Victimisation of Danny Burke

An emergency motion from Belfost Wet calling for a special conference in the auiome to dis: (Oss a campaign ageinst further redundancics was passed by a urge majerity, deapite furious opposition from the Northern Commitiee, Weat Belinet schools suffered savage job loxses thik A major Issue at INTO"s Northern Conference waa the victimisation af Weat Belfast teacher Genny Burke and the removal of his cone: to teach, Motions at the tunference , sopporting Borke were hanned by the leadership in an obviogs attempt io avoid . taking action over a clear cose of Vetimisaiion, As previous beares wf Soclaligi Republic have reported, Dunny fo longstanding midoe ee ee ee A court come revealing ine disgracefal nature of the ‘evidence’ agains! him and a methon at Inst year's conference colling for a withdrawal of cooperation with the edacation Imapectoraie pendIng 5 saiisfectory appeal procedare, the onion bes sow dropped the case he o bot potato, Thefartods rows. which broke oot at the conference show that the isnue is for from dead and its effecia will be feld for some time: tw. rrr

THE DETAILS OF THIS CASE WHICH HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE trich newspapers over the last few months wes found on the beach at Cahirchveen in Kerry last April, The Ganrdal aresied a young Jocal women, Joanne Haves. They claimed she was the mother ond that tagether with ber family she hed killed the child, The fumily was questioned at Tralee Garda Barracks by o team of detecthcs led by Soperintendent John Courtney, following which they made wuiements im accordance with the police accusations, They subacqoenthy retracted ther ‘cufcssiens' saying these had been obtained under duress — the: family was physicolly and mentally atused during the inter rogetion which lasted 12 heures: Mewretile blood tests continood that wid ot the loanne Hayes fxvber ol the haby on the beach The police caught in this clams; attempt af & famewp were advised io drop. the cose, The Hayes family complained fo @ ral tts (tk about their incatment, and Noonan wos forced to order An cCaguar The conde af that inquiry, now In fis tenth week hes coused p good deal of public outrage. Far from being ae lipartial athempt to get at the truth it is clearly o face-saving cwercise for the police. The kinds of qucstions put to the Hayes family were simply an extension of their intertogation in the Tralee Garda Barracks. The aim of the questions is Clearly to convict them still of the Cahirciveen killing.

Three Garda superintendents, Incheding John (Ciwurtney, have been giving instructions to the lawyers responsible for their defence aod tt was clear what ine they were to take. There is no evidence to convict Joanne Hayes so they were to eo for character DSS 356A instead, Joanne is a single parent, wlio it the onirse of a love affair found herself pregnant again. The child was born prematurely in April 1964 and did net survive. Much was Made of this by the lawvers acting for the Gardai. They pur.

sued 4 bizarre line of enquiry seeking to establish that Joanne had given birth to twies, one of which was the baby on the beach!

Using this theary as a pretest, alll the most intimate details of Joanoe's pregnancy and social life wete made known to the public.

The Tribenal becanve o ‘trial” ane an ordeal very ceminscent of rape cases where the victin's sexual life is held up te serutiny.

POLITICAL [IMPLICATIONS The Joanne Hayes. come sharws that the less intemogation methods which the Free State nverment condoned against its political cocmies in the MWe are firuling their wav inte toutine polite investigation. This link is pepinesented io the perscan of Joba Courtney, formerly of the ‘Heawy Craig. thew peromiated bend of the Murder Squad and in charge of the ‘Kerry Babies” investigation THE HEAYYT GANG 4 special seotion of the Garckat wid Set up im the early 7s to ‘deal’ with those arrested uncer emergency hegivlation, Those myrpived were ficksamed ‘the Heavy Gang’ due to the brutal methods they used to extract cmlessinns- One of ther enrliest cases-was the Sallins Mail Train Robbery by means of whith they framed four members of the Irish Repoblican Socialist Party. Cowrtney wad centrally inveved. This. cose residied in an etelit year fight for justice by Micky Kelly, Aninesty International compiled a dossier and report giving details ef the Heavy Ganp’s activities bised on numerous allegations it had received and presented this to the Minister for Justice. The Teason for concern was not simply the physical and mental abuse of detainees but that ‘confessions" were sufficient grounds for conviclian im the juryless Special Criminal Court, To date: oo member of the Heavy Gang has been prosecuted and in tact many huve been promoted, All demands for an independent enquiry inte the Salling affair Nave been befuned, Iris citav with the passing wf the Criminal Justice Bil tat the EUveroment is jouking to the police te contain Uhe results of the : e ¥ ;

save extending police power, kecp control over the cose the | another set of laws — the ones lives as baie down by the church.

contral leads to tragik: pregnan astet the babies whe are alive.

have been found recently show some Who catinet cope with preg: Tecessiad, the socal crisis youth ire in thraugh lack of jobs. ete, The government his ma smution THESETY.

In their discredid fight to Joanne Hayes ps & witness end so Gardai defence lawyers invoked Ebverting people's cmotional The boas Hayes case is one of a sees where innoiaried mothers are under uttack becnse they don't cechorm to cherch morality, They fare severe discrimination in howslog like Nancy 0" Donnell and are. dismissed fron: pebs hike Eileen Flynn. Denial of democee-, lic Habis like adequate sex educatien and free choice about birth cies like those of Aon Lovett and Jeanne Haves, The church justifies. this repression in the name of ‘life” and ‘human digeity’ (Inaugudral wires: Archbishop of Dublin, Jatiuary 2150 1985). This is hypocritival because they cit tinge to classify same babies ax “Uke gitimatc’: they don't demand HUrseties, adequate matemity benefit, net un enc to powers bo The number of dead babies which | the desperate solution sought by | __ JOANNE HAYES _ ae La natty in a hostile environment. The chucch hierarchy and ies Fine Gael backers igure this kind of The ‘Kern Babies’ case shoes the kind of viokence which pervades Sacictics where police and church dre allowed a free rein, Tt shows that the community ignores this state vielence at its peril — the experience the Gardal guined from repressing anti imperialisis will be wsed to deal with any kind of public protest. Denying women their democratic nights causes inisery, hardship and even death, However. the depth of public feeling aroused over these injustices shows that Irish workers are not ready to shows the value of campaions tke the Micky Kelly Campaign and the Right te Choose Campaign which deepen understanding of the political situation, [t shows the value that 1 general campaign against the denial of democratic tehts woold heave in exposing the bankruptey of the Free State gOvernnbent.

CAIT O'MARA

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GONTRACEPIION .. THAT 1S OUT..... DWORCE, THAT 1 OUT... ouves Am FREEDOM, OF CHOICE, THAT IS OUT... = eas