Stand-Up to Racism | Defending Neutrality | Pat Finucane - End the Delay

 

Stand-Up to Racism

In 1972 Catholic families – who had endured three years ofsustained sectarian attacks on their homes – fled Annalee St in North Belfast.Last month - fifty-three years later - Catholic homes in Annalee St.were again the target of sectarian attack and families were forced to flee. Inthe last fortnight we have also witnessed the firebombing of homes inBallymena, the Larne Leisure Centre and racist attacks in other parts ofthe North.

The images of homes in flames in Ballymena reminded me ofsimilar scenes I first witnessed in Belfast in August 1969. The film footage ofthat period is of streets ablaze, frightened families hurriedly stackingfurniture on lorries or carrying their most precious possessions on theirbacks. Then it was the racism and sectarianism of the apartheid unionist stateattacking nationalist and republican families, killing residents, destroyinghundreds of homes and forcing thousands to become refugees in our own city.

Regrettably, the same sectarian and racist fundamentalismthat motivated those attacks still exists today among some in our society whocampaign against housing for Catholics, hang effigies of political leaders onbonfires and use violent rhetoric to promote hate crime against immigrantsand those they define as ‘others’. That is those who are of adifferent religion or colour, or sexual orientation. 

Racism and sectarianism manifest themselves in differentways. Sometimes it is official discrimination through public policy or thepresentation of offensive stereotypes against those being targeted, includingminority ethnic groups, like travellers and non-nationals,like migrant workers,refugees and asylum seekers. Hate crime also manifests itself in racial abuse,threatening behaviour, incitement to hatred, attacks on family homes and onbusinesses.

Hate crime cannot be tolerated. It must beopposed without hesitation. As a society we have to take a determinedstand against racism, hate crime and sectarianism. Some people sufferingas a result of government policies are open to manipulation by right wingelements. They themselves may not be ideologically racist or right wing but bynow all of us must know how dangerous it is to acquiesce to those who are.We must take a stand against the policies which create inequality. That meansfacing down the governments in London or Dublin. Or others in the Assembly inBelfast. We must face down the racists. 

That requires community solidarity. People of good willstanding together and embracing those who are being attacked. It also needs thepolice and the courts responding quickly and resolutely to hate crime. Thatmeans arresting those responsible and bringing them speedily before the courts.

Diversity is a strength not a weakness.Republicans reject bias and discrimination and racism. We reject bigotryand cultural supremacy. If the decades of one party rule and of conflictin the North have taught anything it must be that there can be no second classcitizens in our society.

The island of Ireland is no longer just a place of Catholic,Protestant and Dissenter; of traveller and settled people. Ireland is now hometo people from every region of the world. We have become a place to whichpeople immigrate. This new cultural diversification has the potential to enrichthe cultural life of our nation and to become part of the economic engine forgrowth.

In front of Belfast City Hall there is a statue to agreat Belfast woman – Mary Ann McCracken. She and others stopped slave shipsfrom doing business in Belfast in the 18th and 19th centuries.They said NO to inequality and YES to equality and enlightenment. That is thereal Belfast and we need to live by those principles today.

 

Defending Neutrality

The Israeli rogue state has set the world on a dangerouscourse. Its deadly assault on Iran, allied to its violent actions in Lebanonand Syria and its genocidal war on the Palestinian people, has cast a hugeshadow over the Middle East. As its military forces continue to kill scores ofPalestinians daily in Gaza and its war planes attack Iran the Israeli militaryimposed a complete siege on the west Bank. Over a thousand military checkpointswhich provide Israel with absolute control over the occupied west Bank, werecompletely closed imposing a siege on the Palestinian towns, villages andisolated farms of that region.

As the world focusses on the exchanges between Israel andIran the Zionists’ genocidal and ethnic cleansing strategy against thePalestinian people is escalating. Those western states that have refused tochallenge Israel’s murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians or stand-byinternational law, are now defending Israel’s attack on Iran using the sameunacceptable excuse that Israel has the right to defend itself.

It is in this heightened political and humanitarian crisis,with the real likelihood of an intensifying war in the Middle East, that theIrish government want to end Ireland’s long standing policy of neutrality. TheFF/FG government want Irish men and women to be placed under the control ofthose same international governments that are currently aiding Israel and/ordefending its actions. This is not acceptable.

Under the government’s proposed new legislation - theGeneral Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 – the Triple Lock will beremoved. Under existing law Irish troops cannot be sent overseas without theagreement of the Dáil, the government and the United Nations. The governmentwants to remove the UN requirement.

At the weekend several thousand people took to the streetsof Dublin to oppose the scrapping of the Triple Lock. As Mary Lou McDonaldsaid: “No way. Not on your life. We will fight this tooth and nail.”

If the Irish government is convinced that it has the supportof the Irish people to make this fundamental change then they should put it tothe people in a referendum. Let the people have their say.

I am confident that the majority of the people of Irelandvalue neutrality. It reflects our history and our own struggle againstcolonisation and oppression, and for freedom. Neutrality has ensured that theIrish state is widely respected as a defender and proponent of peace, humanrights, and international justice. Paraphrasing James Connolly Uachtarán ShinnFéin Mary Lou told the crowd on Saturday: “In Ireland, we don’t bow tokings, we don’t bow to Kaisers, and we certainly won’t bow to a dangerousmilitarisation agenda driven by power, greed and war.”

 

Pat Finucane - End the Delay

It has been ten months since the BritishSecretary of State Hilary Benn first announced that he was settingup an independent inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane under the 2005Inquiries Act. Last week he appointed Sir Gary Hickinbottom as the Chairof the Inquiry. Hickinbottom has been given responsibility for investigatingone of the most high profile examples of state collusion between loyalist deathsquads and British state agents and agencies during the decades of conflict.

As well as Hickinbottom, former Police Ombudsman NualaO’Loan and international human rights lawyer Francesca Del Mese have beenappointed as assessors to the inquiry. Their role is to advise the Chair butthey will not be involved in any final report.

It has been a long difficult road for Geraldine Finucane andher family to secure this Inquiry. Twenty-four years ago the British and Irishgovernments agreed at Weston Park to establish public inquiries into anumber of troubles-related cases. Canadian Judge Peter Cory recommendedinquiries into the deaths of: Rosemary Nelson, Robert Hamill, Billy Wright, andPatrick Finucane and also into the deaths of RUC officers Bob Buchanan andHarry Breen.

All of these inquiries took place except that of PatFinucane. In the years since successive British governments have used a varietyof legal devices to avoid holding a public Inquiry, including the establishmentin 2011 of a review of what had happened – led by Sir Desmond de Silva QC. Heconcluded that he was “in no doubt that agents of the State wereinvolved in carrying out serious violations of human rights up to and includingmurder.”

But still the British government prevaricated. The Finucanefamily was forced to take their case to the British Supreme Court which foundthat all the previous investigations had been insufficient. In 2022 the HighCourt in Belfast quashed a decision by the then British Secretary of State thathe would not hold an inquiry pending the outcome of continuing investigations.

So, the Inquiry has now been announced. The Chair andassessors have been named. But we still do not know when or where the inquirywill take place. This foot dragging is not acceptable. It is now vitalthat the inquiry begins its work quickly. The time for delay is over. And lestwe forget the family of Sean Brown continue to be denied their right to anenquiry by the same Government which now appears reluctantly and belatedly tobe giving the Finucane family what they had to campaign decades for.