On
this the 89th anniversary of the historic 1916 Rising
the Leadership of the Republican Movement extends
fraternal greetings to members and supporters throughout
the world. We particularly extend greetings of solidarity
to all our imprisoned comrades held in British and
Free State jails and we pay tribute to the Republican
Prisoners Action Group who are engaged in a campaign
against the British attempts to criminalise our
POWs in Maghaberry jail.
We
extend fraternal greetings to all the people throughout
the world who are struggling against forces of oppression.
Since
last Easter the Irish people have once again witnessed
yet another failed attempt by the British and their
Irish agents to re-launch the partitionist parliament
at Stormont. We have watched the continued grovelling
of all shades of Irish nationalists to British rule
in our country, but at the end of the day as we
had predicted the grovelling was not enough for
the British master.
It
was however significant that once again the Provisionals
were prepared to perform a final act of betrayal
in destroying all the military material which does
not belong to them, but to the Irish people.
The
recent public exposé of their other criminal
activities has contributed to a frenzy aimed against
Irish Republicanism. This and the murder of Robert
McCartney in Belfast are typical examples of what
the Provos are about. It is not about freedom, it
is not about justice, it is not about equality and,
above all, it has nothing to do with the honourable
Republican struggle to end British rule in Ireland
once and for all. We again call upon this organisation
to desist from claiming any linkage to this honourable
cause as they attempted to usurp and sully all that
true Republicanism stands for.
Recent
acts of intimidation and thuggery illustrate the
depths to which they are willing to sink. Republican
Sinn Féin functions have been cancelled due
to Provo threats and when they have been allowed
to take place, people have been intimidated by them
during the course of the event. This criminality
must be rejected.
Over
the past year our supporters throughout the whole
of Ireland have been the subject of continued harassment,
intimidation and false imprisonment at the hands
of the British Forces of Occupation in the Six Counties
and by their lackeys in the Free State.
We
note the outcry from all quarters over the raid
on the Northern Bank in Belfast, where has been
the outcry over the theft of money from Republican
Sinn Féin by the Free State police, just
a month earlier? These same forces should well remember
that they will not succeed where others have failed,
and should be mindful of the true saying that it
is not those who can inflict the most, but those
who can endure the most who will finally over come.
The
past twelve months have been a difficult time for
those who remain committed to resisting the continued
colonial occupation of our country. We are faced
with an unprecedented combination of forces railed
against us. We will undoubtedly see in the coming
twelve months a further renewed and forceful attempt
to quell Republican resistance to this colonial
rule, but let us again reassert our commitment and
absolute determination to ensure that this resistance
not only remains, but prospers.
There
will never be an acceptance of colonial occupation,
however it is remodelled. All Republicans committed
to this resistance must unite under the banner of
Irish Republicanism. Our unity of purpose will serve
both to reject those who have usurped Republicanism
and to resist the colonial occupier.
There
will be no surrender, there will be no compromise.
Onwards
to the Republic!
