32 County Sovereignty Movement
17/05/2009
Political Protest viewed as act of Terrorism by State Forces.
The Stopping and searching of a number of protesters after yesterday’s (Saturday 16th) protest against the continuing internment of Belfast republican Terry McCafferty illustrates perfectly that the British state in Ireland considers all anti state protest as a potential terrorist act and all those who engage in protest as potential terrorists.
Following the protest outside North Queen Street RUC/PSNI barracks, and as the protesters dispersed, the RUC/PSNI pounced on small groups of activists making their way home. In an obviously pre planned action, the RUC/PSNI followed various cars and individuals, waited until they were isolated from other republicans and stopped them under section 44 of the terrorism act. Cars and persons were rigorously searched in the middle of the day close to Belfast city centre in front of hundreds of motorists and shoppers. Members of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, the IRSP, IRPWA and members of the North Belfast community were among those subject to these demeaning and politically motivated police actions.
While the 32 County Sovereignty Movement and indeed the entire republican community are well used to this sort of political policing we would urge the wider nationalist community to open their eyes and take a good look at what is happening around them. The state police in Ireland are acting on behalf of the British states political interests in Ireland, there is no separation of political policing and ‘ordinary’ policing in today’s RUC/PSNI.
The British secretary of state for occupied Ireland interned Terry McCafferty without giving a credible reason to make a political point, when republicans sought to make a political point against that internment we were subjected to intimidating searches and harassment under British terror legislation.
This is the sort of police force and political system republicans and nationalists are being asked to accept as a stepping stone to a 32 County Democratic Socialist Republic.
The 32 County Sovereignty Movement ask all republicans and nationalists to reject this political police force, reject this political system and to finally to support Terry McCafferty and his family for while it is an inconvenience to be detained by the state forces for an hour at a roadside what must it be like for the McCafferty’s? Their nightmare continues indefinitely.
