Press

32CSM Clarify Their Position On Derry Strategy
19/02/2010

The 32CSM would like to take this opportunity to clarify our position regarding our plans to address schools about our concerns regarding the attendance of PSNI officers in local schools. The 32CSM sought to raise the issue of the PSNI in schools because we believe that schools should be a neutral environment and that children shouldn’t be used as a political mechanism to secure broader acceptance of policing arrangements in the Six Counties. Equally we object to the PSNI’s deliberate intimidation of school children as a mechanism to attack Irish republicans. For example, there has been a recent upsurge in the PSNI harassing and searching young children on their way to and from school in each case leaving the pupils extremely distressed. In one instance a house was raided by 15 male armed members of the PSNI who prevented two young girls from attending school. They searched through their personal belongings and videoed their bedrooms. In another incident a six year old girl wet herself during an aggressive search of her father.

Section 44 of the Terrorism Act (which has been ruled illegal under European Law) was employed against two young schoolchildren on their way to school and their persons and schoolbags were searched by heavily armed PSNI personnel. These and other incidents have been well documented in the local press over the last year and the Children’s Commissioner has been contacted in a number of cases. If the very same uniform is to appear in their classroom it would cause obvious distress to the child. We believe that schools should not be accommodating this scenario which causes distress to children, whose parents have entrusted to their care during school hours.

There have been deliberate attempts to misrepresent our position by vote seeking politicians and others who are pursuing an anti-republican agenda. At no stage was the picketing of schools ever contemplated as this would be contrary to our stated position of keeping schools politically neutral. This was made unambiguously clear in the only press release from the 32CSM regarding this issue (Derry Journal 12th Feb 2010). In this article a spokesperson for the 32CSM insists that the letter ‘is not a threat’. The spokesperson goes on to say ‘We are not trying to bully schools but we want to highlight the fact that children are being searched on their way to school. This is not a threat and will be done in an above board way. The letters will contain a contact number that people can call if they want more information’. This article is in the Derry Journal archives and can be viewed by anyone who is interested in verifying our stance.

However, what followed was a media frenzy and a attempt to whip up hysteria with theatrics and absurd comments from PSF spokesperson Martina Anderson, in which she compared the 32CSM’s intentions to the Holy Cross situation. Any rational person cannot fail to see how ridiculous Ms Anderson’s comments are. The throwing of urine filled balloons, pipe bombs and subjecting young children to serious sectarian abuse cannot be equated to sending a letter to schools outlining our concerns. Others who joined the ‘lift the threats’ campaign were Raymond Mc Cartney, Fr Canny, Jim Roddy, Mark Durkan and Eamonn Mc Cann. All of them appeared on TV or radio to join the circus of condemnation of this non existent threat. How they all came to the conclusion that the 32CSM stated intention amounted to a threat is beyond comprehension. One can only conclude that each and every one of them were following their own self serving agendas.

The situation took an even more bizarre twist when a little known ‘mediation’ group was given a front page headline which screamed ‘Peace talk’s plea to dissidents’ (Derry Journal 16th February). The Peace and Reconciliation Group offered to mediate despite continuing to misconstrue our intentions, it is clear that these people already had their minds made up and their offers of ‘mediation’ Were as false as these so called threats. They condemned what they called ‘valid threats’ invited the 32CSM to enter discussions, ‘if they are serious about their political ideology’ and then ended their statement by claiming that this is ‘a time when the majority wants to use the ballot box rather than the bullet.’ This is a strange way to offer ‘mediation’ and rather than contact the 32CSM they chose the front page of the Derry Journal.

At the end of the front page article the Journal admitted to seeing the letter. However, this didn’t prevent them carrying an editorial on page two with headlines ‘withdraw the threat.’ For the record this letter is available for anyone who wishes to view it and people can make their own minds up. The 32CSM is a Republican separatist organisation and we make no apologies for our active opposition to British rule. The recent furore and condemnation coming from the usual pro-establishment quarters will not deflect us from pursuing our Republican politics. In the coming months we intend to intensify our efforts to highlight the nefarious nature and human rights abuses perpetrated by the RUC/PSNI. We will be contacting businesses explaining our opposition to the PSNI/RUC and asking them to stop providing services to this British paramilitary force. If they continue to do so we will exercise our legitimate right to protest against them in the form of name and shame, boycott campaigns and pickets. No amount of sensationalism or scare mongering will deflect us from this.

Ciaran Boyle
Assistant PRO
Derry 32CSM

32 County Sovereignty Movement
10/02/2010

32CSM slam Garda’s ‘disingenuous’ concern over drugs issue.

The 32 CSM wish to contrast the actions of Garda detectives and special branch in Cork city on 9/02/2010 and their complete lack of activity in dealing with the drugs issue in the city prior to their raids on republicans.
It is reported that up to 60 detectives raided the homes of republicans (including members of the 32CSM) across Cork city in response to the execution of a major drug dealer in the city by the IRA.
This show of strength by the state against republican separatists contrasts noticeably with the complete lack of any state presence in the area over a long period of time to deal with the issues that republicans had to address on behalf of the community.
The importation and distribution of hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine has been allowed to decimate working class communities across the city and indeed the nation yet it was only when republicans stepped in to defend those communities that the state started to show concern about the issue, this concern is disingenuous. The object of their concern is not the drugs issue but rather the issue of republicans growing and gaining further support in the area, this shameful behaviour by the state has not been lost of the people of Cork.
The antics by the Free State forces will not deter the republican movement in Cork from tackling the drugs issue alongside the community nor will it hamper the 32 County Sovereignty Movement’s work in articulating the republican position in Cork or anywhere else.