redflag32
02-04-2008, 01:28 PM
Despite atrocious weather around a thousand supporters gathered at Galliagh Co-op and marched from there to Leafair. Leading the march was an IRSM Colour party, followed by family members carrying wreaths. Two bands took part, the Parkhead RFB from Glasgow and the Seamus Costello MFB from Derry and banners were carried by several IRSP cumainn. It was a long march which wound it's way through Galliagh to Carnhill, across to Shantallow where the Colour Party lowered their flags at the IRA memorial, the march then proceeded to the Neil McMonagle memorial in Leafair. The proceedings were then chaired by a comrade from Derry who after calling for the laying of the wreaths called forward Sean McGowan from the RSYM who spoke well and clearly articulated a Republican Socialist perspective on current events. He finished by calling on young people to follow Neil McMonagle's example and fight for your people.
The chair then called forward Pol Little from the Ard Comhairle to deliver the main oration. Again he spoke of the dedication of Neil to his community. He derided the PSNI's enourmous presence at today's event and called on supporters of the PSNI to justify their actions. He also used the occasion to offer solidarity to the Bloody Sunday families.
The commemoration ended with the immaculate playing of the national anthem by the Parkhead band. The parade passed off peacefully despite the obvious provocation from the PSNI.
Speech Delivered by Pol Little:
Comrades, Friends and supporters of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement it is indeed with great pride and honour to be asked by the North West IRSP to address you here today on the 25th Anniversary of the death on active service of INLA Volunteer Neil McMonagle.
Neil gave his life willingly in the defence of the working class people of Derry, the working class of the occupied six counties and in common cause with all those who sought the liberation from the yoke of British imperialism, not only of the Irish nation but the emancipation of our class.
• That Neil McMonigle was a victim of an undercover SAS unit is beyond dispute
• That this SAS unit was acting under the direct orders of the British Government is beyond dispute
• The direct orders of the British government of ‘shoot to kill’ of Irish Republican Socialists is beyond dispute.
The manifestation of this order from the British Government left INLA Volunteer Neil McMonigle lying dead, murdered in his own city among his own people by a foreign SAS unit in civilian clothes that had been skulking and stalking the republican socialist community in Derry.
Delivering Neil’s graveside oration Liam O’Comain then IRSP representative in Derry said:
“Neil McMonigle had never understood the meaning of cowardice, and that the Kitsonian tactic of eliminating republican activists would prove as useless as internment Republican activists would prove as useless as internment, brutal interrogations, H Blocks, non jury courts, rubber bullets and supergrasses. He added, for in the end the will of the people will be revealed for that will is embodied in the minds and hearts of People like Neil mcMonagle.”
Speaking to one of Neils peers recently, he described him as a Volunteer, describing him as unassuming and self deprecating, he saw his part in the struggle for a socialist republic as a duty and an honour, he often said that his greatest honour was when he led the colour guard at the funeral of INLA hunger striker Volunteer Patsy O Hara.
The Kitson, Liam referred to is of course the British military strategist and author of low intensity warfare which remains the British Army blueprint for the British occupation, divisionism and pacification of invaded of sovereign nations. The out workings of Kitsons strategy we can see today in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Zimbabwe and more recently Kenya. In Ireland, the out workings of Kitsonism were the major contribution to thirty years of sectarian conflict in the north, sectarianism is not something inherent in Irish people, sectarianism is in fact a British tactic to subdue Irish independence.
Kitson advocated British imperialism should ideally be one step removed from the British political establishment, limited power should be handed to ‘friendly natives’ who would in turn confront insurgents, rebels and revolutionaries.
In Ireland, we got the RUC / UDR / RIR backed up by the Unionist corner boys of the UVF / UDA.
Friends, look around you today and reflect on what you see. Literally dozens of landrovers have descended upon this community and for what? Can anyone really explain why hundreds of heavily armed PSNI men and women are called for in a republican area for an event that republicans have gathered to remember one of our dead martyrs. Can those who now support this new RUC tell us if this is part of the new policing dispensation. Can this intimidation of republicans be justified?
The RUC got a name change to the PSNI, Same old story, and same old political police with a shiny new uniform. We are told that the so called disbandment of the UDR was a sop to Irish nationalists, rubbish, the UDR/RIR had served their purpose and were reintegrated back in to the British Army, and as for the unionist militias they have been left neither fish no fowl after their corner was demolished and a McDonald’s built in its place.
Politically we have ended up with Ireland not only partitioned but a copper fastened sectarian state in the north, a puppet regime in Stormont squabbling over the crumbs from the Brits table. Many Irish Republicans wonder how some went from ‘Tiocfaidh to Chuckle’. If you’re a single parent living on the 12th floor of a block of flats in the New Lodge or a teenager in the Bogside or Strabane with no education, no training, no job and no hope, not much to laugh about there.
We in the IRSP are not distracted by the shenanigans of the clowns at Stormont, nor are we pessimists, forecasting doom and gloom. Republican socialism remains implacably opposed to the British occupation; we are steadfast in our aim to establish an Irish Socialist Republic. To achieve this end we will engage in whichever tactics we deem necessary and productive.
Before I finish I want to acknowledge our solidarity with the families of the Bloody Sunday victims on this commemorative weekend. 36 years on they still haven’t got what they are looking for from the British and when the Saville Inquiry concludes will that goal have been realised?
