Antifascist Solidarity Needed in Liverpool on Saturday 21st July!

Liverpool Antifascists | 14.07.2012 15:17 | Anti-racism | Liverpool

At 13:00 on Saturday, 21st July, Liverpool Antifascists will be gathering at Combermere Street in the Toxteth area of the city. We then plan to march to the city centre, for a rally themed around ‘working class unity against racism and fascism’. Liverpool Antifascists would like to ask you to attend, or spread the word about the event if this is not possible. This will be a vital day for Liverpool activism, and even the city in general.

http://liveraf.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/working-class-unity-against-racism-and-fascism-rally-march-in-liverpool-21st-july/

To understand why, it’s important to look at the background to this demonstration. In February, a gang of around two hundred fascists mobilised in the city centre, running amok, and forcing the Irish Republican Flute Band off the streets, before going on to hassle Occupy supporters on an anti-police brutality protest. This was a serious defeat for Liverpool activists, and it is vital that this is acknowledged, so that we can stop it happening again in the future.

The same Irish Republican Flute Band has organised next Saturday’s event, and Combermere Street has been chosen because the great Irish working class organiser James Larkin was born there in 1876. Fascists from North West Infidels, Combined Ex-Forces and Casuals United are already talking big about stopping the Flute Band from marching – and are trying to pin the “IRA” label on them, even though the band have nothing in common with the long officially disarmed paramilitary group.

If the fascists succeed in stopping the anti-fascist march and rally on the 21st, it will be an even bigger victory for them than February was. Their tails will be up, and they will feel confident enough to step up street attacks on activists, which have been at a low but persistent level for almost a year now. Just over a week ago, they violently attacked people on their way to an antifascist gig in the town centre, including a musician with no other link to anti-fascism.

But if enough people from Liverpool and around the country mobilise, our sheer weight of numbers will deter them, and send them back home with their tails between their legs. This applies double since the fascists are making such a public deal of the event, and posting photos of Warrington bomb victims in an attempt to slander the Irish Republicans’ name.

In the words of James Larkin himself, “Those who want to divide the workers have resorted to the foulest methods.” The fascists are the result of this, but for all our sakes, they cannot be allowed to succeed.

NO PASARAN!

Liverpool Antifascists
e-mail: liverpoolantifascists@hotmail.co.uk
Homepage: http://liveraf.wordpress.com

Comments

Hide the following 32 comments

Liverpool AF are serious liability to anti-fascism

14.07.2012 16:00

James Larkin RFB with 32CSM / Real IRA banner

The Liverpool Anti-Fascists group is a serious liability to the entire anti-fascist movement - they've deliberately chosen to ignore the warnings and now need to be ditched like a ton of hot bricks immediately

1. From the James Larkin Republican Flute Band website -

Irish Republican Army New Year Statement 2011 "The leadership of the Irish Republican Army extend new years greetings to our friends and supporters both nationally and internationally"

http://jimlarkinrfb.blogspot.com/2011/01/ira-new-year-statement.html

2. Even worse, the James Larkin RFB website also carries a statement from the "32 County Sovereignty Movement", who are described on Wikipedia as "the political wing of the Real IRA". The Real IRA is an officially designated terrorist organisation who murdered 29 innocent civilians and injured over 200 more in the 1998 Omagh bombing - they killed women, children, Protestants and Catholics, foreign tourists and even a pregnant woman - an atrocity so disgusting it was even condemned by IRA leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness

http://jimlarkinrfb.blogspot.com/2011/01/32csm-2011-new-year-statement.html

3. "James Larkin (21 January 1876 – 30 January 1947) was an Irish trade union leader and socialist activist, born to Irish parents in Liverpool... In September 1923 Larkin formed the Irish Worker League... Its most prominent activity in its first year was to raise funds for imprisoned members of the Anti-Treaty IRA"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Larkin

