Special Branch & Republicans

dlofnep

Once again yesterday, at the 30th anniversary commemoration for the 1981 Hunger Strikes, Ireland's finest was out in Portlaw profiling everyone who had attended, and snapping pictures of all attendees.

Is this harassment and intimidation still necessary in 2011? The Good Friday Agreement is 11 years behind us, and yet the Special Branch still feels the need to harass attendees of legitimate and peaceful commemorations.

This event was organised by Sinn Féin, a legitimate political party - which is represented by 14 elected TD's, and 3 senators and is a very important pillar in the peace process in Ireland. It's not as if it's members are shy about their membership - I'm sure the special branch knows it's membership by now.

So why does it feel the need to unveil their Digital SLR's in front of men, women and children for attending a commemoration? Bear in mind - I'm not interested if anyone actually supports the commemoration or not. That's not the issue at hand, before anyone gets the wrong idea. The issue at hand is unnecessary surveillance of a peaceful commemoration, organised by a legitimate and well established political party.

So could anyone give me a reason as to why this surveillance continues? Has the Special Branch not got bigger fish to fry?

francis1978

Like you said, sinn fein are an important pillar in the peace process (in northern ireland) but its only in the very recent pass that they have decided to enter a peacefull process prior to this they were outlaws. people have not forgotten about Jerry Mc Cabe and prior to that Gary Sheehan.

DublinWriter

The SDU - they haven't gone away you know.

Wolfe Tone

And you can be guaranteed that anyone who supports current physical force republicanism would rather shoot themselves than show up at a SF commemoration as they would be of the opinion that SF are traitors and have betrayed the hungerstrikers.

So why does this happen? Do the Gardaí think that people attending are involved with "dissidents"? Are they that incompetent? Or is it just good old fashioned intimidation and harassment? I suspect the latter.

dlofnep

francis1978 wrote: »

Like you said, sinn fein are an important pillar in the peace process (in northern ireland) but its only in the very recent pass that they have decided to enter a peacefull process prior to this they were outlaws. people have not forgotten about Jerry Mc Cabe and prior to that Gary Sheehan.

With all due respect, Jerry McCabe's killing was 15 years ago. Long before some of the kids who attended the march yesterday were even born. It has little bearing on a Hunger Strike commemoration and has little bearing on the peace process today in a post-GFA Ireland. Not saying that his killing wasn't an important part of history, but it doesn't give the Special Branch a valid reason to screen commemorations 15 years after it.

Sinn Féin poses no threat to the peace process, and is a cornerstone of that very process. And yet, we are routinely intimidated, harassed and surveyed by the special Branch. So unless they know something I don't - I'd like a comment on why they feel it's necessary to take snaps of men, women and children who are just attending a routine commemoration march.

It's time to move on and embrace this new political roadmap that we have set before us. That includes the Special Branch.

pa990

dlofnep wrote: »

.............I'd like a comment on why they feel it's necessary to take snaps of men, women and children .............

forum rules prohibit the discussion of garda policy and procedures, cos of that i dont think its likely that you get a satisfactory answer.

dlofnep

dlofnep wrote: »

With all due respect, Jerry McCabe's killing was 15 years ago. Long before some of the kids who attended the march yesterday were even born. It has little bearing on a Hunger Strike commemoration and has little bearing on the peace process today in a post-GFA Ireland. Not saying that his killing wasn't an important part of history, but it doesn't give the Special Branch a valid reason to screen commemorations 15 years after it.

Sinn Féin poses no threat to the peace process, and is a cornerstone of that very process. And yet, we are routinely intimidated, harassed and surveyed by the special Branch. So unless they know something I don't - I'd like a comment on why they feel it's necessary to take snaps of men, women and children who are just attending a routine commemoration march.

It's time to move on and embrace this new political roadmap that we have set before us. That includes the Special Branch.

Talk to Joe. Or these guys if you feel you are being harassed.

DublinWriter

dlofnep wrote: »

With all due respect, Jerry McCabe's killing was 15 years ago.

As long as we're talking shelf-life here, then by the same token don't bring up Bobby Sands or even Padraig Pearse.

Jerry McCabe died defending an An Post van going about its daily business.

dlofnep

DublinWriter wrote: »

As long as we're talking shelf-life here, then by the same token don't bring up Bobby Sands or even Padraig Pearse.

I'm sorry, but doesn't make sense whatsoever. You're creating a disingenuous comparison. I never once stated that people cannot remember, or commemorate the life of Jerry McCabe. What I stated was that an act which occurred 15 years ago should not be the basis for routine harassment, or surveillance against ordinary people for attending a commemoration.

DublinWriter wrote: »

Jerry McCabe died defending an An Post van going about its daily business.

I'm well aware of his death. It has nothing to do with a commemoration in a completely different county, 15 years onwards and certainly does not give merit surveillance of ordinary decent people and their children.

Locust

Well i suppose to start with, they (the hunger stikers) were mostly IRA (& INLA) members... locked up for manslaughter/attempted murder/possession of firearms & explosives. These guys were members of an 'unlawful organisation...'

So i suppose anyone 'commemorating' them would naturally & logically be aligned/likeminded/ideologically as such. Makes sense for the cops to see who these people are. And in '2011' when the bloody past is coming back to haunt us again, is that so hard to chew?

dlofnep

Locust wrote: »

So i suppose anyone 'commemorating' them would naturally & logically be aligned/likeminded/ideologically as such. Makes sense for the cops to see who these people are. And in '2011' when the bloody past is coming back to haunt us again, is that so hard to chew?

Of course we are like-minded. That's irrelevant. We are 13 years beyond the Good Friday Agreement, and the landscape of Ireland has changed. The majority of those who served time alongside Sands and his comrades also support the peace process today.

As for the 'bloody past' coming back to haunt us, that has nothing to do with Sinn Féin or it's supporters. So it's irrelevant in the broader scheme of things, and does not give merit to surveillance of people who support the peace process in Ireland and the GFA.

goldie fish

Is Bobby Sands sister not one of the main operators of the CIRA?
Surely she, or her like, would have had some interest in turning up to this commemoration?
The gardai just want to be sure.

eroo

Maybe because quite a few members of Sinn Fein are former physchotic terrorists/current criminals? Most legitimate political parties don't have criminals in their ranks, nor do they hide killers or support terrorists/fuel smugglers etc etc

Remember Gerry Adams defence of a former PIRA 'chief of staff', who is now believed to be heavily involved with dissidents? I could go on..

dlofnep

goldie fish wrote: »

Is Bobby Sands sister not one of the main operators of the CIRA?
Surely she, or her like, would have had some interest in turning up to this commemoration?
The gardai just want to be sure.

I'm baffled by the ignorance on here.

Bernadette would never attend a Sinn Féin commemoration, nor would any other Anti-GFA Republicans. You might want to educate yourself about the basics of various Republican groups - As to who support and do not support the Good Friday Agreement, or peace process.

So no - The Gardaí didn't want to be sure about anything.

Hooch

See here for the SDU and its appointed duties

This thread is going no where in here.

Its quite simple.....SF may be a political party but the are still linked to subversives.

IE -Aengus Ó Snodaigh.....the "T.D." who forced his way in through the Dail gates with a "peaceful" protest who challenged members of the Gardaí, Dail security and the DF there.

IE 2 - Martin Ferris who collected the murderers of detective Garda Gerry McCabe?? (we wont even mention past offences....)

I could go on and on and on but I dont see the point.

Thread closed.....it can only lead to trolling.