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VICTORY FOR CHE!

Michael MacGregor | 25.10.2006 22:45 | Repression | Social Struggles | World

An account of the campaign in Glasgow to challenge recent Labour Council Bylaws which ban political material outside Celtic Park. A report on the latest development which saw the open display of explicitly political material.

Che Tricolour
Che Tricolour


VICTORY FOR CHE! CONTIGO! ONWARDS!

Comrades from Scotland Rock Around The Blockade and Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!/Revolutionary Communist Group headed out for Celtic Park in Glasgow last Saturday, 21 October, to take part in a joint protest with the new Republican Prisoners Action Group.

We were demanding an end to censorship and an end to criminalisation. The censorship had already been challenged as we had organised previous demonstrations there against the banning of Che Guevara's image outside the world famous football ground.

We were now joining with activists from the RPAG to also demand an end to the criminalisation of republican prisoners in British gaols in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland.

The protest called for the defence of political rights here and for political status for the Irish prisoners.

It should be noted that it was the British Labour government of 1976 which began the criminalisation of political prisoners in Ireland by removing Special Category Status in that year.

In 1981 ten brave young Irishmen died on Hunger Strike to achieve recognition of their struggle against British rule as a political struggle. Fidel Castro stated then: "Tyrants tremble when they are faced with men willing to die for their ideas"

It is Glasgow's Labour Council which drafted the byelaws which have made it an offence to display political material outside the football ground and we have challenged this ban.

We were pleased then to see that a vendor was openly displaying a large Irish Tricolour with Che's internationally known image boldly set in the centre with the statement that "Anyone who trembles with indignation at any injustice is a comrade of mine" As we secured a couple of these flags for our stalls the vendor explained that he had not been troubled by the police since the protests.

We recognise this as a victory for our campaign! We will continue though to distribute, display and sell political material outside Celtic Park- Cuba solidarity material and Irish solidarity material- and continue to openly and militantly oppose censorship and criminalisation.

Michael MacGregor
- e-mail: frfiscotland@yahoo.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.revolutionarycommunist.com


Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Behind the times

26.10.2006 09:11

You're a bit behind the times, aren't you? Haven't you noticed what's been happening in Ireland over the last 10 years?

Paul Edwards


Sigh!

26.10.2006 10:13

As a son of Glasgow, I'm just disappointed that the polis didnae round ye wee wanks up. Aw this pseudosectarianism and pro-terrorism football shite is wee guy keech that should've been left behind in the 19th century.

If yeez hink it's aw so glorious go live in Cuba or better still start an armed revolution here and dae a long stint in Bar-L for "The Cause".

Dream on mugs!

Glesweejun


What?

26.10.2006 13:17

So all the commenters on this post (the first one of which should be removed, anyway) think that there's no problem with a situation where you can run around any trendy part of town wearing a Che T-Shirt whether you've any idea who or what he was (which is fine) but can't wear one to football cos its 'political'

Well done to everyone not prepared to stand for this shit.

Republicanista


Hahahahaha!

26.10.2006 14:47

This gets funnier and funnier. First we have a post from some authoritarian trots bleating about a bylaw enacted to be able to deal wae neds looking for an excuse to batter strangers for some token notion- anyone who can't see the sense of this obviously never grew up in Glasgow running a gauntlet to and from from school on account of their uniform.

Funnier still we have a picture of the Eire flag superimposed with a picture of Che Guvara.

The funniest thing however is that Eire for long enough was under substantial influence from the Vatican (that famous Anarcho-syndicalist non-hierarchical affinity group!).

I thought the 911 posts were bad enough; this is a new low!

What next a call for solidarity with Kim Jong Il?

Is this a situationalist pisstake of Trots? I truly hope so, because it's fucking genius of the highest order.

Anarcho Hoops Fan


Not Trots

27.10.2006 14:18

The original post is a bit confused but the flag is great. I love it.

For the record no-one who supports the Cuban Revolution and the Irish liberation struggle is likely to be a Trotskyist. Most Trots hate Cuba and liberation movements - bit like anarchists, in fact.

Republicanista


Sieg Heil, Che!

27.10.2006 18:22

I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting.

Che Guevara

Kreuz


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