4. "The Irish Citizen Army was a small group of trained trade union volunteers established in Dublin for the defence of worker’s demonstrations from the police. It was formed by James Larkin and Jack White... Many of them later joined the new Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1917 on, but the Citizen Army remained in existence until the 1930s. According to some reports, ICA units were involved in various IRA operations during the Irish War of Independence... During the fighting in Dublin that began the Irish Civil War in July 1922, some elements of the ICA (which by this time had about 140 members) were involved in the Anti-Treaty IRA... Their banner was the Plough and the Stars... (which) has been carried alongside the Irish tricolour and Irish provincial flags at Continuity Irish Republican Army, Provisional IRA, Official IRA and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) rallies."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Citizen_Army

The photo shows James Larkin RFB members publicly displaying a banner of the 32CSM / Real IRA

The issue here is that pro-IRA marchers give the far-right a pretext for going on the rampage, so don't give them the pretext

Janine W

BNP activists like Kieren Trent support the IRA

14.07.2012 16:42

The vast majority of left-wingers and Anti Fascists despise absolutely all attacks on innocent civilians, and therefore hate scum like Anders Breivik, Al Qaeda and the Real IRA and UVF etc even more than we oppose scum like the EDL, NWI and National Front.

As they're all fellow Nationalists, some BNP activists like Kieren Trent support the IRA

The tactical stupidity of Liverpool AF beggars belief

Don

Its the Jim Larkin Society NOT the flute band - very diff.

14.07.2012 17:03

The pictured flute band above with the 32s banner are the James Larkin Republican Flute Band (

http://jimlarkinrfb.blogspot.co.uk/) who are NOTHING to do with this march or
the pro-peace process/GFA friendly Liverpool Irish Patriots flute band (

http://www.liverpoolirishpatriots.org/) that was stopped from marching in feb.

In fact the 2 bands never march together because of their differences over the peace process.

The James Larkin SOCIETY involved with this march (again, not to be confused with the JLRFB) are a trade union society. james larkin was a trade unionist. Do your research properly. Therefore this march is nothing to do with the IRA.

For the hard of understanding:

James Larkin Republican Flute Band: not involved with the march, or the last one. pictured with 32's banner

James Larkin Society & Liverpool Irish Flute Band: involved with the march, peace process friendly, would never be seen near dissident republicans

no no nooooo

The only way you could have a problem...

14.07.2012 17:08

..with good friday supporters marchring is if you disagree with the existence of the Republic of Ireland. Its not 1916 anymore folks. The IRA of larkins time is now just called.... The Army in Eire. get a grip

historian

Reply to 'no no nooooo'

14.07.2012 18:47

In April 2002 the Liverpool Echo published a letter from the secretary of the James Larkin Republican Flute Band stating that the band "rejects the associations made by the Liverpool Echo between this band, Mr Pat McDonnell, Republican Sinn Fein and the Continuity IRA" and stating that the band "is politically opposed to these organisations and is fully supportive of the current peace process in Ireland". Fair enough? Except for the fact that the IRA and Real IRA statements were posted on the James Larkin RFB's own website as recently as January 2011

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/views/echo-letters/2002/04/29/your-letters-100252-11829330/

Strangely, according the Cairde na hÉireann Liverpool Facebook, "In December 2008.... the James Larkin RFB announced its disbandment". A statement issued by the band said "We urge all former Band members and Merseyside-based supporters to become involved in the political work of the James Larkin Society and Cairde na hEireann Liverpool, and to support the recently-established Liverpool Irish Patriots Republican Flute Band" - kinda weird for 2 bands who, as you say "never march together because of their differences over the peace process"!!!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=330379493690574

