"King:...He
has chosen death:
Refusing to eat or drink, that he may bring
Disgrace upon me; for there is a custom,
An old and foolish custom; that if a man
Be wronged, or think that he is wronged,
And starve upon another's threshold till he die,
The Common People, for all time to come,
Will raise a heavy cry against that threshold,
Even though it be the King's."
- The King's Threshold by W.B. Yeats
"It is not those who inflict
the most but those who endure the most who will
conquer in the end." -
Terence McSwiney
|
|
At
present, I am in the process of coordinating a twenty-four
hour hunger strike for myself that will take place
from 2:00PM Saturday August 7th until 2:00PM August
8th outside of the building in Cambridge, MA (just
outside of Boston, MA) that houses the British Consulate-General.
I am currently working with the appropriate state
and city departments in order to secure the necessary
temporary permits and I do not foresee any serious
complications in this vein. Almost on a parallel track,
I am attempting to publicize my effort and raise funds.
From the funds raised a token donation will be made
to support the good work of Cabhair and the remainder
will be donated directly to the families of Irish
Republican POWs. It’s as simple as that.
I fully understand and appreciate the differences,
oftentimes subtle but sometimes more pointed, between
various Irish and Irish-American Republican groupings
but what I am attempting to do here cuts across all
lines and necessitates the active, not passive, support
of all those who would call themselves an Irish Republican
activist, supporter or sympathizer. My hunger strike
will highlight the prison situation for the Republican
POWs within the Free State penal facility that is
Portlaoise Gaol. My efforts here are not exclusively
dedicated to the volunteers on one particular landing
but rather all of them. The recent conditions placed
on Michael McKevitt’s petition for compassionate
parole to attend his late mother’s wake and funeral
were outrageous and a backdoor attempt to criminalize
Republicanism. As we all know, some only too well,
Republican POWs will never acquiesce to such actions
and I can only pray that some just and equitable resolution
will be negotiated sooner rather than later for the
sake of all those involved. My hunger strike will
bring attention to the abysmal, deplorable and reprehensible
treatment that is meted out on a daily basis to the
Republican POWs at Maghaberry Gaol in the occupied
six counties. The strike will be an opportunity to
pull back the curtain and reveal the true intentions
and machinations of the Prison Officers Association
and the Prison Service of Northern Ireland as concerns
the Republican men and women caged there in inhuman
conditions. Are the screws most likely still bitter
about the protracted Republican Dirty Protest of 2003
and the subsequent Steele Report that recommended
a program of separation? Yes. Does that juvenile and
indignant attitude justify, excuse or warrant the
retaliation and abuse directed at Republicans? No,
of course not. Should all people of good will work
to rectify this situation? Absolutely, and I would
hope that people will be able to put their personal
political beliefs temporarily aside, such as whether
the Good Friday Agreement is a stepping stone toward
freedom for Ireland or merely a British pacification
tool to cement the status quo, and rally to the support
of the Irishmen and Irishwomen who still linger behind
a prison wall. If for no other reason, someone must
champion their basic human rights and if not you and
I, then who?
I implore the readership of The Blanket to
please do what you can to support the POWs, support
their families and loved ones, and support my hunger
strike for those in need. I operate on two principles
in matters such as these; accountability and transparency.
I encourage people to contact me if you have any questions
whatsoever and I will address each one. I may be reached
by email at mkavanah@yahoo.com.
Please circulate this information to your family,
friends, colleagues and compatriots. I hope to change
the status quo and I am asking for your help. Tiocfaidh
ar La.
"It is not good enough to believe in a
free Ireland if we are not prepared to go out and
get it. Those who call themselves republican yet
do not carry out republican activity are not true
Republicans. ...it does not matter one bit how loudly
you proclaim your Republican credentials, what matters
is what activity you engage in to forward the Republican
cause." - Fergal Moore 2003
Index: Current Articles + Latest News and Views + Book Reviews +
Letters + Archives
|
