Nationalist parties give go ahead for British police offensive

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement views with deep anger this weeks dramatic upsurge in offensive operations by the British police directed at nationalist districts across the 6 occupied counties. It is clear to us the swamping of working class nationalist housing estates, roads and rural districts in south Armagh, Newry and Derry city since Saturday evening accompanied by low flying helicopters, aggressive searching, patrolling and surveillance by heavily armed British policemen is a direct result of the public statement in the week prior to Christmas by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and SDLP leader Mark Durkan. These constitutional nationalist political leaders openly criticised the PSNI for failing to arrest and jail republican activists in sufficient numbers, giving the British the green light to pursue its aggressive armed incursions within our communities.

This disgraceful public statement was accompanied by an unprecedented and prolonged campaign of propaganda emanating from the constitutional nationalist media, politicians and British intelligence services seeking to demonise and criminalise republican activists. The nationalist political establishment at Stormont have clearly signalled to the British their support and compliance for offensive operations within republican heartlands. The responsibility for the British forces activities in our districts this week lies as surely with them as it does in MI5's Holywood base.

These counter insurgent operations from Derry to Newry are also clearly not directed at any one group in particular but against working class nationalist and republican communities in general as a show of strength by the British police encouraged and openly egged on by nationalist political leaders. No republican can give their support to this activity by the British forces in Ireland, a foreign occupying force showing its true counter insurgent colours and hostility to traditionally republican working class communities. The PSNIs role is the RUC's and RIC's role - Defence of the Realm and the suppression and criminalisation of all opposition to British state institutions in Ireland. That is the purpose of their invasion of our districts in the last 4 days

We are also mindful that the response of your youth to this armed offensive against their districts by the British police has, as always, not been found wanting. The 32CSM recognise and salute their ongoing resistance to the British forces this week and regard any calls by local politicians for their neighbours to inform on them to the British as utterly despicable. Our youth are our future and their instinctive response to these armed incursions by the British into their districts is a source of pride to many.

We take this opportunity again to make it clear that the republican struggle for national sovereignty will neither be criminalised nor defeated by the British state and its hangers on within the constitutional nationalist political leadership class. The PSNI are a force of British occupation in our country and its is they who are the criminals, not those republicans who oppose their illegal presence and the crime of partition in Ireland. Finally we express our solidarity with those who have been arrested and call on all republicans regardless of party allegiance to stand side by side in comradeship against these attempts to criminalise and subdue not only our struggle but the very communities from which we draw our strength, solidarity and support.

Kevin Murphy
PRO
32 County Sovereignty Movement
South Armagh

Resist Criminalisation