On confusion over the nature of terrorism
While
Terrorists and freedom fighter have clear objectives
Governments appear confused
Governments appear confused
Our
demands most moderate are
We only want the earth!
Irish socialist James Connolly:
Be Moderate
We only want the earth!
Irish socialist James Connolly:
Be Moderate
Michael Doran at Princeton
University writes of Osama Bin Laden
"...He wants the U.S.
to strike back disproportionately, because he believes that will
outrage Muslims and inspire them to overthrow their governments
and build an Islamic state."
and build an Islamic state."
Mao Tse-Tung's adage that "power comes from the barrel of the gun", is recognised by the Irish Republican Army's decision to retain its weaponry. Machiavelli asserts that "One successfully governs by force and not by law", and in 1984 George Orwell recognised the importance for the state to face its population with a common (constant?) enemy. Certainly a major objective of any 'freedom movement' or terrorist organisation is to create division between a population and the 'instruments of the state.'
As a former colonial power, Great Britain has lengthy experience of the motivation behind and the methods of freedom fighters. Palestine (Irgun Zvai Leumi) Malaya (Communist insurgency) Kenya (Mau Mau) Cyprus (EOKA) Aden (NLF) and of course Northern Ireland.
So why do the British keep failing to understand the nature and dangers?
After eleven year British and US governments have reluctantly admitted that they were wrong about at least one terrorist movement. It is now officially realised that the IRA and Sinn Féin are simply parts of the same body representing Irish Republican and Nationalist sentiment and aspirations - a fact known to everyone on the island of Ireland for many generations.
Out goes a 'Peace Process' conceived by a weakened UK Prime Minister, encouraged by an opportunistic Bill Clinton, reinforced by a motley collection of the chattering classes, romanticised by a myopic US-Irish lobby and succored by liberal thinkers. In comes the newly perceived view that the IRA, with or without the knowledge of two of its 'Army Council', Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, has become a vehicle for extortion, robbery and racketeering whilst ruling inhabitants of its urban hinterland with punishment beating, torture and murder.
Do not, however, believe that the recent pressures driven by five courageous sisters in Belfast mean that the Republic / Nationalist dream of a United Ireland will be abandoned or support for Sinn Fein diminished. That has not gone away.
As a further measure of its displeasure, and with all party support, Westminster's response has been to withdraw salaries and allowances (worth some £400,000) from the four Sinn Fein elected representatives as a penalty for links to an IRA bank robbery which netted some 20 million.
Meanwhile the last eleven days at Westminster has seen open conflict between the House of Commons (elected) and House of Lords (increasingly filled with place men selected by politicians). Just five days to save the realm, and habeas corpus, from the dastardly terror acts of a new breed of 'dangerous terrorist'.
As the courts release suspects on bail Tony Blair, Home Secretary Charles Clarke, the former and present heads of the Metropolitan Police along with unnamed security sources insist that 'control orders' are essential.
Boris Johnson (MP for Henley and Editor of The Spectator) writes "...It is a cynical attempt to pander to the many who think the world would be a better place if dangerous folk with dusky skins were just slammed away, and never mind a judicial proceeding..."
A UK general election is thought to be just weeks away.
The present 'troubles' in Northern Ireland stem from the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. Young radicals Michael Farrell, Bernadette Devlin and Eammon McCann formed a movement the Peoples Democracy which found ready support from many in the Irish Nationalist Community. Emulating the Selma to Alabama Civil Rights march , Farrell organised a trek from Belfast to Londondery. As expected this 'tail coating' enraged an unsophisticated Protestant community who repeatedly attempted to stop the march from passing through 'their territory'.
Every forced diversion merely drew further attention to the close links between the Prostestant Population and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Finally within a days march of Londonderry Protestand fury could no longer be contained and some 600 people (including many regular and
'B Special' Reserve Police) attacked the column at Burntollet Bridge. While many were injured, the marchers re-grouped and entered the City. As in Alabama the experience bonded and politicised those who took part.
In August following protestant attacks on nationalist areas British troops were ordered to contain the escalating violence between the communities.
There was much criticism of the IRA in the nationalist community the slogan - I Ran Away - reflected a widespread belief that socialist philosphy and rehetoric were no match for the 'Rattle of the Thomson gun' when it came to protecting the community.
The initial welcome shown to the British Army was anathema to many republicans. In December 1968 Irish Republican Army (IRA) broke up into the Provisional IRA (PIRA) and Official IRA (OIRA)
A month later Sinn Féin split between those who were in favour of ending the policy of abstentionism - of not taking any seats won in the parliaments of Dublin, Belfast, and London - and those where against. A majority of delegates (although not the two-thirds required under the party's rules to change policy) were in favour of ending the abstentionist policy. Those opposed to the move, 257 supporters of the 'Provisional Army Council', walked out of the meeting thus leaving the organisation and established offices in Kevin Street, Dublin. This new grouping became know as 'Provisional Sinn Féin' (PSF).
The majority who remained behind continued to occupy the offices in Gardiner Place, Dublin, and were known as 'Official Sinn Féin' (OSF).
