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With
the end of summer upon us we also mark the end of
the 25th anniversary of the 10 Freedom Fighters at
Long Kesh who gave their lives for Irish Freedom.
That dark and tragic chapter put to rest for another
year, yet we must never let the sacrifices of the
10 dead slip from conscience. This is most important
as Republicans at this very time are again fighting
for the rights of Republican POWs held at Maghaberry
Prison.
The
Brits are trying one more time to criminalize the
Republican Movement, and with the Good Friday Agreement,
those hard won rights to political status was thrown
to the wind and signed away buy the Brit collaborators.
So now, 25 years later we find ourselves back in the
same struggle as before. Conditions for the Freedom
Fighter at Maghaberry are deteriorating at a quick
pace imposing harsh, cruel and unsanitary practices
on those Volunteers. The Brits have done everything
possible they can to make those POWs break. No matter
the 22- 23 hour lock ups, no matter the unsanitary
cell conditions where they must eat next to the commode,
no matter the visit denials that family members are
met with to visit their loved ones (based on if a
"drug sniffer" dog sits or stands), no matter
what the Brits do, those Republican Volunteers will
continue to protest until the 5 Demands are met. Right
to free association, End to controlled movement, Right
to full education, Right to separate visit facilities
and the Right to organize the landings. That’s
it! Have not the Brits learned anything in 25 years?
Right
now the POWs have started a 48 hour fast in protest
for their demands. I applaud the support the Prisoners
are getting across Ireland in forms of pickets, marches,
leafleting and using the media when ever possible
to get the message out. Also the generous donations
to ease the plight of the Fighters' families. Those
of us in the U.S. however, find a media who will not
print one word of the current prison fight the Irish
Republicans are in. This media blackout is most discouraging
but us over here must continue to write about the
truth and try all means to bring this issue forward
in the mainstream media. Great work has been done
by groups of supporters here but we will continue
the uphill fight to expose the unjust. Irish Republicans
know that Freedom is not Free, but only gained thru
the blood, sweat and tears of a hard fought struggle.
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