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IKM London [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The following are examples of the solidarity actions that are taking place in support of the Death Fast in Turkey. They are also good examples of the bonds of internationalism that have developed through our campaign.
Scotland Edinburgh An IKM speaker was invited to address the annual James Connolly march in Edinburgh. Over three thousand people marched to commemorate the life and martyrdom of the great revolutionary James Connolly. The IKM speaker shared the platform with an ex-Republican prisoner. An IKM representative took part in a one day conference organised by the Edinburgh Palestine Solidarity Campaign at the Edinburgh University students union. The session on the prisons in Turkey was chaired by Member of the Scottish Parliament Lloyd Quinan. Brian Quail, who had visited Turkey earlier in the year, also spoke about his experiences there. The struggle of the prisoners and their families was discussed and a photo exhibition was displayed. Glasgow A meeting was organised by anti-fascists and republicans to show solidarity with the struggle in the prisons. A video of the December 19th massacre was shown and money which had been raised for the families of the prisoners was presented to IKM. Those at the meeting aim to carry out a solidarity campaigning in Scotland on behalf of the prisoners and their families. Ireland Dublin The Solidarity with Hunger Strikers in Turkey Committee have organised a series of activities within the last few weeks. They include pickets of the European Commission in Dublin and the Nice referendum count as well as regular white line pickets outside the GPO in O’Connell Street. Over a thousand leaflets was distributed at the annual Bodenstown commemoration and regular campaign meetings are being held on a weekly basis. Derry Solidarity actions have been taking place in Derry in support of the Death Fast in Turkey. A counter-demonstration to Bill Clinton’s visit to Derry was held as well as weekly pickets of travel agents selling holidays to Turkey. Belfast Several ex-Republican prisoners have started a letter writing campaign in support of the hunger strikers in Turkey and a series of pickets are being planned. London Weekly white-line pickets have been held in north London and a joint picket of the Home Office was held by supporters of the Death Fast in Turkey and those who are demanding political status for Republican prisoners in British jails in Ireland. The following is a report of the panel discussion held in London at the weekend. From the H Blocks to the F-Types - report on panel meeting The meeting heard the contributions of ex-prisoners from Ireland and Turkey who spoke about their experiences and feelings towards the Death Fast in Turkey. Walton Heaton, who served time in English jails and was on hunger strike with other Republican prisoners, said that as a young man the British state had considered him a thorn in their side because he went to Derry after Bloody Sunday to see what had happened. He was later set-up by the state and found himself in prison with Republican prisoners. He continued to fight for justice in prison and spent most of his time in the punishment block. He spent time in prison with Frank Stagg and Michael Gaughan and he joined them when they went on hunger strike which led to him being force-fed by the prison authorities. He was eventually acquitted. Ex-prisoner Paul Little commented on the need for people in Ireland, especially ex-prisoners and their families, to show their support for the Death Fast. He said that for Irish people support for the Death Fast in Turkey is not just a moral or political issue, it is also about repaying their debt to the people of Turkey who supported the Irish hunger strikers. He brought messages of support from the Irish Republican Socialist Party and from the prisoners of the Irish National Liberation Army. Former revolutionary prisoner Zeki Guven told the meeting about his time in the prisons of Turkey. He had seen privileges taken away from prisoners during the late seventies. First televisions and reading material were taking away from them and then there were restrictions stopping them from receiving visits from lawyers and families members. This in time led to the state trying to impose a regime of isolation upon prisoners. Influenced by the Irish hunger strike three years before the prisoners embarked upon a hunger strike and forced the state to abandon their plans to make prisoners wear prison uniforms. He said that they had heard about the Irish hunger strike in prison in Turkey through listening to the BBC World Service on a smuggled-in radio. Ex-hunger striker John Nixon drew the parallels between the H Blocks and the F-Type prisons. He said that the F-Type prisons aim to contain, confine, manipulate and monopolise prisoners through a regime of isolation. The British government ultimately fail to succeed to do this he said just as the government in Turkey will not succeed. He made the point that the there is no democracy in Turkey and that it is controlled by fascism and an oligarchy and that when he was in prison he considered the British presence in Ireland to be fascist. Brother of H Block hunger strike martyr Patsy O’Hara and former blanketman Tony O’Hara made the point that the British state introduced special laws, special courts and special prisons just so that they could call Republican prisoners ordinary criminals. The reality was that these were political laws, courts and prisons introduced to deal with political prisoners he said. The meeting also saw the video of the funeral of TAYAD member Gulsuman Donmez who died whilst on a solidarity hunger strike. Following the panel discussion and video showing there were contributions from the floor. Messages of support were given from South Asia Solidarity, the Revolutionary Communist Group, New Communist Party, Socialist Labour Party, Justice for Mark Barnsley Campaign, the 32 County Sovereignty Movement and the supporters of the arrested militants of the PCE(r) and GRAPO. A photo exhibition with images from the Irish prison struggle as well as the struggle in Turkey were displayed. |
