Revolutionary Marxist Group (Irish supporters of the Fourth International). We reprint the speech of the latter below.
I welcome this opportunity to express, on behalf of the Revolutionary Marxist Group, our wholehearted solidarity with Michael Farrell and Tony Canavan. These two comrades are socialist revolutionaries who have played an active role in the struggle against British imperialism and the Orange State.
As a result of their principled stand for political status, they are now engaged in the highest form of non-violent protest the hunger strike. We add our voice unreservedly to the demand for political status of these two prisoners of an Increasingly desperate imperialism. And at the same time we call once more for the release of all the political hostages being held in Concentration Camps in both North and South, I say that British imperialism is increasingly desperate, and it we look al the political developments oner the last few years we can see why. The O'Neill era was followed by the intervention of the British Army; the so-calico retarms mo t nichester care aere tollowen Dy interment, and then by the dissolution of Stormont. We've had a Green Paper, and wo'we had a Waite Paper. We've had the local eloctions and we've had the Assembly elections. And now the Assembly itself. The balance of forces in the Assembly makes et impor sible for Whitelaw to outmanocuver thie Loyalists The Assembly is a laughing stock. It's a mankey house with no shortage of nuts.
PREPARE DEFENCES The anly hope for the Slatelaw regime to stabilise the crustients All can take on and smash to andodebrate the fact that the British strategy 1s in ruins; in another sens:, we must be farfuL Fear can be use. ful: 11 makes us orecare our delunces. ar that IS exactly what we must do.
This nation has experienced 800 years of imperialst appression, so you may siv we are hardenod 1o resistance. But the coming period will see a kind of which has bon baloned, passed, shot at tortured und oppressed by Para brutality: which has been Wid poried and Diplocked, interned and harrassed: which has seen its men, women and children lifted and beaten up the anti Unionist working class will be faced with a new campaign of vicious attacks designed specibcally to davu them into submission Last week we saw just how keen the British Army aru to get at the Falls. The loople's Democracy meeting in support of Farrell and canavan was baruly ot SHE DIORE OBE TOO CUDOUT PHOES GENE CER BUSE canton. This was a clear attempt to dominate the Lower Falls militarily. Perhaps they hoped to draw but the Provional IRA Aneway they dhi not succoed. But above all this was a rehearsal. The British Army is flexing its muscles Perhaps they and jealous of tbeir fellow imperialist murderers in the Portuguese Army in Mozambique.
ARMY DEMORALISATION The political selhacks for Brilish impertalism are bepitning, to be added to by a serious demoralisation in the britis Aries, wu should not think that there's going to be i sudden rush of deserten: we should not consumal thus cemoralsion, Bat a is certainty of the British people are heginning to question the role of the Army in the North, In spite of the black propaganda machine, these doubts are growing. Amongst the soldts, morale has been hit hy their failure to defeat the armed resistance of the IRA, Their offloers every so often announce that the IRA red faces around the barracks. More recendly the soldiers bave boon told that they are going to cut the ground from under the leet of the IRA, that they are going to win over the Catholic population away from support for the freedom struggle. Some of the soldiers will realise that they've heard it all before, and they will be wondering whether this tacric will succeed. Well, last weck they got an idea of the answer - and that answer was the large and disciplined march which deadly demonstrated the defiance and the will lo struggle of the anti-Unionist working class It is in the face of mass action and mass mobilisation that imperialism falten. The politicians of the sell our, the carcerists, and the opportunists are swept asce by me tide of mass action COALITION GOVERNMENT The anti Cnionist, anti-imporialist working class can no more rely on the SDEP than the working class of the 26 Counties can toly on the Coalition Gorernment Fine Gael and Labout are united in their policy of selline foolars to international capilsusin, and keepine it under the domination of British inperialism, British strategy cannot be implemented without the help ol I 26 County government And so we bave Cosgrave ruening over to his master in London every so often to per resh instrucoons no sands on te bout peace and the men of violence, and then ends apposing the uniformed murderes of the British The Westminster and Leinster Hour governments know that the struggle must he fought on all fronts, defeat of Westminster will bean defeat also for the ruling class in the 26 Counties. What any bourgeois gumbeen government in the South is afraid of is political opposition.
WORKING CLASS ACTION Whitelaw and Heath need the support of Cosgrave and Corish if they are to have any hope of defeating the national struggle. And the other side of the coin is that the defeat of the gbettoes in the North can only he prevented with die mobilisation of the warking class here in the South, Itis the duty of all socialists and republicans to work conscantly and consistently towards the mobilisation of tbo working class in the South, in support of the ghettoes in the North, The struggle in the North and the struggle in the South are not two different issues. They are one strugle against foreign domination. In the North, the domination is military, political and economic it is direct imperialUnder imperialisms the working closs is the must exploited and oppressd class. For this reason it is in their interests to strugge against imperialism in all its forms. For this reason also, the working class are the only section of the nation which can be relied on lo StEWeRE to the billet and aranst uperalsm. The way forward in the immediate future lies in building new organisations of working class action, reviving the street committoos and Roople's Assem hlies. A great start is being made in Andersonetown Over the question or polems me aica naaloreT tricks the SDLP may ty. Ue RUC will never agiln be acceptable. The united fronts establisbed in Derry. Armach, and Belfast to protest against interment steps of No 10 Downing Street and speuks a few words must be supported In the coming period the working class can counter the Asembly, the SDLP opporhin ists. and the whole British strategy with their own police and courts, tbeir own vigilantes and sell defence groups. The anti-Unionist working clasa must be arined in their own defence, Red Weekly 14 September 1973 Page
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and Tony Canavan, the People's Democracy militants then on hunger strike in Crumlin Road jail. Speakers included representatives from Sinn Fein (Provisional), People's Democracy, and the