USED FOR A POLITICA -with British weapons eagerly Joaned for the purpose.
TERRORISM IS VIOLENCE
IRA post in O'Connell Street, Dublin, burns after being shelled by Government forces that the Act could put a stop to them. The real purpose of the Act remains to harass the Irish community in Britain and all those opp ute book, Roy Jenkins a clearly the fact that those who are being deported have nothing to do with and that is what counts, Three instances over the last few weeks have shown how the Act is being used. EXTENSION Let us first take the case of Margaret Crowiey, a 22-ycar-old Irish woman living in the Fast End of London, She was arrested on Despite the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the bombings continue in Brit. ain. But then no one really believed osed to British imperialism's war in Having put the Act on the statoperative. determined to ensure that it is used as frequently as possiole. Never mind the Provisional IRA. They are Irish, in a police state'. have been deported. Monday 16 December and neld ac Limehouse police station. On 18 December the police applied to Jenkins to prant them a five-day extension, which the 'civilised" Home Secretary did without hes itation. Meanwhile her lawyer. Christopher Scott, registered a complaint against the police und claimed that the Special Branch were being obstructive and uncoOn Thursday 19 December, Murgaret Crowley was supposed to appear in a magistrates opurt charged with assault arising out of a clash between Irish demonstrators and police. The police failed to produce Margaret Crowley and refused to allow her solicitor to see her. In the court itself i protest was made, but the magistrate, John Phipes, refused to allow a protest to be formally lodged. The solicitor, Christopher Scott, was quoted in the Guardian as saying: under this new Act we are living But despite all their attempts the police could not rig sufficient evidence against Margaret Crowley and she was finally released with no charges against her. There is little doubt that if she had not been botn in Britain, she would The sccond instance is that of Albert O'Rawe, an old TRA member who served a prison sentence from 1943-47 after being convicted of 'treasonable activities'. On 30 November at Sam his Kilburn home was raided by the police, his house was thoroughly searched, and Albert O Rawe was taken away.
O'Rawe makes no secret of his Republican sympathies —hardly surprising as many members of his fantly are interned in the Six Counties- but denies membership of the IRA. However, after being detained for a fow days he was deported. Mrs O' Rawe has a family of six children to support and does not wish to return to Belfast.
This is how the Act operates, and it is no good Tribune shedding tears of regret when all the MPs who support it voted for the Act to become law. How they will vole when it comes up for renewal is The thind instance is by fur the most ironic. Two Irishmen, Noel McComb and James Flynn, were deported to Belfast after their appeals had been overruled by Jenkins. When they arrived they were held by the Royal Uister Constabulary for 48 hours and closely questioned. However, and this is where the sting lies for Jenkins and the Special Brunch, they were released by the Belfast RUC with the authority of Merlyn Rees So here we have a situation where the case against McComb and Flynn was so obviously flimsy that they were not interned in Ircland. It is clear that the Act is being used to get rid of Irish people who happen to be political, and the sooner the lahour movement wakes up to this the better. The Act is being used to acclimatise us to a whole number of measures which could be used against socialists in the trade unions and political org anisations.
There are already cough indications of this in Birmingham, Guildford and Bath, where IMG members have been harassed and their homes subjected to a search In Bath the IMG and I5 have issued a joint appeal to the labour movement which describes how at Least twelve people have been detained by the police, without being informed of their legal rights, thes making many statements without the advice of a solicitor.
TROOPS OUT The appeal states that in general the people picked up seemed to have been chosen merely tor their political beliefs, It concludes by calling for: *1. An independent investigation Into the methods used by the Bath police in their inquiries *2. The repeal of the Jenkins Act and the end of police raids and harassment of British and Irish SOUTHISES *3. The withdrawal of troops from Ireland and support for the Troops Out demo (commemoraling Bloody Sunday in Derry) on 1 February. 1975.
The struggle against the AntiTerrorism Act" must be intensified in the coming months, and the broadest possible united fronts should be developed demanding its repeal, The more local Labour parties, trades councils, trade union branches that can be mobWised in the coming months, the more difficult it will be for the Act to be renewed next April.
At the same time support must be built for the Bloody Sunday commemoration demo which hus been called by the Troops Out Movement for 1 February 1975 An impressive turnout here will be the first opportunity for all opponents of imperialism's Irish adventure to show that they are not going to be intimidated by the recent measures enacted by the Labour Government.