On
Thursday 27th October 2005 a series of raids directed
at Teach na Failte, an ex-INLAs prisoners group,
began at 11.00am. A total of 40 PSNI land rovers,
25 armored PSNI cars, 8 4x4 jeeps and 12 vans were
used in the operation. A total of 23 homes, 2 business
premises and theTnF office were raided in Strabane.
The TnF office in Belfast was also raided. One third
of the homes had their doors sledged in and several
houses were in effect trashed. Most of the homes
but not all belonged to members and workers from
TnF, past and present. Most of the warrants were
similar in nature…..money laundering, financial
documents and computer equipment. Computers and
files relating to hundreds of participants who partook
in courses to enhance their employment prospects
were seized. Confidential details of participants,
which had absolutely no bearing to the stated reason
on the search warrants, were also seized. Telephones,
fax machines, C.Vs, certificates of achievement,
job applications and funding applications were also
taken. Some of the people who haven’t worked
for TnF for up to 3 years and who through the assistance
of TnF gained long term employment also had to endure
the painful experience of having their homes broken
into. The PSNI stated that money and cigarettes
were seized during the raid giving the impression
that these items were taken during the house raids.
None of these stated items were found in any of
the homes, offices or business premises that were
searched but were in fact seized from a person who
drove his van into a cul-de-sac where one of the
raids was taking place.
My
home was one of those raided by the PSNI who stated
that they were looking for evidence of money laundering,
firearms, munitions and scanners. The CID officer
in charge told me that they knew they would find
nothing and apologized for the raid. Despite moving
my computer, which they told me they were seizing,
from one side of the room to the other they forgot
to take it with them. The raid had only begun when
Channel 9 news phoned me asking why I was getting
raided. Twenty minutes later a press photographer
was taking photographs of my home. He quickly left
the area after being confronted about his actions.
The PSNI took a credit union book, which they seized
last year after my arrest for the Ulster Bank robbery,
as well as all photographs and post cards I had
from a trip to Cuba and other documents relating
to Cuba and Teach na Failte. The PSNI personnel
involved in raiding my home were unusually polite
and apologetic unlike during the vast majority of
the raids elsewhere where they were aggressive,
abusive and in one case assaulted a man knocking
him to the ground from his wheelchair. They left
just after two hours from their invasion. The whole
PSNI operation lasted for just over 12 hours and
was directed against TnF.
I
have no doubt that this State operation was a part
of a strategy outlined last year in the Belfast
Telegraph by “security correspondents”
who stated that there was going to be “an unprecedented
attack on those believed to be involved in the Ulster
Bank robbery and this attack was going to manifest
itself in various manners”. I also have no
doubt that it was a propaganda exercise, just like
the Spotlight programme titled Border Bandits, in
order to further demonize, criminalize, isolate
and marginalize anti-GFA republicans. Six weeks
before the raids TnF went through a government audit,
which, like previous audits, went to their satisfaction.
If the PSNI were really interested in TnF and its
activities, it’s all on record with the NIO
except for actual participants and their confidential
files which has led some to believe that the PSNI
operation was an intelligence gathering exercise
though I believe it was much more than that. I further
believe that those behind this assault on TnF are
pissing in the wind and will fail in their objectives.
The
PSNI and their political masters have in effect
closed TnF down with 6 full time workers and 8 part
time workers now being forced onto the dole queue
or find employment elsewhere. One would be forgiven
for thinking these job losses did not happen as
elected representatives have uttered not one word
of condemnation. Had 14 workers attached to an English
or American multi-national company been made redundant
in such a manner I am sure the same politicians
would have had a lot to say. Perhaps the MPs and
MLAs were too busy counting their huge expenses
and salaries they receive for sitting on their fat
arses doing nothing whatsoever for the people. Maybe
some of them were too busy talking to their dogs
in the street. Whatever their reasons the message
TnF has been receiving from hundred of past participants
is very clear “Business as usual and we just
aren’t going to go away you know.
