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16th May protest at Maghaberry (click for photos)

Text of speech given by Maureen Fitzsimmons, sister of Maghaberry prisoner Harry Fitzsimmons, who "was dragged into SSU (isolation) where he had his clothes cut off his body. He was handcuffed and chained to a bed" at the start of the month and is still being held in isolation.

We come here today to stand in solidarity with the men incarcerated in Maghaberry, to demonstrate to them and the world that we do not forget them, that we will not forget them and that we will campaign tirelessly until they have been granted the full rights and recognitions they deserve.

The claims that our prisoners are self-inflicting brutalities upon themselves and their condtions are actually akin to a 5* hotel are insulting: it is every bit as insulting as when they told us Bobby Sands and his comrades similarly self-inflicted brutalities upon themselves while housed in the most progressive prison regime in Europe.

The full stories of the H-Blocks are well known now and nobody is under any illusion as to what type of mentality the screws of that era possessed. Today, those same screws with the same mindset are trying to reverse the gains and safeguards initiated after the hunger strike in 1981; it is the screws who are upping the ante and forcing Republican prisoners into a position where they will once again be held behind locked doors for year after year.

It is the system which wants to bring us back to the dark days, the days of total lock-ups, the endless days of degradation and humiliation: the screws are on a revenge run, it is they who hark back to the good old days when it was a sacred duty to beat a Fenian a day.

Prisoners, like my brother Harry, are being singled out for intensive punishment and humiliation. He was beaten, chained to a bed and had his clothing literally cut off him by the screws. He is denied visits from his family and even refused legal visits from his solicitor. Is this the 5* hotel Spratt the Prat claims it to be?

The horror of Maghaberry has been allowed to run for too long and the wall of silence which surrounds it is going to be broken down. We, together, can bring this issue to the fore and demand a satisfactory resolution for the prisoners.

Our prisoners are not making any unreasonable demands, our prisoners are not even asking for new mechanisms or structures to be put in place: all these men are asking for is the right to be able to serve their time free from sectarian bullying and harassment. Our prisoners are not animals to be caged 24 hours a day, they are human beings with every right to be treated respectfully and in accordance with international norms for the treatment of prisoners.

These safeguards were put in place after the 1981 hunger strike and we demand the immediate reinstatement of these conditions so that we may be able to resume some sort of semblance of normality, free from the constant stress and pressures of not knowing what is happening to our loved ones behind these walls and wire. This prison is every bit the monument of shame to penal repression and Britain’s nefarious role in Ireland that the H-Blocks were, and like the H-Blocks we will not stop until our family members incarcerated here are given the full recognitions and respect that they have earned.

We do not walk away from here today to forget, we walk away to plan further our approach, we walk away from here determined that we are not going to be intimidated or bullied; we are determined to make the living conditions of our prisoners a top priority for protest and agitation.

Do not forget the men in Maghaberry, break the wall of silence which surrounds the treatment these men are being subjected to. Victory to the prisoners!


"Our prisoners are not making any unreasonable demands..."


16th May protest at Maghaberry (click for photos)

Text of speech given by Maureen Fitzsimmons, sister of Maghaberry prisoner Harry Fitzsimmons, who "was dragged into SSU (isolation) where he had his clothes cut off his body. He was handcuffed and chained to a bed" at the start of the month and is still being held in isolation.

We come here today to stand in solidarity with the men incarcerated in Maghaberry, to demonstrate to them and the world that we do not forget them, that we will not forget them and that we will campaign tirelessly until they have been granted the full rights and recognitions they deserve.

The claims that our prisoners are self-inflicting brutalities upon themselves and their condtions are actually akin to a 5* hotel are insulting: it is every bit as insulting as when they told us Bobby Sands and his comrades similarly self-inflicted brutalities upon themselves while housed in the most progressive prison regime in Europe.

The full stories of the H-Blocks are well known now and nobody is under any illusion as to what type of mentality the screws of that era possessed. Today, those same screws with the same mindset are trying to reverse the gains and safeguards initiated after the hunger strike in 1981; it is the screws who are upping the ante and forcing Republican prisoners into a position where they will once again be held behind locked doors for year after year.

It is the system which wants to bring us back to the dark days, the days of total lock-ups, the endless days of degradation and humiliation: the screws are on a revenge run, it is they who hark back to the good old days when it was a sacred duty to beat a Fenian a day.