The impression (confirmed elsewhere by chatter on Republican web forums) is that officially the JL-RFB re-formed as LIP-RFB, but, even if these 2 bands were separate (which I doubt) scrolling down through the LIP-RFB's own Facebook wall, it's still covered with references celebrating IRA personnel like Michael Gaughan, Frank Stagg, Gerry Adams and Sean Phelan, and with statements like "Up the Provos"

http://www.facebook.com/liverpoolirishpatriots

So at the very least Liverpool AF are being disingenuous (to put it politely) in pretending that "Fascists from North West Infidels, Combined Ex-Forces and Casuals United.... are trying to pin the “IRA” label on them", because these people are happy to pin the IRA label on themselves. The issue here is that Fascists are opposing this march on grounds of its being organised by IRA supporters - the Fascists aren't making a distinction between IRA supporters who oppose the peace process and IRA supporters who support the peace process, and the situation isn't helped by Liverpool AF making claims which can be easily be disproved by anyone with access the internet.

you don't need to read wiki

14.07.2012 19:06

Once your on the street you'll know who is and who isn't fash so don't worry about wordsworth and shakespeare going toe to toe on indy just open your front door and exit

blahblahblah

HELPFUL SUGGESTION !!!!!!!!!!!!!

14.07.2012 20:07

The Irish Post (24 Feb 2012) describes the far-right attack on February's parade as having taken place because the event "was branded an IRA March", and because of, in the words of marcher Sandra McLellan, "an incorrect perception suggested this was a Republican event". She's also quoted as saying that "it was community organised to commemorate the memory of an old IRA man who died in 1921" - thereby proving, in her own words, that the perception that this was "an IRA March" was not so unreasonable. The article also mentions the parade being part organised by the (quote) "Liverpool Irish and Republic flute band" (sic), failing to mention that the name this band give themselves is really the "Liverpool Irish Patriots REPUBLICAN Flute Band" (snap). Likewise Sandra McLellan is Sinn Fein Teachta Dála (MP) for Cork East - Sinn Fein was the political wing of the IRA.

So, if we're all agreed about the peace process and about opposing terrorist killers (including terrorist killers in the British Army), maybe Sandra McLellan and friends might consider the possibility that their parades might attract less hostility if they lead processions with MASSIVE banners that say stuff like "Liverpool Irish Support the Peace Process"?! Y'know, maybe showing a tiny bit of sensitivity to victims of terrorism, alongside peaceful campaigning for a united Ireland, and opposing Fascism ;)

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/5-stories/209-irish-parade-attacked

Ronan Bennett

@ hx

14.07.2012 22:11

yes the statements by ira/rira were on the JLRFB website, the ones who are NOT marching

the original james larkin band split in two over the GFA - the peace process friendly one being the ones involved. they march separately and do not support one another. relations are not good. you seem unfamiliar with liverpool and irish republicanism there, im letting you know the facts

the references are all to pre-'97 volunteers, including ones like sean phelan who the last march was dediated to who died in your grandparent's time. if youve a problem with that well... i dunno what your politics are. but check the history of AFA in this country - republicans have always been involved and loyalists opposed when theyve been out in beligerent form, including by anarchists

i smell a right wing troll tbh

the fash just want a pop at anything remotely republican, or in many instances, irish. to suggest 'the IRA are marching' is ridiculous and an attempt by the small amount of fash to get numbers out like in feb

reply to hx

Pragmatic Response.....

14.07.2012 23:26

I agree that "the fash just want a pop at anything remotely republican, or in many instances, irish" - the point is not to GIVE them an extra excuse. I also take your point about the split over attitudes to the Good Friday Agreement, it is however the RIRA-supporting JL-RFB who urged their supporters to join both the James Larkin Society and to join the LIP-RFB, whose Facebook just happens to be covered with pro-IRA stuff, so to pretend the JLS and LIP-RFB aren't IRA supporters and that IRA supporters have nothing to do with the parade/s would be absolute bollocks, end of.

The issue is that even people who support the IRA's historic / past activities can (and mostly do) support the peace process, but Fascist propaganda doesn't make distinctions between different shades of IRA support, which is why Scouse Republicans need to conspicuously and pro-actively advertise their support for peace, in active preference to foregrounding the commemoration of (even historic) IRA veterans, in these parades, IF they want to deprive the far-right of a PR victory. Put bluntly - please put BIG peace banners at the FRONT of these parades, please DON'T use these events to get all dewey-eyed about IRA heros whose current relevance is (as you say) that they died in our grandparents days.

