Torn Interview with Paddy Kelly

Prevention of Terrorism Act by Liverpool police as they travelled to a training course in England. Paddy was held for four days and then served with an ' exclusion order! banning him from England, His arrest provoked major industrial action from trade unionists in the ' Socialist Republic ' interviewed Paddy shortly after he was deported PED CD GAD AD SD AEE NS NN AD GED AND GG GE ED <> 90> 2n GD Ge GUN GON cate OD ene enw tn Gn aE exe ene caw eee esv-emn ented om deep - sea docks.

to Belfast, ean an ee ee ee eo on 6 a om oe oe os oe os CG. Were you aware of the , protests that were being organised on your behalf by your fellow workers in the docks?

A, I wasn't aware of this uniil Wednesday night, I was “fre in my cell when a polnan brought the tea aroura. I asked him for a newssr or something to read, rought me a copy of the ily Post ', one of the local newspapers in Liverpol, and it was then that I » me io) acmit that I was highly delighted when 1 read it, It was a bit of a surprise, I didn't expect that the protests would have gone on as "ar as they did. I thought that it would have been a token protest but they went the full hogg -they blocked Stormont, City riall, the motorways, picksted the docks, Castlereagh barracks, They really pushed it.

Q. What effect did the stoppage in the deep-sea docks actually have here in Belfast, and was there much solidarity from dockers in other ports?

A. Its effect was mostly in the grain silos - things like wheat, barley, soya beans were affected most, Farmers were coming from all Those interested in contacting MOVEMENT for a SOCIALIST REPUBLIC can do so at: Connolly Bookshop Ph.623472 To over the place to get their grain and stuff from Belfast and they were being refused entry and having to go elsewhere, Ships that were lying in the docks with general cargos of timber and other such stuff wanted to go to Dublin to discharge their boats but the docks in Dublin said that they would refuse to handle any boats coming out of Belfast because of our dispute as they had officially backed the dispute, Telegrams were also sent to the dockers in Liverpool asking them to come out in support, They said that they would have a token stoppage and that their shop-stewards would approach their local M.FP.s to put questions in the House of Commons, Warrenpoint dockers were to have come into the dispute on Friday if I was still being held and the dockers in Derry were also going to come into it.

Q. Do you think that the protests had much effect on what was happening to you in Liverpool? oe GD @P GP OD oe Ob 6D 6D OF Fe ow os oe on ee oe ae a A, There is no doubt that they did. The police had already told me that they were going to hold me for 7 days but with all the protests they had to let me go after only 4 days, I heard two policemen outside my cell talking, Avoca Pk. Andersonstown 38 Clanawiey Road = Dublin. One of them said," What do you think of that, the whole of Belfast docks is closed up because of that bastard in there and we have to get rid of him." So the protests had an effect O.K, Q. Is this the first time that the trade union in the docks -has taken action like this against repression?

A. As far as I am aware they have backed the 'Better Life for All Campaign', but I think this is the first time they have actually come out on to the streets about a aD OP GD Gp OP @ a@ OD Oe oD OD oF a aS Oe eee Q,. The Trade Union Campaign Against Repression (TU | CAR) has been working with- | in the trade union movement to try to get the Trade Unions to fight against repression, What do you think would be the possibility of such activity being continued in the docks?

A. I dontt know what the policy of the docks committee actually is on this personally, I think it would be a good idea for all Trade Unionists to be involved in such a campaign. The only platform that a working class man has to speak for him is in the Trade Union, It gives him the strength and solidarity of his fellow workers, 2p GS 2S GP Gb Gn 62 2 6 SP Gn Oe @ oO oe as a a Q. Do you think it would be possible to get support for such a campaign from the jap an > on oe oe a dockers?.

nn ae os os ee ee ee > es @ Ge es es ss oe a A, It should be possible, There are a lot of individuals there who have ideas on the question of harrassment and «cont.d inside back page

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

~ ARRESTED Paddy Kelly , an ex-internee,

“kh O =st sead about the protest

DOCKER SPEAKS ON PTA ‘and six ‘other Belfast ‘Dockers were arrested under the