Prisoners, like my brother Harry, are being singled out for intensive punishment and humiliation. He was beaten, chained to a bed and had his clothing literally cut off him by the screws. He is denied visits from his family and even refused legal visits from his solicitor. Is this the 5* hotel Spratt the Prat claims it to be?

The horror of Maghaberry has been allowed to run for too long and the wall of silence which surrounds it is going to be broken down. We, together, can bring this issue to the fore and demand a satisfactory resolution for the prisoners.

Our prisoners are not making any unreasonable demands, our prisoners are not even asking for new mechanisms or structures to be put in place: all these men are asking for is the right to be able to serve their time free from sectarian bullying and harassment. Our prisoners are not animals to be caged 24 hours a day, they are human beings with every right to be treated respectfully and in accordance with international norms for the treatment of prisoners.

These safeguards were put in place after the 1981 hunger strike and we demand the immediate reinstatement of these conditions so that we may be able to resume some sort of semblance of normality, free from the constant stress and pressures of not knowing what is happening to our loved ones behind these walls and wire. This prison is every bit the monument of shame to penal repression and Britain’s nefarious role in Ireland that the H-Blocks were, and like the H-Blocks we will not stop until our family members incarcerated here are given the full recognitions and respect that they have earned.

We do not walk away from here today to forget, we walk away to plan further our approach, we walk away from here determined that we are not going to be intimidated or bullied; we are determined to make the living conditions of our prisoners a top priority for protest and agitation.

Do not forget the men in Maghaberry, break the wall of silence which surrounds the treatment these men are being subjected to. Victory to the prisoners!
Guest Writer Maghaberry Prison Staff violence Republican Prisoners

6 comments:

  1. marty8:08 PM, May 17, 2010

    The Conservatives are back, the prison protest escalates,all we need now is a souped up De Lorean and we are back to the future,I believe Mickey Culbert and other psf members have been to Maghaberry ,I,ve just been told that Adams was there as well,if so and to avoid any repeats of the past ie., withholding any relevant information, should,nt we, that is all who are concerned about this deteriorating situation be told what exactly Mr Adams and co have discovered on their visit, and what exactly they intend to do about it, and if things are as bad as reported shall Mr Adams then don his republican hat and pull the joke justice minister Mr Ford a few home truths in his ear might help, Ford has already let the mask slip re, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.I.ve said before these screws are not acting independently so will Mr Adams let us all know what exactly his new bestest buddies,those other suited and booted mandarins in Whitehall are playing at,

    ReplyDelete
  2. seamusín1:33 AM, May 18, 2010

    Adams was not in. SF have issued no statement since the vist which is unusual. I would have expected at least a basic statement saying the delegation had met the prisoners and that they had discussed the problems which concern the prisoners but not a word from them which is worrying. I hope the visit wasn't simply a token to silence some of their own members who wanted something done to address the prison crisis.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AM6:36 AM, May 18, 2010

    Seamusín, while it is a bit early to expect them to come out with a statement in support of the screws it is only a matter of time. Raymond McCartney, I feel, would want to say something to curb the screws but the party leadership will ensure their own political careers are protected before prisoners or anyone else. That alone will determine what statement is made

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  4. marty10:36 AM, May 18, 2010

    That may be no bad thing Adams not being there Seamusin, we will have more chance of getting at the truth the less he has to do with things,though I think Anthony is right, political careers comes before political prisoners

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:14 AM, May 18, 2010

    At last Sinn Fein are getting off their arses and attempting to try and help the prisoners, maybe the guilty conscience has kicked in after the voters at the doors asked the awkward questions, Hopefully they can now see that the current plight is the same that the previous IRA prisoners faced in the 70’s 80s’ and 90’s, or are they still slow learners. The whole thing smacks of Power at any cost so maybe a lesson could be taken from that era in that lads your leaders are all after the same thing money and with money comes power. Power is the over whelming feature in all of Irish political life since the foundation of the state, remember Dev he actually slaughtered republicans who didn’t adhere to his rules, so be warned history has a habit of repeating itself

    ReplyDelete
  6. ewok11:10 PM, May 19, 2010

    liam hannaway on 36th day of his hunger strike............very sad,hope he doesnt die. dark days ahead for factionalised republicanism. the IRA in the twilight years........

    ReplyDelete

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