Feel free to ignore my advice, by all means, but be aware that the facts as they stand provide more than enough "proof" that in this context (and in the perception of the Fascists) the left can be seen as "defending" terrorists. Do you want to help these Fascist bastards, or do you want to make the most of an opportunity to prove them wrong? It's up to you. You can shoot the messenger if you really want or you can take fair warning in good faith and try to implement damage limitation before it's too late.

As for the history of AFA - yes, AFA made some very serious political mistakes.

R—B

As above -

14.07.2012 23:43

As above "The Irish Citizen Army... was formed by James Larkin and Jack White... their banner... has been carried... at Continuity IRA, Provisional IRA, Official IRA and INLA rallies"

Mox

Sorry, busted

15.07.2012 00:05

The description on this You Tube video confirms that "The James Larkin RFB" is "now known as the Liverpool Irish Patriots RFB" - in other words they're the same band!

Believe me, "Bin Laden is a Hun" cracks me up too, but this You Tube was not posted by any "right wing troll" but by the people who put together TAL Fanzine -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW1jx8c-x8k

M—X

Liverpool AF are a joke

15.07.2012 02:53

Sorry but I agree with the first poster who called Liverpool AF a liability.

They are and real Antifascists should not associate with them. They made fools of themselves the day they showed support for the Rochdale paedophiles purely to spite the EDL/NWL and they're making fools out of themselves here, siding with IRA supporters again purely to spite the fascists.

The enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend. Real Antifascists will not march with murderers, paedophiles and other assorted lowlifes.

And that's without not even talking about the fact Liverpool AF have completely failed to stop the NF/NWI/CFX/EDL controlling the streets of Liverpool now. Let's face it, Liverpool AF have lost and it's all down to Phil Dickens only arrogance and ego, putting himself ahead of the Antifascist cause.

For all his talk and bluster, the man is a coward. I remember a few weeks ago the NWI crowing about a victory after a couple of them went down to Dickens place of work to confront him... Dickens ended up crying to the police and on one occasion, again when NWI went to confront him, he actually remained indoors leaving his girlfriend to take abuse from the fascists.

The man is an utter liability and a joke to the Anti-fascist movement. An idiotic, egotistical twat with an inflated sense of self-importance who does more harm than good to the Anti-fascist cause.

Real Antifa

solidarity

15.07.2012 08:32

the people who are going to attack the march are EXACTLY the same people who are attacking antifascist gigs and so on. if there isnt a show of strength between republicans and the general left/antifascists, the fash will see this as another victory. the february event was a wake up call but since then we have outmobilised them. and LiverAF did NOT support rochdale pedos - dont be so naive. thats exactly what the fascists say. this is a genuine call out to prevent fascists controlling who demonstrates on the streets and who doesnt. be there.

Malatesta

FAO Ronan Bennet

15.07.2012 09:41

is this a typo and you are referring to GFA
'As for the history of AFA - yes, AFA made some very serious political mistakes. '
care to expand?

Malatesta

Hmmm

15.07.2012 10:42

Due to the tone, spite and invective thrown Phil Dicken's way I suspect the "Real Antifa" post to be a fash troll. The North West fascists have been trying to discredit him for some time now due to his actions - Facebook pages etc - and the tone and insults used in the "Real Antifa" post are very similar to the posts made by openly fascist internet warrior posts.

IHTF

IHTF

15.07.2012 12:06

you may be right there. mind you, this silly trolling does very little. the main thing is that antifascists and republicans have a strong turnout. the february incident was hardly a crushing blow. they've done fuck all since. bristol? oh dear!

Malatesta

repost!

