éirígí Reponse to PSNI commanders' Comments

I would like to respond to comments made in the July 5th edition of your paper (Newry Democrat) in an interview with the “New area commander” for the British police, Davy Beck.


In the interview he was asked for his response to heavy handedness and harassment directed towards éirígí members.

For some reason he said the harassment and heavy handedness was happening due to what he described as “the terrorist threat”. Is Davy Beck trying to suggest that éirígí members are involved in acts of “terrorism”? If so then he is clearly engaging in what can only be described as felon setting. Maybe Davy Beck can enlighten us to the “acts of terrorism” that éirígí are involved in? Let me make this clear, éirígí are a political party who are involved in legitimate political activities and community activism across Ireland.

Davy Beck then goes on to say that his paramilitary force “will target our attentions against people who present a risk, and we make no apology for that”. In other words Davy is saying that republicans better get used to the harassment. Though that does not worry us as we are well used to it at this stage.

Recently Davy Beck’s band of merry men stopped a minibus full of kids just a few miles outside Newry. The kids were returning from what should have been an enjoyable day trip to Dublin but were stopped by the PSNI and British army just outside Banbridge.

Crying children, as young 4 years of age, were separated from their parents, the kids were then searched for weapons, searched for ammunition, swabbed for explosives, videoed and photographed. One child wet himself with fear and was forced by the PSNI and British army to stand at the side of the road soaked in his own urine.

Davy and his cheerleaders might try to present his force as a fresh new beginning but they simply follow the same failed anti-republican agenda and strategy of harassment and intimidation they have always used and they have access to more repressive legislation than they ever had to try and suppress republicanism.

Indeed Davy Beck also brazenly claimed that his paramilitary force “will marginalise those who are opposed to policing”.

I have a message for Davy Beck and his band of PSNI thugs. If they think they can harass and intimidate republicans without provoking a reaction from us then they can think again.

They better get used to republicans openly challenging and resisting them because we won't be going anywhere.

We are in it for the long haul.

Is Mise le mise
Stephen Murney
éirígí Newry