On Saturday 27th October 2012 , there were some 16 protests in 11 countries on three continents such as New York, Sydney, Rome, London, Rome, Manchester, Toronto, Paris,Glasgow, Hamburg, Colorado, Darmstadt, Dusseldorf, Magdeburg, Utrecht or Goteborg, as well as in Dublin, Galway and Lurgan in Ireland , in support of Irish Republican political prisoners.
The Dublin protest, at which 500 'Support the POWs' leaflets were distributed in a 90-minute period, was held without incident which, unfortunately, was not the case in Lurgan, County Armagh or in Hamburg, Germany: Cait Trainor, RSF Ard Chomhairle member , was arrested at the protest in Armagh and taken to Lurgan barracks where she will be held until Monday 29th October. From there she will be taken to Hydebank Jail in Belfast to serve a two-week sentence imposed in March this year at Craigavon courthouse.
Cait was fined for 'participating in and organising' a march through Lurgan in January 2011 in support of Martin Corey, interned without trial in Maghaberry jail, Co Antrim, since his licence was revoked by the British secretary of state in 2010. Cáit refused to pay the fine of £700 imposed on her and was arrested on Saturday 27th October 2012 whilst on a protest highlighting the plight of the POWs interned without charge or trial, and also by remand, in Maghaberry jail.
The following statement was released in relation to the unwarranted incident in Hamburg, Germany, at the POW picket -
Preas Ráiteas / Press release
28 Deireadh Fómhair / October 2012
Republican Sinn Féin condemns repression against protesters in Germany at the Hamburg vigil on International POW-Day 2012 which was broken up by police.
Vienna/Hamburg – German police forces broke up a vigil outside the Lithuanian Consulate on Saturday, October 27. The vigil was organised by Irish republicans of the 'Maghaberry Awareness Group St. Pauli' to demand the release of Irish republican Michael Campbell who is held in a Lithuanian jail. October 27 was the International Day of Action for Irish republican prisoners 2012.
About 50 local anarchists and Chechen socialists joined Irish republicans at a candlelight vigil at the Lithuanian Consulate at Grosse Bahnstrasse in the Altona district of Hamburg, Germany. The vigil lasted less than 30 minutes when it was broken up by German police forces threatening the arrest of all participants. The police said the protest was threatening the property of the Lithuanian Consulate.
Republican Sinn Féin International spokesperson Dieter Blumenfeld condemned the repressive actions by German police forces against Irish republicans. He said: "October 27 was the International Day for Irish political prisoners. The arrest of Cáit Trainor at a protest in Lurgan and the breaking up of a peaceful picket in support of Michael Campbell in Germany shows that the reactionary and imperialist forces want to silence Irish republicanism. We commend all those taking part in the vigil for Michael Campbell in Hamburg, Germany. Every man and woman has a right to protest against injustice. On October 27 the German state has once again shown that they are the closest allies of the most undemocratic and repressive governments."
All of those that took to the streets in the 11 countries are to be commended for doing so and especially Cait and our colleagues in Armagh and our friends in Altona : go raibh míle maith agaibh, a chairde!
Thanks for reading, Sharon.