15.07.2012 12:07

lining the streets is a succesful tactic and makes the EDL feel the hostility towards them and despite all their bravado they pantsed it like in brighton. it means plod cant kettle you and folk avoid the UAF/police kettle and pointless counter demo in the opposite direction. well done bristolians. an utter humiliation for the EDL. again.

Malatesta

Right WIng Troll

15.07.2012 12:21

If you are going to pretend to be an anti-fascist it is better to keep your comments short and sweet, because the more you say, the more you expose yourself.

Firstly, the people who believed that it was a mistake to go the paedophile case (and there are some) certainly did not suggest that we went there to support paedophiles as you do. You claim that LiverAF march with paedophiles. get real.

Interestingly you seem remarkably well informed about Dickens, and the visits to his workplace. In fact, you seem to have the exact same version of events that the fascists have been peddling...interesting indeed.

Yes, anti-fascists have disagreements. However, we do not resort to nasty name calling and personal attacks online.. that is usually the preserve of the far-right.

Fuck the fascists and war of words

15.07.2012 15:10

just do your level best to get to and support this important demo.

antifa

Lessons from Blackpool

16.07.2012 22:43

If I could just dip into this debate, as probably everyone knows by now (but just in case anyone doesn't) EDL co-founder, ex-convict and knife criminal Jeff Marsh runs an EDL splinter group called Casuals United, who took it upon themselves to organise protests highlighting the case of missing school-girl Charlene Downes, who, it's been claimed, may have been killed by the Muslim owner of a kebab joint in Blackpool

Bar stabbing rival football fans for the sheer hell of it, the likes of Jeff Marsh never took much interest in the welfare of young people, until the Fascists came across a case where a suspect happened to be Muslim, but if you want a true measure of the moral calibre of the Casuals / EDL, this photo shows how these "patriots" think it's appropriate to behave at an event highlighting the alleged abuse of a young girl (the photo was taken at the Casuals United protest in Blackpool on 28 May 2012) -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62597226@N04/7461560360/

The reason Casuals United took-up that cause has nothing to do with concern for victims of crime, but is in the hopes Anti-Fascists and left-wingers would counter-protest against their demos, so the Fascists could photograph their opponents and smear Anti-Fascists as "opposing" not Fascism, but as "opposing" anti-paedophile demos. Earlier Indymedia threads warned Anti-Fascists NOT to walk into this TRAP, and for a while, and still for most people, those warnings proved successful.

Unfortunately since then a few people have walked into that trap, and into the equivalent trap that's been set for them in Liverpool... my advice - DON'T, stay at home. When it comes to the problem of Fascists using anti-Republican mobilisations to attack other protest groups, the solution's simple - focus on ensuring security for your own premises and don't organise any other radical events on the same day. First the Republican movement is perfectly capable of organising its own muscle. Second I don't recall even the most radical left-wingers ever rushing to free a Fascist from police arrest just because some lefties don't like cops, so, by the same logic, the pragmatic reality is that sometimes it's better to let the cops deal with a situation than it is to walk into the middle of a political trap which could seriously damage the Anti-Fascist cause for years.

As an added bonus, and as this photo shows, in many cases the Fascists do more harm to their own cause by being left to their own devices.

Other photos from the same demo in Blackppol -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62597226@N04/7461561384/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62597226@N04/7461558664/

Rzck

Put the peace banners at the FRONT of the parade!!

16.07.2012 23:27

The "Real Antifa" comment is definitely a troll post - the language has Jeff Marsh's grubby paw-prints all over it (as, no matter how tactically misguided Liverpool Anti Fascists may be in this context, under no circumstances did Liverpool Anti Fascists ever show any "support for the Rochdale paedophiles")

In no way does Marsh Gas trying to jump on the bandwagon disprove the other warnings however, eg - the warnings about Liverpool AF saying it's not a Republican parade when one of the organising groups' own Facebook is covered with blatant pro-IRA statements. Like the man said, if these Republicans support peace and the GFA, then put the peace banners at the front of the parade!!