Volunteer Neil McMonagle was a humble man and as already said ‘unassuming and self deprecating’ honourable qualities in an INLA Volunteer, but the cause he served are neither. The Republican Socialist Movement is moving forward in the vanguard of working class struggle in Ireland and wherever that struggle leads us, so be it, we will be ready!
Today we salute an Irish Revolutionary
Go raibh maith agaibh
Pictures still to come.
The chair then called forward Pol Little from the Ard Comhairle to deliver the main oration. Again he spoke of the dedication of Neil to his community. He derided the PSNI's enourmous presence at today's event and called on supporters of the PSNI to justify their actions. He also used the occasion to offer solidarity to the Bloody Sunday families.
The commemoration ended with the immaculate playing of the national anthem by the Parkhead band. The parade passed off peacefully despite the obvious provocation from the PSNI.
Speech Delivered by Pol Little:
Comrades, Friends and supporters of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement it is indeed with great pride and honour to be asked by the North West IRSP to address you here today on the 25th Anniversary of the death on active service of INLA Volunteer Neil McMonagle.
Neil gave his life willingly in the defence of the working class people of Derry, the working class of the occupied six counties and in common cause with all those who sought the liberation from the yoke of British imperialism, not only of the Irish nation but the emancipation of our class.
• That Neil McMonigle was a victim of an undercover SAS unit is beyond dispute
• That this SAS unit was acting under the direct orders of the British Government is beyond dispute
• The direct orders of the British government of ‘shoot to kill’ of Irish Republican Socialists is beyond dispute.
The manifestation of this order from the British Government left INLA Volunteer Neil McMonigle lying dead, murdered in his own city among his own people by a foreign SAS unit in civilian clothes that had been skulking and stalking the republican socialist community in Derry.
Delivering Neil’s graveside oration Liam O’Comain then IRSP representative in Derry said:
“Neil McMonigle had never understood the meaning of cowardice, and that the Kitsonian tactic of eliminating republican activists would prove as useless as internment Republican activists would prove as useless as internment, brutal interrogations, H Blocks, non jury courts, rubber bullets and supergrasses. He added, for in the end the will of the people will be revealed for that will is embodied in the minds and hearts of People like Neil mcMonagle.”
Speaking to one of Neils peers recently, he described him as a Volunteer, describing him as unassuming and self deprecating, he saw his part in the struggle for a socialist republic as a duty and an honour, he often said that his greatest honour was when he led the colour guard at the funeral of INLA hunger striker Volunteer Patsy O Hara.
The Kitson, Liam referred to is of course the British military strategist and author of low intensity warfare which remains the British Army blueprint for the British occupation, divisionism and pacification of invaded of sovereign nations. The out workings of Kitsons strategy we can see today in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Zimbabwe and more recently Kenya. In Ireland, the out workings of Kitsonism were the major contribution to thirty years of sectarian conflict in the north, sectarianism is not something inherent in Irish people, sectarianism is in fact a British tactic to subdue Irish independence.
Kitson advocated British imperialism should ideally be one step removed from the British political establishment, limited power should be handed to ‘friendly natives’ who would in turn confront insurgents, rebels and revolutionaries.
In Ireland, we got the RUC / UDR / RIR backed up by the Unionist corner boys of the UVF / UDA.
Friends, look around you today and reflect on what you see. Literally dozens of landrovers have descended upon this community and for what? Can anyone really explain why hundreds of heavily armed PSNI men and women are called for in a republican area for an event that republicans have gathered to remember one of our dead martyrs. Can those who now support this new RUC tell us if this is part of the new policing dispensation. Can this intimidation of republicans be justified?
The RUC got a name change to the PSNI, Same old story, and same old political police with a shiny new uniform. We are told that the so called disbandment of the UDR was a sop to Irish nationalists, rubbish, the UDR/RIR had served their purpose and were reintegrated back in to the British Army, and as for the unionist militias they have been left neither fish no fowl after their corner was demolished and a McDonald’s built in its place.
Politically we have ended up with Ireland not only partitioned but a copper fastened sectarian state in the north, a puppet regime in Stormont squabbling over the crumbs from the Brits table. Many Irish Republicans wonder how some went from ‘Tiocfaidh to Chuckle’. If you’re a single parent living on the 12th floor of a block of flats in the New Lodge or a teenager in the Bogside or Strabane with no education, no training, no job and no hope, not much to laugh about there.
We in the IRSP are not distracted by the shenanigans of the clowns at Stormont, nor are we pessimists, forecasting doom and gloom. Republican socialism remains implacably opposed to the British occupation; we are steadfast in our aim to establish an Irish Socialist Republic. To achieve this end we will engage in whichever tactics we deem necessary and productive.
Before I finish I want to acknowledge our solidarity with the families of the Bloody Sunday victims on this commemorative weekend. 36 years on they still haven’t got what they are looking for from the British and when the Saville Inquiry concludes will that goal have been realised?
Volunteer Neil McMonagle was a humble man and as already said ‘unassuming and self deprecating’ honourable qualities in an INLA Volunteer, but the cause he served are neither. The Republican Socialist Movement is moving forward in the vanguard of working class struggle in Ireland and wherever that struggle leads us, so be it, we will be ready!
Today we salute an Irish Revolutionary
Go raibh maith agaibh
Pictures still to come.