Attacks on Women Es Ad

troops on March 5th.

The attack followed an unsuccessful escape bid by five Republican women, inéTuding Elizabeth McKee,the first women to be interned,and Theresa Holland,a 17year old school student.

A statement smuggled out of gaol said that one prisoner, Collete McCann, was batoned by at least nine of the prison staff, and that another 17-year old, Christine Clarke was hauled down a flight of stairs, and hurled head first into a cell, where she was left unconscious. The warders then hosed the prisoners in their cells.

This savage treatment of Republican women highlights the importance women play in the Irish struggle.

Until this year, women have been dealt with by the spurious legality of the Orange courts and many have received severe sentences, But this has been found too cumbersome to deal with the increasing numbers of women in active opposition to British Imperialism.

In the new year , Liz McKee became the first woman to be interned without trial in the North. She was followed by Theresa " Tish " Holland WOMEN FIGHT ON Throughout this phase of the struggle women have played a leading role in fighting British Imperialism. They took a leading role in the rent and rates strike which is still effective in most Catholic areas. They have led militant demonstrations against Army posts and other B.A. installations - it was a Women's Action Group which organised a march to the home of the Bishop of Belfast after he had condemned the IRA.

The women " whistlers " who warn the community of an impending British Army raid, by the ' traditional ' method of banging dustbin lids, have prevented the arrests of many Republicans. Liz McKee was once threatened with shooting by a Brittsh terms.

of 35 men from the Ardoyne Parachute Regiment. soldier in the Royal Artillery Reg- resist. iment for this activity. It was the women of Andersonstown, led by Maire Drumm, now President of Sinn Fein, who broke up the British-inspired Women Together Movement, showing them that the women of Andersonstown are not interested in peace on Recently, a protest demonstration of 250 women resulted in the release area after a swoop by the Third After the shambles of the Whitelaw tactic of trying to separate the IRA from its base, the Catholic community in the North, repression has steadily mounted, against those sections of the population who want to break from British Imperialism. Its aim is That this has failed, that people are still prepared to confront the Army on the streets, to refuse to pay rents, and to support the IRA in its military campaign,continues to prevent British Imperialism from imposing its solution on Ireland. This ts why brutality against women has been escalating. © Liz McKee's arrest was condemned by by the whole anti- Unionist population in the North, and has brought forth a stream of protests from local people and organisations, including organisations in Britain.

That campatgn must be continued against these latest attacks, as part: of the on-going solidarity movement wtth the Irish struggle. Rosemary Sullivan -.

FREE IRELAND MAY 1973 PAGE THREE

_ _ Whythe Internment Le; The Anti - Internment League was small, though significant.sections Since that period the AIL has had

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De crush the will es the people to Derry Women's Action Committee demonstrate after Bloody Sunday.