Off With Their Beards In the phraseology of politics, a party too indifferent to the sorrow and sufferings of humanity to raise its voice in protest, is a moderate, practical party; whilst a party totally indifferent to the personality of leaders, or questions of leadership, but not to enthusiasm on every question affecting the well-being of the toiling masses, is an extreme, a dangerous party. - James Connolly Brendan Hughes • 17 January 2002 We learned this week that the Yanks had shaved off the beards of their Taliban prisoners. Not a new tactic. The Brits did it with us in the H-Blocks in 1978. Why? The blanket protest, no-wash, no shaving was a way in which we could highlight our case to the wider world that we were not criminals. We lay unwashed, we grew long beards, we put our own shit on the walls of the cells. These extraordinary lengths we went to in order to make ourselves heard over and above the British imposed silence - we were not criminals. When that was not enough we went further and ten men died, bringing the attention of the world to Ireland and shattering the British myth. Getting rid of our beards had proved useless. As against the Taliban in Guantanamo Bay today it was an exercise in power. It was merely to degrade and let us know they were the boss and could do as they wanted with us - no one could stop them. But they failed. They were only the boss of the jail - never our minds. They could not persuade us to think that we were criminal and we persuaded the world that we were not. Elsewhere in the world today prisoners still fight against oppressive regimes. At the time of writing 82 men and women have died as a result of hunger strike activity in Turkey. The white Anglo-Saxons of the so-called civilised world in its smugness ignores them or worse, supports the regime that kills them. As each death is announced we hear silence from our own political establishment. They can make plenty of noise and be heard when they are demanding pay rises for themselves. Justice for Turkish prisoners - well that is another thing. Why make noise about them? It is easier to dismiss them as fanatical or fundamentalist - anything but come out on their behalf. Yet these people are not fascist or dictatorial. Whatever we think of their methods they are socialists fighting for the rights of man - for human freedom. I would remind our political establishment or at least those who term themselves radical within it that it is the ordinary people of Palestine and Turkey who are suffering. Do not forget the poor of either country. Do not fool yourselves into thinking that because you have a foot in the door of Stormont that you have a foothold on power and that it is better to stay silent when justice demands otherwise rather than lose that power. In this world real power lies with the men with no beards - for us that means those at No 10 in London.                                                                                 Index: Current Articles + Latest News and Views + Book Reviews + Letters + Archives

There is no such thing as a dirty word. Nor is there a word so powerful, that it's going to send the listener to the lake of fire upon hearing it. - Frank Zappa Index: Current Articles   17 February 2007 Brendan Hughes Archive Material 6 February 2008 Other Articles From This Issue: Was it a War? Michael Gillespie Impossible Task for Truth Body David Adams Pandora's Box John Kennedy Villians of the Peace Mick Hall India's Undeclared War Cedric Gouverneur Borders Exist to be Crossed: Maryam Namazie Anthony McIntyre That This House Believes That Irish Republicanism Has No Future: Opposed Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Dismantling Partition 32 County Sovereignty Movement We Shall Not Be Deterred Brian Mór Martin Meehan Anthony McIntyre Washington Pressure on Dodds Fr Sean Mc Manus No Pope Here Brian Mór Fundamental Primer Dr John Coulter Internal Exiles Seaghán Ó Murchú • 14 January 2008 • Republicanism...Alive or Dying? Anthony McIntyre Pillocks of the Community John Kennedy Irish Unity Cannot Be Ruled Out David Adams A Great Republican and a Great Man Aine Doherty John Kelly Anthony McIntyre How Urgent the Need? John Kelly, from an interview with Liam Clarke My Grandfather's Insurgency Eoghan O'Suilleabhain Kitsonian Success With the Provos...? Liam O Comain McGuinness Takes the Peace...to Finland! John Kennedy Provisional Sinn Fein - Don't Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater Jerry Pepin Disappeared John Kennedy Operation Helvetic: To Be Expected Michael Gillespie Hung Out to Dry John Kennedy Re-Imagining Ireland Seaghán Ó Murchú Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission Mick Hall One Armed Bandit John Kennedy Terrorism and Leftism Paddy Hackett Power to the People John Kennedy

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