campuigna the British press has run for a long time. Headlines scrcam about "IRA murders" and "Chicago-style" warfare in Belfast. The deaths of three young soldiers have made a deep impresson, and British public opinion is being groomed for further repressive measures in the North of Ireland. Already righ-wing Unionist M.P.s are calling for immediate internment of known IRA militants, and we can expect an escalation not only of the number of troops, But in the depth of the repression against the nationalist population.
It is necessary to take a long cool look at the situation in the Six Counties, to discern, behind the propaganda barrage, what is really happening, and to prepare for political work geared to combatting the plans of British imperialism.
RESURGENCE OF REPUBLICANISM The first factor which must be noted about the current situation is the resurgence of Republic anism. The civil rights phase has been superseded, and the old mark of trish politics is back the gun. Thar the civil rights movement. which seemed to be a now breakchrough in politics in Ireland, should inevicably have led to the situation where the Catholics are looking to physical force Republicasiam as a solution to their problems, was not widely foreseen by the British left. Nevertheless, it Bows inexorably from the very fact that, for the firss time in fifty years, the power of that brutal Orange state was effectively challenged. This opened up all the old contradictions resulting from one-third of the population reflecting the stare in which they lived, and being kept in subjugation by force of arms. When the power of that stace weakened, inevitably the forces which represen ted the unquenchable aspiration for national unity, would come to the fore.
THE BRITISH ARMY / THE PEOPLE It was inevitable roo that the presence of British troops in the Six County area would lead to clashes with the Catholic people. Although the Catbolics had welcomed, or at Want tolerated, the troops in August 1969, they Lad an be MATE POE mutuation, which the troops prevented.
However, two factors have clanged this atti tude: first, the people in the Catholic ghettoes now have the capabilicy to defend chemselves against any future attacks secondly, the role of the troops that of controlling any independest factors in the situation, while British imperialism tries to find a long term tolucion! has meant that they have been trying to prevent the build up of this defensive capacity, and have chus carned the hostilicy of the oppressed minority. This combines with their tradicional loathing for the uniform of the British Army, Starting with urms searches. reacting to the hostility of the people wich wide and more and more indi criminate arrests, the troops have succeeded in polarising against chemselves every section of the Catholic chectoes.
A typical "clashi" between Brirish troops and "extremes elements", would take the form of some young people beiag pushed around, their reacting with stones, the bringing in of more troces, riote stoner, the troops using CS gas. The gas affects only the people who can't get away from it: so old people, sick people, and. very young children are the only serious victims. This means a reply with peral bombs and often the use of guas, as older men start protecting their area.
There are two classic examales of this. The fint was the arms search and corfew in the Lower Falis, Belfast, in July 1970. Having ordered the inhabitants of the area into their bouses, and soaked the arca weil with Cs gas the troops proceeded to rear the boase apart in a search for arms, arresting people wholesale, gunning down three men, and running over another with an armoured car. People in the area can cestity to their hoese being broken up. religious arnaments being smashed, and money being stolen. This led to a 16 hour gun-bartle between the British Army and the Official IRA. Afterwards it was admitred that the curfew had. been entirely illegal, and thar oely a tiny qoutity of armis was found. It was this which brake the uneasy truce between the British Army and the inhabitants of the Catholic ghettoes; all further escalation can be traced back to chis action by the British Army.
The second tuppened only a short time ago.
DAISE PARKE the real facts. and there was no reference to it la the newspapers later.
The frisk Times report concerns an incident as the Unity Flats on Saturday February 27ch, following the weekly parade of supporters of the Protestant Lintield Football Club, who do their best to show their concome for che Carbolic inhabitants of the flats, before going home to Shankill. This is always an explosive time, and the troops surround the flats, preventing entrance or exit during the time the Linfield supporters are passing. The report says:
-After about ten mi.
vere gone. pase the flats.. up home toward the Shankill coad... At the flats the police were beginning to mow away also. Troops began to push slightly against the crowd of Carbolies which had krinted into a solid 200 but still ebere seemed no need for coccern.
"Quite unexpectedly two water cannon began en move towards the entrance of the flats" fore court. A suldier was heard to say something ending with the words water cannon. Whether he gave at order to fire them or not one of the water cannan was fired. A jet of water showered the crowd who backed further into the court. Fand. Another jet followed, some missiles were thrown and at least three soldiers fired abour a *Whatever hopes there had been for a peace ful evening were gone. Now shower after shower of missiles descended on the mops whe replied with volley after volley of rubber bullets, while streams from the water cannons swept the "At one stage a grey van leaving the area had its windscreen smashed by a stone. A soldier shouted Watch chas wan' and two soldiers rushed towards is. They pushed their rubber bullet guns in theough the broken windscreen and fired several rounds of bullets at point blank range. They did the same chrough the side windows.
"The van driver was arrested and taken away.
KYINE
-HOLYWOOD ARCHES.
