Wing death over Xmas.
be coffins.
It is another tragedy for the Irish people, a peo ple who over the past ten years, over the past hundreds of years have grown used to tragedy. That will not make the 80S2UP S199016212 bear, and certainly those deaths will do nothing to bring peace and justice to Picture The British media paint a picture of a bunch of crazed Irish fanatics indulging in some grotesque suicide pact.
There is nothing wrong with being tanatical about justice; about wanting the people of Ireland to rule Ireland; about arguing that those who committea crimes tor poltical reasons should be treated ditterent v trom those who kill or steal for personal gain.
Ine iris political prisoners are saying that Captive nev could no longer su er the atrocious, in human conditions in which they were held caulive. ror me nuncer strikers, death is the only peace now available to them.
They will have been killed by the centuries-old British insistence that this contry has the right to interfere in Irish affairs; by the intransigence of the present government, prisoners. under special aws, tries them in special courts, and then denies they are special prisoners.
But it is not just the Tories who are the executioners tor there are those in our own labour movement who are standing by and either applauding the executions or allowing them to take place.
Silent People like Michael Foot, the new 'left' leader of the Labour Party who has remained silent. People like the party's spokesperson on Northern Ireland, Don Concallion, who aseweek described a very reasonable, moderate pamphlet on the H Blocks, introduced by Ernie Roberts MP, as IRA propaganda'.
There are others, and it is time they; too, were named the Labour Party's socialist conscience. Tony Benn, Eric Heffer, Stuart Holland are among their number.
Their silence or open hostility to the cause of the Irish hunger strikers is a contemptible insult to the internationalist tradi tions of socialism. iney side with Margaret Thatcher alainst mne tens oi thousands of Irish worktaken to the streets of Ireland in support of the hunger strikers. They side with the Army generals Taine unan nose whe have sought to resist the occupation of Ireland enforced by those generals.
And this Xmas it is they who are as responsi ble as any for Ireland's tragedy and Britain's shame.
If they die...
IN. THE event of the death of a hunger striker the national Ad Hoc Irish Hunger Strike Committee will be holding a picket of Downing Street on i the day the death occurs.
The committee is also calling for any local demonstration in London, on the weekend following such a death, to be nationally supported.
These demonstrations are: Sat 20 Dec, assem- ble Kilburn Sq, 1pm. Sat 27 Dec, assemble Hammersmith Green, 1pm.
The committee is also calling for a series of regional demonstrations on the weekend following the first death. Supporters in Glasgow, Cardiff. Liverpool, and Birmingham are asked to organise such protests.
For up-to-the-minute information phone 01-267 2004. - the keepers of TO THE PEOPLE OF MAJESTY'S IRELAND FROM HER GOVERNMENT MERRY XMAS Warsaw, including a big contingent ITON une Warsaw ?. stee works This has been duplicated throughout the country.
As the workers arrived in Gdansk thev marches from the station with banSolidarity. The lla. OCCL stewarded by shipyard workers. No police are in sight.
The President of the Republic is on the platform along with other notable those they are none shot down in cold blood ir 1970. As Walesa said in hi Violence is te a des ary 1970 can never again be reveated.
The workers are deman ding an inquir into who workers deaths in 1970. responsible One ncial version 1 45 workers were that number were killed The most denicanie ac down of railway station in respons to a government appeal for a return to work. During th rest of that day fighting and •WCH throughout the region After the strike victor in August this year Solidar ty appealed for funds for of the 1970 events. Half three workers were gunnes All three were shipyar workers ame 1t1s Ineir teror workers -the inscriptio gave their ive: so that we mignt live in aignity Shoulders man tea Solidarity the dead Now the workers want justice. The have demand ed the establishment of commission, on which thes woulu oc coresented. to iT vestigate the power of th ministr secutor's office They also demand massive cuts in the budget of the repressive forces The authorities did everything in their power to limit today's mobilisations tried to get simultaneous actions other major cities and Warsaw called off. The press put wrong about une event Catholic hierarchy statements supporting the me ta calcuca Doviet mave But the workers know that there is a third choic the Kania dictatorship. That way becomes more possible as a Soviet invastion is made more and more difficult politically for the Kremlin There knows Kremlin's ney want sondarity trom us, not threats from NATO which reinforce the hold of the Kremlin.
THE special conference of the Labour Party,
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IT NOW seems certain that a number of Irish political prisoners will die an agonis- The Tories' Xmas gift to the Irish will
Soviet tanks and between