“as basically counter-revolutionary force out of the shambles of…”
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Unfree Citizen1974British troops and the occupationThe Fourth InternationalPrisoners and the hunger strikesIrish history and its commemorationInternment, repression and the courtsBritish troops and the occupationThe Fourth InternationalPrisoners and the hunger strikesIrish history and its commemorationInternment, repression and the courts
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as a basically counter-revolutionary force out of the shambles of 1921 Treaty with Britain in order to safeguard that treaty and the interests of the class which supported the Treaty. It did, however, contain many officers and men who had been revolutionaries in the War of Independence between 1918 and 1921, equally as the Civil War dragged on, it contained in its ranks many who had previously served in the old Irish regiments of the British Army, such as the Dublin Fusiliers, the Munsters and so on.
The loyalty of this pro-Treaty army was to the politics of the compromise collaborating with the British Army along the border with the Northern State.
The army which believes itself to be the legal army of the whole of Ireland — in fact as frequent governments remind us, the only legal army in Ireland, has found itself acting as the 5th column of the British Army which it was supposedly set up to replace.
Disloyalty within its ranks It is against such a bacground that we must view the recent appearance in the Special Criminal Court of 6.N.C.O.’s and privates in the Irish Army on an explosives charge. Whether the charge arises out of the commercial instincts of the rank and file of the defence forces or out of their anti-imperialist politics, it raises very forcefully the whole question of the state of morale and loyalty in the army — in a state of affairs which apparently runs completely counter to the recent blustering statements of Paddy Donegan, Coalition Defence Minister. Together with recent reports possible routes to Long Kesh. As the marchers were lined up to set off, seemingly in the direction of Long Kesh, the Chief Steward ordered an about turn and headed off towards the City Centre using a route through the side streets to further confuse the A short distance along the Falls Road, the march avoided a hastily erected Army barricade and proceeded towards Castle Street. An Army riot squad came running from Hasting Street barracks but this was outflanked Castle Street Millfield junction. Here another group of soldiers and RUC arrived just in time to erect a barbed wire barricade and stop the march.
At this point the march organisers called on demonstrators to move back to the Divis Flats complext for injury. was released.
of punch-ups and free-for-alls between British and 26 Co. soldiers on the border, it points to the growing contradictions between the political sentiments of the rank and file and the political aims of those who control and direct the defence forces.
An army which is recruited on a mercenary basis for ambiguous political objectives can not hope to survive intact the longer the anti-imperialist war in the North continues.
While the protest meeting was in progree in the Divis Flats complex P.D. stewards moved along the road and told people to disperse in small groups and reassemble in Unity Flats on the other side of the army barricades. After about half an hour when most of the marchers had reached Unity Flats unknown to the army and R.U.C. they reassembled and marched through the Flats and onto the Crumlin Road.
From here, with the jail in sight and the army completely baffled as to what had happened, the marchers broke into a run until they reached the jail gates. At the gates a short protest rally was held with speakers from the members of the Peoples Democracy, the R.M.G. and Sinn Fein. The names of prisoners inside the jail were called out amid cheers and singing from the demonstrators.
After the meeting there was slight ' stoning from a small crowd of loyalist youths, but the marchers returned to Unity Flats without It was then decided to march to the Grand Central Army post to demand the release of a P.D. member who had been arrested earlier in the march. Once again the army seemed to have been taken totally by surprise and after making their protest the marchers proceeded back up the Falls Road. The arrested man P.D. MEETING IN ARDOYNE North Belfast Peoples Democracy held a protest meeting in the Ardoyne area of Belfast on Friday over the murder of Hugh Coney and to call for an end to internment. After the meeting which was addressed by Fergus O’Hare and Rose Hunter the crowd assembled and marched to Flax Street Army Barracks where the people of that area showed their contempt for the British Army by stoning the barracks.