Many
commentators have stated that this PSNI operation
was the largest in the history of the North West
and one of the most aggressive, yet Sinn Fein, the
so-called champions of an Ireland of all equals,
had nothing to say. Personally this comes as no
surprise as equality and human rights is not on
SFs agenda for anti-GFA republicans. It also comes
as no surprise due to the fact that the leadership
of the Provisional Republican Movement know that
a number of individuals connected with them in the
Strabane area have been involved in a demonization
campaign for years against Strabane IRSP members
in particular. For over a decade now since my release
from Long Kesh after serving a total of 18 years
I and other IRSP members have been on the receiving
end of a black propaganda campaign in order to demonize,
criminalize, isolate and marginalize us. This campaign
was waged by individuals connected to the Provisional
Republican Movement, some of whom I believe are
also working for agencies of the State. This began
after I rejected several requests from them to join
their movement just after my release. This campaign
at times had sinister elements to it: i.e. physical
attacks on other local IRSP members which usually
resulted in the assailants coming of worse, planting
false and malicious stories in the media, attacks
on property and conspiring to kill individual members
of the IRSP. Down throughout the years I have received
several written death threats delivered by gloating
PSNI officers stating that there was going to be
“an imminent gun attack on me by PIRA for unspecified
reasons” as well as some coming from loyalist
paramilitaries. Did these people behind this campaign
expect me to run and hide or was their purpose to
create a bloody feud in which the only winners would
be the State. Regardless of what their intentions
were I was never going to allow myself to be intimidated
from my political position or from my outspoken
views against injustice within the community or
from my unapologetic support for the INLA. Let me
state quite clearly I believe it is wrong and immoral
for any republican to turn their guns on fellow
republicans. Likewise it is equally wrong and immoral
to conduct campaigns of character assassination
against fellow republicans.
Of late some of these individuals I have already
talked about have been pumping out into the community,
knowing that it will be picked up by the PSNI, rumors
that IRSP members in Strabane “own multiple
houses, pubs, taxi depots and blocks of flats”
which they claim has been funded by robberies, drug
dealing, extortion etc etc. All of us here know
that Britain has been involved in dirty tricks and
black propaganda over the centuries and have used
their agents within our communities to do their
dirty work. How many more Beano Caseys do we have
living in Strabane? So all of this demonisation
from the State comes as no surprise, after all,
our Movement has been constantly attacked since
its inception with many of our leaders being assassinated
by the State. Now the order of the day is character
assassination, spin and black propaganda against
those who are regarded as subversives. Well I am
certainly not ashamed to be labeled as a subversive
as I will never accept this corrupt State. I am
not surprised at the silence of all the main constitutional
Parties as individual members belonging to them
are partially culpable for the raids. However I
do acknowledge and welcome the apology in relation
to the latest attempts by some of these individuals
to smear and demonise the IRSP in Strabane.
I
have often been accused of being anti-SF/IRA, though
I was never sure exactly what this meant so I would
like to put on record, a fact many would acknowledge,
that despite this vicious nasty and sinister campaign,
I have maintained many deep and long-lasting friendships
with many IRA ex-prisoners, both locally and nationally,
to the present day. All of whom I have a deep respect
for and admiration for their own personal struggle.
It is somewhat ironic that on the day the latest
smears were being delivered to the leadership of
the IRSP I was involved in combating a threat against
Provisional Republican Movement members in County
Derry by criminal elements who believed they were
untouchable and who used a firearm in an attack
on a republican missing him. It is also ironic that
despite the fact that I was deeply involved in assisting
others in bringing about an INLA ceasefire, in which
I had the honor of declaring, and of currently engaging
with other anti-GFA republicans in relation to them
also calling a ceasefire that I and other comrades
are coming under attack by the pro-GFA forces. The
relationship I would like to see among all republicans,
despite political differences, is the relationships,
respect and solidarity shown by IRA/INLA hungerstrikers.
Ironically
a week later after the Strabane raids SF had plenty
to say about a handful of raids in Dungannon and
Killcoo in which they rightly condemned as political
policing. But when is political policing not political
policing in Sinn Fein speak…obviously when
it is directed against anti-GFA republicans.
Demonisation
is something which many IRSP members and other republicans
throughout the country have went through for decades
yet we are still here unbowed and unapologetic.
TRUTH, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY
