there were ten in total taken in by the Free Staters. The seven named above were executed and Comdt Thomas Behan who had acted as Intelligence Officer in the Rathbride Column was murdered at the hands of the Free State forces on the 13th of December not long after they were caught. Annie Moore who was the sister of Brian Moore, one of the executed and who was also engaged to marry Paddy Nolan, who was also executed, later revealed the circumstances surrounding the death of Comdt. Tom Behan. She claimed that when the men surrendered Tom Behan was struck with a rifle butt and had his arm broken, later when the men were ordered into the back of a truck he could not climb aboard, at this point the Free Staters struck him again, this time on the head with the rifle butt and he died at the scene.
The Free State of course denied this, they claimed Behan was shot dead while trying to escape through a window in the Glasshouse. This was highly unliky, and has since been verified as a falsehood.
Comdt. General Tom Maguire who had been the patron of Republican Sinn Féin at the time of his death in 1993 described the Free State Army after his own capture in a dug-out in the Headford area of North County Galway during that period and I quote “It was then, that I really experienced the sort of mercenaries they were, ex-British Army soldiers, tramps and misfits of every conceivable type.” That quote is taken from Dílseacht a book which was written by the current RSF Patron and former President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and was the auto-biography of Comdt-General Tom Maguire. It went on to say that the Free State Army was over 50,000 strong at that time, armed and financed under an oath to the English crown it leaves us under no illusion to the lengths the British and their lackeys in Leinster House would go to suppress the Republic. It was through murder and coercion that the current 26 County State was founded. The morally corrupt basis of its founding has been carried through right to this day, coercion is still key to the survival of the 26 County State. This will not last forever, 90 years on we who are gathered here today are a testament that the principles and ideals which the Grey Abbey Martyrs gave up their lives for are still indeed relevant and are a source of great inspiration for a new un-purchased generation.
These men dedicated their lives to the cause of the All-Ireland Republic and died in its defence. The recent riots in Belfast and across the Six Counties as well as the latest revelations relating to the murder by a British backed loyalist death-squad of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, all point to the fact that only a full British withdrawal and the creation of a New Ireland north and south can deliver a just and lasting peace.
It does not take a genius to see the complete and utter failure partition has been, ever since England drew a line to suit its needs Ireland has in every generation seen bloodshed, even today we see how men and women continue to be locked away for years because they dare to assert their birthrights denied. A thesis could be written on any one area of negative impact that partition and occupation has brought to our shores. The great tragedy is that it is all avoidable. The great hope is that it may be avoided in the future when Ireland’s Independence is returned to the people.
Terence MacSwiney once said and I quote “Our principles are not to argue about or write about, or hold meetings about, but primarily to give us a rule of life”. So there we have it, Revolutionary Irish Socialist Republicanism is a lot more than a mere “ism” it is a way of life, ideas so revolutionary in there appeal that they seek to destroy all vestiges of domination by one class or country over another class or country. On behalf of Republican Sinn Féin here today and speaking on behalf of a new generation of republican activists I would like to make an appeal to the Irish people to rekindle in your souls the same high ideals and principles that were not a challenge but were instead second nature to that unbreakable generation of ’22. If each of us can do that then it will be a positive step towards reawakening the desire to reclaim the Irish Nation from the capitalists and the imperialists alike. It may be a long and hard road, but surely it is better to struggle for our rights than to struggly as we are lying down only to be walked all over by the beurocratic elite of the EU and the Brits in the six counties.
As far as the remnants of the British Empire are concerned the day will come when it is gone forever, and to hell with it. But we must redouble our efforts over this coming year, because when our enemies decided to make our City of Derry a so-called UK capital of culture they symbolically made it a battle ground for the hearts and minds of the Irish people. Republican Sinn Féin and the wider Republican Movement will be making our opposition heard, we will not tolerate this and we demand the support of the Irish people in opposing this disgraceful title. I encourage you support or join RSF and work towards Éire Nua; the only positive real alternative.
Continuity not Compromise.
Long live the All-Ireland Republic.
Grey Abbey Commemoration - Report
On Sunday December 16 in Kildare Town, Kildare Republican Sinn Féin held
a commemoration to mark the 90th anniversary of the executions of seven
soldiers of the Irish Republican Army by Free State Army. The
executions took place in the Glasshouse on the Curragh on December 19
1922. The commemoration began at 2 pm with a parade, led by a colour
party, from the Square in Kildare Town to Grey Abbey Cemetery. The
ceremony at the Republican Plot was chaired by the An tUachtarán
Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton and began with the laying of two
wreaths. Anne Origan, Newbridge, a grandniece of Commandant Bryan Moore,
laid the first wreath on behalf of Republican Sinn Féin. The second
wreath was laid by Kevin Kavanagh, Co Wexford, on behalf of the South
East Comhairle Ceantair of Republican Sinn Féin. This was followed by a
minute’s silence and a dipping of the flag. Róisín Hayden, Dublin, read
the Four Courts Proclamation, issued by the Republican leadership at the
beginning of the war in defence of the All-Ireland Republic of 1922-23.
Republican Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle member Seán Dolan, Co Westmeath gave the oration. He briefly outlined the events leading up to the executions of the seven IRA Volunteers. “These men dedicated their lives to the cause of the All-Ireland Republic and died in its defence. The recent riots in Belfast and across the Six Counties as well as the latest revelations relating to the murder by a British backed loyalist death-squad of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, all point to the fact that only a full British withdrawal and the creation of a New Ireland north and south can deliver a just and lasting peace.” Seán Dolan said.
