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Honour Ireland’s Dead – Oppose British Rule!

06/04/09

Every Easter, we remember the sacrifice of the hundreds of Irish men and women who, nearly a century ago, took armed control of Dublin city in order to break the British occupation and establish a democratic republic in Ireland. We also remember the sacrifice of all those who have given their lives for Irish freedom in the decades since 1916.

The Rising sent shockwaves though the British establishment and changed the course of Irish history.

The injustices that necessitated the Easter Rising and the drafting of the 1916 Proclamation remain a reality in today’s Ireland – poverty, inequality, exploitation, violence and occupation.

Amid the current economic crisis, the working class continues to be exploited and is paying for the greed of the wealthy through crippling mortgages, rents and rates, ruthless employers, and sub-standard community conditions.

People are losing their jobs daily, while the politicians who facilitated the economic system that made the crash inevitable wring their hands.

Meanwhile, the British occupation, of which the PSNI is a vital part, has merely been modernised to present an ‘acceptable’ image. Despite the fact that the PSNI maintains a lethal paramilitary arsenal and personnel who are guilty of multiple human rights abuses, including murder – millions of pounds are to be spent over the next two years for the increased deployment of armoured vehicles, surveillance helicopters and extra over-time hours.

The British government has escalated its campaign against those who oppose their occupation in Ireland. Last month, we saw the re-introduction of de facto internment without charge or trial, with the prolonged detentions of Irish citizens under 28-day detention legislation. At the same time, we have witnessed the use of trial by media and black propaganda, reaffirming the British government’s total disregard for human rights.

On top of the redeployment of the British army’s Special Reconnaissance Regiment in Ireland, Hugh Orde has also backtracked on pledges to phase out the notoriously sectarian RUC-PSNI Reserve and has stated his intention to keep on 400 members. These are an addition to the 5,000 British troops, garrisoned in bases across the Six Counties to be used at will, and the massive MI5 base in north Down.

This Easter, éirígí is calling on all Irish republicans and socialists to look afresh at the events of 1916, to revisit the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and to question what has really been achieved.

Do the people of Ireland have “ownership of Ireland”, “unfettered control of Irish destinies” and “right to national freedom and sovereignty”? Are “all the children of the nation” cherished equally?

To realise the aspirations of the 1916 Proclamation, radical change is needed.

We must all rededicate ourselves to the vision enshrined in this truly revolutionary document – an independent, united Ireland based on the principles of equality and solidarity.

This Easter, honour Ireland’s dead – oppose British rule.

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