“REGISTERED AS NEWSPAPER AT THE POSTOFFICE Ballymurphy, Falls, New…”

REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POSTOFFICE Ballymurphy, Falls, New Lodge Road, Shankill; month after month the army jackboot descends one working class area or another. Month after month the ordinary work=ing people in some area of Belfast have their homes saturated with G.S. gas, are confined to their houses under virtual curfew, and count themselves lucky if they escape being charged with disorderly behaviour and keing sent to prison for a mandatory six months.

WE SAY THIS REPRESSION MUST STOP!

As in the case of the Ballymurphy/ New Barnsley riots, FREE CITIZEN in no way sympathises with the sec-, tarian behaviour which may have sparked the rioting off. But we do have every syrnaeey with the people of an entire community whom the army chooses to impress by shows of force.

On the Shankill last weekend the army used nearly 1,000 cannisters of teargas. Gas, which has its worst affect upon infants and the elderly - percisely those people who are least likely to be involved in riots. Over 60 people have been remanded - many of them at a kangaroo court sitting on Sunday morning - on charges of disorderly behaviour, for which, if convicted, SAD they will receive the mandatory six months jail sentences. The courts themselves will be travesties of justice. Army evidence is believed against civilian evidence, Mere evidence that somebody has been in a riot area is usually enough to earn him six months, In the very first issue of Free Citizen we said: ''The presence of troops will not be of any use unless basic grievances are resolved". In the past year, very little has been done. Chichester-Clarke has been more concerned with keeping friendly with the Unionist Party right wing than in altering the lot of the ordinary people. More houses and amenities for the Shank ill could well help to reduce jealousy, which is part of the cause of tension. Yet the housing trust has built fewer houses in Belfast since the troubles, not more. There is widespread discontent at the way the Shankill is being redeveloped, yet the authorities seem unprepared to meet any of the local objections.

Even the very basic right of democracy, "One man One vote" will be denied to the people of Shankill on October 7th, when the bye-election will be fought on the old restricted franchise. It is hardly surprising in these circumstances that an angry frustrated community can fall victim to the rantings of sectarian sharks like John McKeague.

overseas The heavy-handed way in troops dealt with the crowd was deplorable: the situation escalated until the entire population of the Shankill area was under attack, just as the entire population of the Lower Falls has been just two months previously.

It doesn't take a military genious to predict the result when a crowd of football hooligans is confronted. by Military Police carrying their sub-machine-guns.

Peoples Democracy has always campaigned for an unarmed police force. On the pretext that they are "security' forces, the army appear fully armed in crowd situations. Hoping that the army can restore order in such a situation is like hoping that a bull could restore order in a china shop.

If the army is to continue to engage in crowd control, then it must be unarmed. We utterly condemn the indiscriminate use of C.S. gas, and demand the immediate repeal of the Criminal Justice Act, and the release of all prisoners sent to jail because of it.

Eritish troops with their repressive methods are causing far more trouble than the prevent. They are a crutch which the weak government prefers to lean upon rather than to implement reforms.

The sooner they go, the better.

PHO Clti4hN 2nd OCTOBER 1970

----- pull-quotes -----

Vol 2 Not NEWSPAPER OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRACY

x * FREE POSTER