The
seven members of the Rathbride Column executed were : Patrick Bagnall
and Patrick Mangan, Fairgreen, Kildare; Joseph Johnston, Station Road,
Kildare; Bryan Moore and Patrick Nolan, Rathbride, Kildare; Stephen
White, Abbey St. Kildare and James O’ Connor, Bansha, Co. Tipperary.
This was the single biggest execution of the civil war or
counter-revolution of 1922-23. An eighth member of the column,
Commandant Thomas Behan of Rathangan died at the scene of their capture
in Mooresbridge on December 12 1922 as a result of the beating he
received from Free State soldiers. The Free State Army later tried to
cover up his murder by claiming he was “shot while trying to escape”
from the Glass House. Finucane murder exposes reality of British Occupation
Statement by the President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton
The latest revelations regarding the murder of Belfast human rights lawyer Pat Finucane by a British-backed loyalist death squad in 1989 exposes the reality of British Occupation in Ireland. That the British Government was aware of the threat to Pat Finucane two months before his murder, a fact confirmed by journalist and author Ed Maloney, is particularly damning. We would share the view of the Finucane family that the De Silva Report is a: “…sham” and: “…a whitewash”, designed to protect the British Government and its institutions, including the covert intelligence force MI5.
As a result of the Stormont Agreement the position of MI5 in the Six Counties is now stronger than ever before. The Director of the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) Brian Gormally made the telling observation: “The reality is that MI5 – secret, unreformed and unaccountable – is now running one of the most sensitive areas of policing – covert national security.” This enhanced role includes the recruiting and running of agents like those who were instrumental in carrying the murder of Pat Finucane, such as Brian Nelson.
The De Silva Reports admits that 80% of the intelligence supplied to loyalist death squads came from the British Army’s notorious Force Research Unit or the RUC Special Branch. This merely underlines their role as another arm of the British Crown forces. The activites of the loyalist death squads are a classic example of the counter-insurgency tactics set out by senior British Army General, Sir Frank Kitson in his books Gangs and Counter-Gangs and Low Intensity Operations. The murder of Pat Finucane was carried out as part of just such a carefully directed campaign, designed to strike terror into the nationalist community. The British-backed loyalist death squad murder of lawyer Rosemary Nelson in 1999 also fits into this pattern.
The leopard does not change its spots, and as long as there is British occupation of any part of Ireland it will not hestitate to use such tactics on Irish people in the future.
The latest revelations regarding the murder of Belfast human rights lawyer Pat Finucane by a British-backed loyalist death squad in 1989 exposes the reality of British Occupation in Ireland. That the British Government was aware of the threat to Pat Finucane two months before his murder, a fact confirmed by journalist and author Ed Maloney, is particularly damning. We would share the view of the Finucane family that the De Silva Report is a: “…sham” and: “…a whitewash”, designed to protect the British Government and its institutions, including the covert intelligence force MI5.
As a result of the Stormont Agreement the position of MI5 in the Six Counties is now stronger than ever before. The Director of the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) Brian Gormally made the telling observation: “The reality is that MI5 – secret, unreformed and unaccountable – is now running one of the most sensitive areas of policing – covert national security.” This enhanced role includes the recruiting and running of agents like those who were instrumental in carrying the murder of Pat Finucane, such as Brian Nelson.
The De Silva Reports admits that 80% of the intelligence supplied to loyalist death squads came from the British Army’s notorious Force Research Unit or the RUC Special Branch. This merely underlines their role as another arm of the British Crown forces. The activites of the loyalist death squads are a classic example of the counter-insurgency tactics set out by senior British Army General, Sir Frank Kitson in his books Gangs and Counter-Gangs and Low Intensity Operations. The murder of Pat Finucane was carried out as part of just such a carefully directed campaign, designed to strike terror into the nationalist community. The British-backed loyalist death squad murder of lawyer Rosemary Nelson in 1999 also fits into this pattern.
The leopard does not change its spots, and as long as there is British occupation of any part of Ireland it will not hestitate to use such tactics on Irish people in the future.
First published on Des Dalton's Blog The Singing Flame...
Republican Resistance Calendar 2013
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Republican Resistance Calendar 2013
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90th anniversary of Grey Abbey martyrs
Kildare Republican Sinn Féin will be marking the
90th anniversary of the execution of seven soldiers of the Irish
Republican Army with a commemoration in Kildare Town on Sunday December
16. The Free State Army executed the men in the Glasshouse on the
Curragh on December 19 1922. The seven were: Patrick Bagnall and Patrick
Mangan, Fairgreen, Kildare; Joseph Johnston, Station Road, Kildare;
Bryan Moore and Patrick Nolan, Rathbride, Kildare; Stephen White, Abbey
St. Kildare and James O’ Connor, Bansha, Co. Tipperary. This was the
single biggest execution of the civil war or counter-revolution of
1922-23.
Those taking part will assemble in the square in Kildare Town at 2pm and march from there to the Republican Plot in Grey Abbey cemetery. Republican Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle member Sean Dolan, Co Westmeath will give the oration.
Those taking part will assemble in the square in Kildare Town at 2pm and march from there to the Republican Plot in Grey Abbey cemetery. Republican Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle member Sean Dolan, Co Westmeath will give the oration.
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