From the Scotsman March 11th 2005
Commons to cut all financial support for Sinn Fein MPs
FRASER NELSON
POLITICAL EDITOR
Commons to cut all financial support for Sinn Fein MPs
FRASER NELSON
POLITICAL EDITOR
THE isolation of Sinn Fein continued yesterday as the House of Commons voted to cut all financial support for its four Members of Parliament. Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams and their two Sinn Fein parliamentary colleagues lost about £440,000 in salary and expenses as punishment for the party’s links to an IRA bank robbery.
But a cross-party attempt to ban them permanently from the Palace of Westminster was rejected - narrowly saving Sinn Fein from returning to the pariah status of the 1980s.
Peter Hain, the Leader of the Commons, said the move reflected the "profound disapproval of this house" that the IRA has transformed itself into a mafia-style gang running an underworld in Belfast. While MPs had been willing two years ago to restore Sinn Fein’s use of parliamentary money, its "extraordinary and abhorrent" offer to shoot those responsible for the pub murder of Robert McCartney exposed its true nature, he said.
It emerged yesterday that similar moves are afoot in the European Parliament, where Sinn Fein has had two MEPs since the elections last summer. Conservative MEPs have lodged a protest with Brussels authorities, saying Sinn Fein is hand in glove with the IRA, which can unhesitatingly be described as a criminal gang.
The link, which Sinn Fein denies, has been made easier by the Irish government’s decision to name Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness as members of the IRA’s ruling Army Council.
If complaints are upheld, Sinn Fein could lose allowances of €400,000 (£280,000) in addition to their Commons money. This has forced the party into a new drive to raise American money. Mr Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, has for the first time in a decade not been invited to the White House celebrations in Washington for St Patrick’s Day next week.
The president, George Bush, has instead invited the five sisters of Mr McCartney, a Roman Catholic understood to have been killed by two IRA men after intervening in a pub brawl five weeks ago.
Sinn Fein’s audited accounts show an organisation flush with financial resources. It had an income of €2.04 million (£1.42 million) in 2003 - a jump of 30 per cent. Its overseas division raised £1.8 million between 1997 and 2002.
A FOREIGN terrorist suspect detained without trial for more than three years was released on bail yesterday, while another eight could be freed as early as today, a special court heard.
The Algerian national, known only as A, was driven away by police from a Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) hearing in London last night, and is thought to have been reunited with his wife and five children at his home. He will be subject to 11 bail conditions, including electronic tagging, a curfew between 7pm and 7am, and stringent restrictions on who he can meet or allow into his home.
A further eight terrorist suspects, who have also been detained without charge for up to three and a half years, were to be granted bail "in principle", the SIAC chairman, Mr Justice Ouseley, said yesterday. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, had agreed a month ago to free four of the men held at Belmarsh but their release had been delayed in a row over bail conditions.
They could be freed as early as today - only days before the emergency terror laws under which they were detained expire on Sunday night.
Those who may be freed include Abu Qatada, a 44-year old Palestinian-born Muslim cleric who has been described by an SIAC judge as "al-Qaeda’s ambassador in Europe" and a "truly dangerous individual".
The other named detainee is Jordanian-born Mahmoud Suliman Ahmed Abu Rideh, 33, a Palestinian, who was alleged to have made threats to carry out a bombing and to have been involved with associates of Osama bin Laden in Britain and abroad. He is currently at Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital.
The others are known only as B, E, H, K, P and Q. A tenth man, known as G, is already under house arrest and was due to have his bail conditions relaxed last night. Each of the men would be subjected to a "matrix" of bail conditions agreed on an individual basis by the judge.
Earlier, Mr Justice Ouseley criticised Mr Clarke’s treatment of the men.
The judge said: "We have the absurd situation here today where three of the four men have been in detention longer than they needed to be while we argue over the precise degree of freedom."
In December, the Law Lords condemned anti-terrorism laws used to hold the foreign terrorist suspects indefinitely without charge, saying they breached human rights legislation and discriminated against foreigners. The government said then it accepted the ruling but would continue to hold the men until new laws were introduced.
Mr Justice Ouseley told A during the hearing: "It’s very important for your own wellbeing and the well-being of your family - with whom you will shortly be reunited - that you keep to these bail terms."
The conditions, based on proposals handed to the court yesterday morning by the Home Office, closely resemble the controversial proposals being fought out last night in parliament.
The suspect must wear an electronic tag and live at his home address, observing a curfew. Among other bail conditions, A will have to allow police and other officials to carry out searches, but his defence team won a concession that a female officer would have to be present if A’s Muslim wife was at home alone.
He will be restricted on who he can allow into his home. He will be allowed only one fixed telephone line, and mobile phones and computers which can access the internet will be banned from his home.
He will be required to notify the Home Office if he intends to leave the country, limited to one bank account, barred from transferring money without the Home Office’s consent and prohibited from buying, selling or procuring communications or computer equipment. Bail conditions for the other detainees will be closely based on those imposed on A.
Two terrorist suspects who are detained at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, Abu Rideh, who has been detained since December 2001, and detainee B, are due to be brought before the SIAC today.