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Our
Cumann was invited by the Scottish Republican Socialist
Movement to read out a message of solidarity at the
annual Massacre of Glencoe Rally, which took place
on Sunday 15 February 2004. However, we were informed
by the organiser of the Commemoration on the day prior
to the event, that we would not now be permitted to
have our statement read out.
The
reason given was that the Pollok and Thornliebank
Republican Flute Band was instructed by the Provisional
organisation that if there was an RSF speaker, the
Band would be put off the road, and would never be
allowed to play at another SRSM event.
We
find it outrageous that the Provisionals' political
machine should interfere with the organising of a
Scottish Republican event in this way. It was intolerable
that the SRSM organiser should have been placed in
such an unacceptable situation, and we regret that
he felt he had no option but to give in to this unacceptable
pressure. The SRSM has an excellent track record of
support for the Irish freedom struggle and refuses
to align itself to any one organisation in Ireland.
It has stated that it will never permit itself to
be put in this position again.
During
the course of the war in the 6 Occupied Counties the
Provisionals correctly condemned the attempts by the
British State to impose various forms of censorship
on them, including attacks on Republican News and
the banning of their spokespersons from the airwaves.
Their president Gerry Adams is on public record as
stating: "Censorship affects us all, it prevents
open and informed discussion, postpones the finding
of a solution and therefore perpetuates the conflict."
Is it not therefore the height of hypocrisy for them
to impose their own form of censorship on Anti Agreement
Republicans?
It
is clear to us that the Provisional organisation has
an agenda in Scotland of trying to apply whatever
influence it can, to exclude and demonise Republican
Sinn Fein. Apart from the Glencoe episode, we can
point to last year's James Connolly Commemoration,
when an offer from the Cumann to send a contingent
and banner to the event was refused. The reason we
were given was because RSF does not endorse the Good
Friday Agreement. We find their reply unacceptable
since the event was called to commemorate an Irish
patriot and traditionally is supported by a broad
spectrum of political opinions ranging from Irish
solidarity groups to sections of the far left. We
deliberately refrained from entering into a dispute
with the JCS at the time, because we did not want
to do anything that would undermine this important
event.
The
West of Scotland Bands Alliance has a long history
of overcoming British State, Labour Party and Loyalist/Fascist
coalitions determined to silence the Bands' right
to express a political opinion and the right to march.
The JCS also have had to endure similar problems including
having their marches banned and their purpose deliberately
distorted. Members of the Society attended a meeting
in Edinburgh in 1994 to listen to a leading member
of RSF explain the organisation's aims and policies.
It is therefore lamentable that the WOSBA and JCS
have allowed themselves to collude in a different
form of censorship against Anti Agreement Republicans.
Having spent their political life struggling for the
right to free speech, how can they justify what they
are being asked to do by the Provisionals?
Finally
we would call upon the Scottish Republican Socialist
Movement, the WOSBA and the James Connolly Society
to refuse to engage in this shameful form of political
censorship. Let the British State do its own dirty
work against Republicans.
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