AN IMPORTANT CHALLENGE to Roy Jenkins" "draconian' attack on freedom of speech and assembly was mounted last Saturday in the city of Durham More than 50 demonstrators paraded through the streets of Durham calling for British troops out of Ireland and the repatriation of the Price sisters.
An open air meeting was held in the market square where a convenor from the building union UCATT. Stewart Maclennan, appealed to all trade unionists to take action to force the Labour Government to honour Jenkins' pledge to return the Price sisters to Ireland.
Al a picket held earlier outside Durham prison, On 1 June last year, the Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins, issued a statement about the Price sisters and theit comrades who wete them on hunger strike for political status and their return to Ireland. He wid: "I believe it would be possible and reasonable for them to serve the hulk of their long sentences near their home in Northern Ireland."
On 6 June Lord Brockway, Jock Stallard, MP, and SDLP Assemblyman Paddy Devlin informed the Price sisters that the Home Secretary interpreted the bove statement as 1 will send them back to Northern Ireland before the cod 1974 The three eminsaries repeated an assuonce from Mr. Jenkins that a security "derations clause was a formula that ad to be included for political purpose od should sot cass the banger strikers iny concer. Despite feeling deep distrust for this promie from the British Covemment, the prisoners called off November, a week after bombs had apped apart two Birmingham pubs, Mr. Jenkins informed Dolours and Marion Price: There can now be no question of am carly move to Northern Ireland."
HAZARDS Thace weeks later they were trans ferred from Briston Prison to the maxiam sounty won or women at burnam Prison. Until then the two women had always been held in prisons for mien, but ince the end of forcible feeding during their hunger strike, their treatment by the Briston prison authorities bad been tolerable. The situation in Dunham Prison is very different. The Price family have specitied a number of hazards in the sisters' present situation, including threats to their lives, overt lesbian behaviour to wands them by some prisoners, forced association with persons who show strong symptoms of drug addiction, and constant pestering by inmates who want to sell their stories when they get out of prison.
Deputy Prison Governor Miss Ford, In charge of the female section of the maximum security wing, has shown On 4 January she threstened to terminate a visit even hefore it started if her stall could not understand everything that was heing said on the visit.
During a visit by their sister Clare their brother and an aunt on 18 January, Mass Ford again created a scae. This time she refused to pass on a cassette player for Dolours because it had a recording button By the time they had reached the prison pate on the way out, however, a the cassette player would be let in after all But the prisoners and their visitors had once again been caused grave annoyance.
SPLIT UP
The most serious move against the sisters by the prison authorities has been to spill them up. This serves not only tr make them more open to physical attacks. pat essentials mvolves an alempt to break their morale.
The authorities are encouraging the anti-Irish feelings of other inmates, and are using Judith Ward against the sisters in MOVEMENT REST LONDON BRANDA 86g0g B Conway Hall was packed out for last Saturday's rally organised by the Troops Out Movement to mark the third Albert Price, the sisters" father, said: "1 believe it is because my daughters are socialists and not just that they are Republicans that they are getting such vicious treatment from the British Government.' He went on to stress that we are in a war situation and that the Irish people intend to fight until they have forced Britain out of Ireland forever.
At a public meeting held in Durham University after the demonstration it was decided to for an action committee to develop the campaign further. The meeting was informed that Durham Trades Council is calling for the immediate repatriation of the Price sisters.
• particularly nasty fashion. Judith Ward was convicted of involvement in the M62 coach bombing, but has co connections whatever with the Republican movement and is in urgent need of mental treatment, As Dolours wrote on 21 January:
the wing beside a leshian: Marion has been moved to a cell beside Judith Ward We Wing behind this apparcally senseless and neediestly upsetting move, that it will I makes me mad from the paint of view that we specifically asked that a certain third party Judith Ward be kept out of our hair and that we in turn would me that it's now not just a case of her shoving herself up our noses but that she is being ably aided and abetted.
Jican movement from bringing the war fo Britain. However there is only one way to stop the bemhs and to bring peace to IreLand. The trish people must be allowed to detonine their own future, This means getting the British troops out of Ireland.
As Dolours arote from prison: then, of course, the death of a British soldier is also sad, Because he's just some kid who docso't even know why he's in Elster, let alone why the has to die.
At kast our Volunteers know what they are giving their lives for, dat's the dillerence between the idealist and the caanon Todder of the British Government' * MOVEMENT Tve been banished to another part of were told, when we questioned the reasonmuch harder.
THE TROOPS These political prisoners are being ted hostage in order to try to deter the Repuh circles.
Harder.' TROOPS•DUT * niversary of Bloody Sunday in Derry. Among the speakers was Bernadette McAliskey
One politician who has suddenly shot