An Irish Free State court has granted an order to extradite a republican woman to the North. The woman, Mrs. Roisin McLaughlin, is wanted for questioning in connection with the execution earlier this year of three British soldiers by resistance fighters. If her appeal against extradition fails, Rolsin McLaughlin will be the first person to be extradited from the "Republic' for u political offence.
NEW TURN This ast represents a new turn in the level of collaboration between the Dublin government and Britain. In the period immediately after Internment in August 1971, the South was a relatively safe haven for the resistanoe fighters. But since then the Dublin governments have taken a whole series of measures to chang: Ihus sitwton. The ariny has been reorganised to make it a suitable instrument Tor dealing with social dis content - its size has been significantly increased; pay for soldiers has more than trebled since the carly sixties; a great deal of new equipment has been purchased; and crowd control and anti-riol training has been started.
Restrictions have also been im posed on the press and TV to prevent the republican case from getting an adequate bearing. Armed with a whole new range of repressive legislation, the police have waged a continuous campaign of harassment aod interoment against repubLicans. Under the new Fine Gael-Labour coalition government this campaign has been 182 Pentoaville Road, London N.1 Name:
Occupation: accelerated. The extradition order agninst Roisin McLaughlin is the conchusive proof of chis.
UNPREPARED The tragedy has been that the main political groupings leading the auti-imperialist struggle in the North were caught unprepured for this outcome. As the Provisionals themselves admit in the 25 May issue of An Phobiachr: 'Despite this continuous provocation and harassment, Republicans bave until now romained passive in the unlikely hope of some menningful political initiative from the new government on the national situation."
However the Provisionals have now decided to launch both in Ireland and interna tionally an anti-governient ca mpaign against re pression, collaboration nd extradition. They have called for the suppor. of 'all organisations and indi viduals every where who support freedon, equality and justice,"
If the British government succeeds in getting Roisin McLaughlin extradited it will be a grave setback for the resistance struggle. They will then have an open licenoe to go for othet anti-imperialist militants in the South. Clearly it is in the interests of all republi can and socialist organisations to campaign againat this extradition attenpt.
In Britain, too, the question of this and ocher extradition attempts must be made a central part of the campaign against the repression of militunts who support the Irish struggle.
INTERNATIONAL MARXIST GROUP ( British Section of the Fourth International)
I would like more information about the IMG.
Red Weekly 1 June 1973 Page 7