DRENONS FRONT & SATURN A A '#' Special is asued frears by a Royal TAster Constabulary sergest. Citizen:' Detence Connictee was firing the happenings. He left his camera in a shop, and was chased back into the shop by some soldiers. The shop owner, Mr. Austin, tried to stop chem entering his shop:
*The man with the baron came forward slightly and, although Mr. Austin was standing in front of him, tried to get past.
"A scuffle followed, The soldier hit Mr. Austin several times across the head and arms with his baton. Mr. Austin grabbed the soldier round the neck and pashed hit back towards the stairs. When this happened a soldier who was now at the rop of the steps moved back slightly and leaned against che back banisters. He made two mora Be sounds with his rifle. pointed it at Me. Austin's farchead and screamed: If you don't move 1'l f-ing shoot When one tenses that the croops have been -carrying our similar actions in all of the Catholic areas of Belfast for munths now, and that there have been no auch actions againse Protestant arcas, despite the known faer that chere are large quancities of arma there: and that the brave hopes of progress cowards civil rights which the Bricish governmens promised have not materialised: that unemployment in the North of Ireland is rising rapidly, and that the inhabitants of these ghettoes have no hope left of a decent life: it is bardiy surprising that there should have developed deep honda between chem, and cheir armed vanguard the hrish Republican Army. WHAT IS THE IRA?
The IRA is beat knowe for its twa campaigns againar Northern Ireland. in 1939, and 1956. Ir was formed froen that part of che irish guerrilla army which after the struggle against Britain between 1918 and 1922 refused to accept the Treary and the partition of Ireland. In the civil war against the forces of the "Free State", it failed to reverse this betrayal, and has existed ever since as an irregular army, dedicated to combatting British imperialism's hold on IreFonian Brotherhood, the old "ahysical force' mavement which made several heroic attemp in the last century to drive Bricain out of lieland.
Foilowing the failure of the 1956-62 campaign, the leaders of the TRA spent a long tur discussing the reasons for their failure? What was important co then was not their mibtary defeat bat that they had failed to get the sup part of the leish people. With such support their guerrilla was would have been invincible without it, despite the widespread sympathy they received, they were powerless againsr h arned might of British imperialism This long discussion had profound conse quences. A large section of the movement began to realue the need for a clear idea of ti lind of Ireland worth figheing far, and that t only perspective wasto fight for a Workers Republic. This coincided with a nove away E such pructices as refusing to recognise coures. or to answer police questions, which had led milicanes needlessly going inco prison, thes weakening the movement further: to a move the dropping of the "abstentionis:" policy of refusing to take seats if elected to Westminste Stormont or the Dail "OFFICIALS" AND "PROVTSIONALS" It was the latter point which was che osterui reason for the split last vear between the "Officials" and the "Prosisionals": Following the decision of the Army Council in favour o ending the abscentionist policy, che 1970 Ar heis (Conference, of the Repahlican Move ment's political wing. Sion Fein, supported ti abandonment by a small majority (which was not enough to make the necesary change in consticution) " A large number of che delega walked out, setting up the Provisional Aruty Council", and the 'Caretaker Executive ofS Fein."
The differences were of course more profound chan on che question of abscention: th Provisianals also rejected che socialis persper tive of the Officials. and accuse the Officials not only of having sold out by recognising th "Treat yite" parliaments, but of being under commenist influence.
ADGUST 1969 But there was another issue, which has been -canse of the real deep bicterness beeween the two organisations, and that is the role of the Army Council during the Augast 1969 cens in the North, The fact that, when the people Bogside and Falls were facing a pogrom by tE "B" Specials and RUC. the Army Council die not send the arms which were available. Cath Goulding, the Chiel of Staff, has expluined il reasons for that: they carry a great deal af conviction. However, the fact of the failure c the arms to appear, at a decisive moment, co bised with the turn uf the Officials away fro pore physical force cactics, has crabled the Proviaionals to label them as "pacifist" and accuse thern of running down the armed sect of the movement. In addition che Provisional bave undoubredly gose our of their way to prove their own militancy against the Bricish troops. This has rended to obscure the fact t the longest engagement between Beicish troo and Republican forces since the Black and T Ware was che 16-bour gun bactle carried on b the Official IRA in the Lower Falls Jast JulyOFFICIATS V. PROVISIONALS? It is impossible at this stage to connen: kno ledgeably on che recent conflicts between Of cists and Provisionals: however, it is importan to note the role of the British Army and the For the last chree monchs or more, there have been contin sal headlines about warfare between the two moventente; there are two aspects of this reportage. Firsely, i tas been (ho say the least) inaccurate. For example, in January the newspapers were full of the inci dents in which men were found tarred and feathered in the Lower Falla. They screamed about this being an internal feud in the IRA, -and later reported (in very small cype) char police thought that the men acre in fact pet cominals who had been punished by che IR/ for burglary in the area. Republicans in the Lower Falls confirmed this to me ishen 1 visited Bellast ar the end of January, They e plained that chese men had heen breaking ins houses, small shops and pubs under the mist
sentence with a fairly good grace, having had it
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EAST strike, but television and radio did not repore