INLA/IRSP STATEMENTS -- Stormont Watch

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Date Posted: Sun, Oct 11 2009, 17:58:19 PDT
Author: www.ia-pl.org
Subject: INLA/IRSP STATEMENTS
In reply to: www.ia-pl.org 's message, "CONFIRMATION: 5PM NEWS" on Sun, Oct 11 2009, 17:47:52 PDT

Irish Republican News to www.ia-pl.org
show details 14:48 (3 hours ago)

An announcement was made this afternoon that the INLA's armed struggle
is over and that its future will be based around politics through
exclusively peaceful means.

A statement to this effect, due to be delivered in Bray, County Dublin
at the annual commemoration for republican socialist leader Seamus
Costello, who died as a result of a feud in 1977, is carried below.

The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) was established in 1975,
first declared a 'no first strike' policy against loyalist
paramilitaries in 1994 and called a complete ceasefire in 1998.

Although it did not participate in the negotiation of the 1998 Good
Friday Agreement, INLA prisoners qualified for early release on the
basis of its ceasefire.

The organisation has suffered extreme internal pressures throughout its
history, with feuding and infighting resulting in the deaths of a
number of prominent members.

In recent years, some members advocated a return to armed struggle,
while others supported a purely political campaign by its sister
organisation, the Irish Republican Socialist Party.

The INLA has also suffered heavily from criminal elements claiming the
title as a cover for their activities.

It could not be confirmed if today's development, initially signalled
by the BBC and the mainstream British media, had the full backing of
the organisation.

Today's announcement comes on the heels of a report on Saturday that
the 'Official IRA', an organisation generally believed to have ceased
to exist, would engage in an act of weapons decommissioning.

The INLA was initially founded by activists such as Seamus Costello and
Thomas 'Ta' Power who broke with the 'Official IRA' following that
group's ceasefire in 1972.

The development also comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
flies in o London and Belfast for talks on the peace process. Speaking
in London today following talks with British Foreign Secretary David
Miliband, she described the breakaway 'Real IRA' as "an evil
enterprise".

She said republican armed groups were "out of step and out of time" and
called for an end to violence in the North ahead of her visit to
Belfast tomorrow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is the statement which was due to be read to the Seamus
Costello commemoration today, made in the name of the leadership of the
Irish Republican Socialist Movement. It was placed online by a senior
member of the IRSP executive, Willie Gallagher, this lunchtime.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The INLA and IRSP were formed in 1974 in order to create a 32 County
Socialist Republic. In those 35 years military volunteers and political
activists have fought with courage and honour and have struck at the
heart of the British military and political machine in Ireland and in
Britain. The INLA is a key constituency within the Republican Socialist
Movement (RSM). The INLA recognised that its struggle was based upon two
distinct phases:

(1) Armed Resistance
(2) Political Organisation

In 1994 the INLA put in place a no first strike policy and in 1998
called a complete cease-fire. Both of these decisions were based on its
political analysis and monitoring of the changing military and political
environment. The recent progress on loyalist decommissioning can be
traced back to the INLA's "no first strike policy" of 1994 and the INLA
acknowledges this progressive step by loyalism.

The RSM has been informed by the INLA that following a process of
serious debate, consultation and analysis, it has concluded that the
armed struggle is over and the objective of a 32 County Socialist
Republic will be best achieved through exclusively peaceful political
struggle.

The RSM agree with this analysis and are fully supportive of the move to
build a left wing party that has a clear objective of a 32 County
Socialist Republic based on the principles of equality, justice,
inclusion, human rights and dignity.

It is within the above objective that the RSM opposed the Good Friday
Agreement and continues to do so. We as a movement believe that the Six
County State is not a viable political entity, which cannot be reformed
and fitted into a flawed two State solution.

The RSM has always aspired to the principle of the primacy of politics
as espoused by Ta Power.

The future struggles are political. We urge all comrades, members,
volunteers and supporters to join the political struggle ahead with the
same vigour, commitment and courage that was evident in our armed
struggle against the British State.

To para-phrase James Connolly 'let us arise', build a left political
alternative in Ireland and support the struggle against global
capitalism.

Ultimately our allegiance is to the working class, onwards to victory.

STATEMENT ENDS

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Go raibh mile maith agat.

Irish Republican News

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