As for Malatesta - mistakes made by AFA? "No Retreat" page 205, para 2, line 1. "Beating the Fascists" page 329, para 2, line 1. But, hey, why listen to tactical criticism when AFA veterans have the option of making the same mistakes they made in the past all over again?! BTW is that the same Malatesta who (out of some kind of misguided deference to the working-class nature of the EDL's core support) spent ages trying to convince people that the EDL are "not" Fascists, and that they are instead "just" Loyalists? I'm not having a go mate but your judgement in these matters is hardly faultless.

Casey

response to above

17.07.2012 11:24

As for Malatesta - mistakes made by AFA? "No Retreat" page 205, para 2, line 1. "Beating the Fascists" page 329, para 2, line 1.

pretty irrelevant.

But, hey, why listen to tactical criticism when AFA veterans have the option of making the same mistakes they made in the past all over again?!

such as?

BTW is that the same Malatesta who (out of some kind of misguided deference to the working-class nature of the EDL's core support) spent ages trying to convince people that the EDL are "not" Fascists, and that they are instead "just" Loyalists?

where? i have said not all EDL are fascists. they aint. theyre fucking clueless right wing arseholes but not exactly 88 material. but there are some, especially in the infidels who are NF. EDL are mainly ultranationalist.

I'm not having a go mate but your judgement in these matters is hardly faultless.

it is faultleess and you are a big fanny! and so's your mum!

Malatesta

Malatesta

17.07.2012 22:53

Q - "Such as"? A - such as the mistakes that have been identified to you above, to which you havn't even tried to construct an answer, let alone a good answer (unless calling someone "a big fanny" is what you think passes for political analysis these days?)

One genuine mistake above however, it's "Beating the Fascists" page 328 (not page 329) para 2, line 1, that you need to read, as well as re-reading all the points you chose to ignore - points like Sandra McLellan lying to The Irish Post and Liverpool AF pretending events that commemorate IRA veterans have nothing to do with the IRA etc. The NWI and EDL are pretty thick, but they've totally outsmarted Liverpool AF and the Scouse RFB's on this one

Tezla

response to above

18.07.2012 08:31

2 lines in over 600 pages is hardly disastrous. any non-partisan group will have differences with overlapping interests. BNP booted off street. various parts of AFA worked independently of red action/London AFA anyway. and do i really need to write 'LOL' after a flippant comment? you're a troll. go back to the EDL. LOL!!!!

Malatesta

Dividing the workers

18.07.2012 09:22

When James Larkin said "those who want to divide the workers have resorted to the foulest methods" was he predicting the Provisional IRA?

Protestant Socialist

Malatesta

18.07.2012 11:08

"Up the Provos", but obviously "not" pro-IRA

"2 lines in over 600 pages is hardly disastrous"? Really? When one of those lines talks about how AFA's Red Action contingent "took sides in a feud inside the Irish Republican Socialist Movement which left 13 dead"?! We're not talking about whether the BNP were "booted off street" (sic), we're not talking about the successes of militant Anti-Fascism, but about the failures, and about whether anyone within that movement should choose to make similar mistakes again.

In case of that specific mistake we're not however even talking about the political repercussions of Republican terrorists killing innocent civilians, or about Republican terrorists killing members of their own community, we're talking about militant Anti-Fascists who chose to take sides with Republican terrorists who killed members of their own political organisations! Try to keep up.

The 2nd of those 2 lines is the one that says that "the question of the war in Ireland was therefore a tricky one for AFA" (no shit).... especially after 2 senior AFA activists were jailed for an IRA bombing. Thanks for telling me who I am however, but you're wrong about that too. Fancy going for the hat-trick?!

Dropkick

so bored

18.07.2012 11:59

)*(

Malatesta

Message to Phil Dickens

18.07.2012 12:19

The underlying problem is that while members of Sinn Fein and Liverpool Irish Patriots etc may support the peace process, statements to that effect remain buried in the small-print of the LIPRFB's website, while "the community" parades around Liverpool drawing attention to much more prominent banners saying "Liverpool Remembers the Hunger Strikers" - creating the perception, in the eyes of many members of the public, that in fact that community supports the IRA. This FUCK-UP hands the EDL, NWI, CxF, BNP and NF etc an opportunity on a plate.

In fact more Republicans were killed by other Republicans than died in the hunger-strike, but the current situation isn't helped by LIPRFB being closely (even if historically) linked to another Republican flute band whose website still supports the Continuity IRA

The priority for LIPRFB etc may be to use such displays to "prove" to the most violent elements in the Irish community (ie - to the psychopaths that more liberal Republicans are actually scared of) that support for the GFA is compatible with respect for the sacrifices of IRA martyrs, but that kind of public presentation, in the broader social context, completely back-fires.

We need to focus on the issues as they affect society NOW, not continue re-hashing the political imagery that helped deliver the failures that Republicans experienced 30 years ago. A better message to communicate in this context would be to remind the public that the NWI, CxF and NF support the ideology that killed 4,000 Liverpudlians in WW2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz

music

Malatesta

18.07.2012 12:22

He went for the hat-trick

Lade

Oh my giddy aunt

19.07.2012 13:33

Hes back the geezer who is obsessed with Jeff Marsh. Posting one after the other using different names but with his jeff marsh obsession shining through. Malatesta you fancy him dont ya?

Seriously now, this drama in Liverpool on Saturday? Phil Dickens wants a punch up and it looks like hes gonna get one. Marshy is not involved, wasnt involved last time and has no interest in Northern Ireland politics at all. Hopefully a load of you come badly unstuck

xxxxx

Zoe Smith

Try to understand Irish history

01.08.2012 23:12

One person above here posts saying "the IRA of larkins time is now just called.... The Army in Eire". What you'd now call the Army in Eire (formerly known as The National Army) was formed by the majority faction of the original IRA, while (as already shown in some other posts here) the faction that was supported by James Larkin was an opposing minority called The Anti-Treaty IRA (aka The Irregulars), who literally went to WAR, waging armed and lethal conflict against their former comrades......

So to imply that Jim Larkin supported the Army in Eire is totally naive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Treaty_IRA

The likes of Malatesta and Liverpool Anti-Fascists need to wise-up about Irish history fast

Sean

Sean Phelan, the IRA and the Upton train ambush

06.08.2012 00:05

Poster for the Feb 2012 LIP-RFB Sean Phelan parade

The 1st parade to be disrupted by Fascists was a commemoration of what its own advertisement euphemistically describes as "volunteer" Sean Phelan. If you believe the organisers, the march had nothing to do with the IRA, however according to the parade advert, Phelan was a volunteer in the Óglaigh na hÉireann - one of several organisations more commonly known as..... the IRA. Sean Phelan was killed taking part in a IRA attack on a train carrying British Army soldiers in which, because of an all-too-typical Republican fuck-up, IRA scouts never bothered to show, and the IRA killed 6 civilians, injured 10 civilians and wounded 6 soldiers, while the British Army killed 3 IRA and wounded 2 more, with the attack therefore being a "disaster" for the IRA (not to mention for the innocent people they murdered).

So, not only were all the people who said this wasn't an IRA march basically lying, they're also committing that most cardinal of sins when it comes to re-hashing the self-defeating martyr-complexes of religious Sectarianism and of extremist / fringe leftism - they're celebrating failure! As for the debate about whether march co-organisers the Liverpool Irish Patriots Republican Flute Band support the peace process, the name of the group that Phelan joined has since been adopted by a faction of the (anti-peace process) Real IRA. Phil Dickens' response to all this evidence is to ignore it, thereby pro-actively helping to guarantee the success of future Fascist mobilisations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upton_Train_Ambush

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Óglaigh_na_hÉireann

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Óglaigh_na_hÉireann_(Real_IRA_splinter_group)

Phil