L'ex pow John Cassidy ha voluto così esprimere le sue opinioni in merito alla commemorazione degli Hunger Strikers organizzata dallo Sinn Fein a Derry.
As a former blanket man and Republican prisoner I would like to add some comments on the Sinn Fein organised Hunger strike commemoration in Derry. Like many ex-prisoners I see this commemoration as not gathering to honour the memory of the Hunger strikers but more a show of strength for the Sinn Fein political strategy.
The sad thing is that many of the people attending the Derry commemoration will be there to genuinely honour the memory of these brave men, but are unaware that this attendance will be interpreted by Sinn Fein as a huge mandate for them in a city where they have lost the political argument.
I was arrested and detained in the "H" Blocks along with Mickey Devine where we spent four years on the Blanket protest prior to Mickey going on Hunger Strike. On the 23rd september 1976,the first day we were remanded to the Crumlin road prison, I was beaten by provisional IRA Pow's and myself and Mickey were locked up for the full 24 hours in a day for 3 months on orders from the provisional leadership.
I take the present manipulation by Sinn Fein of the memory of the Hunger Strikers as an insult to all and I can categorically say now that Mickey Devine was always adamant to me in conversations the Northern state could not be reformed. But even all this treatment at the hands of the provisionals, I stood above it all and when I was released in August 1984 I continued to work outside with the Hunger strike commemoration committee in Derry.
This work by me on behalf of the memory of my dead comrades ended when Sinn Fein decided to endorse the RUC/PSNI and from that day to this I have been the victim of whispering campaigns and ostracized by these same people I had worked with in order to maintain the memory of our dead.
I firmly believe that many Republicans wish to honour the memory of our Hunger Strikers but like myself, object to Sinn Fein manipulation of the Hunger Strike for their own political reasons. Next year hopefully we can have a National unity Hunger Strike commemoration in Derry where all the various groupings can speak and pay genuine homage to our dead instead of seeking the political gratification that Sinn Fein presently seek.
John Cassidy
Ex-Pow
(Sunday Journal del 17 agosto)
The sad thing is that many of the people attending the Derry commemoration will be there to genuinely honour the memory of these brave men, but are unaware that this attendance will be interpreted by Sinn Fein as a huge mandate for them in a city where they have lost the political argument.
I was arrested and detained in the "H" Blocks along with Mickey Devine where we spent four years on the Blanket protest prior to Mickey going on Hunger Strike. On the 23rd september 1976,the first day we were remanded to the Crumlin road prison, I was beaten by provisional IRA Pow's and myself and Mickey were locked up for the full 24 hours in a day for 3 months on orders from the provisional leadership.
I take the present manipulation by Sinn Fein of the memory of the Hunger Strikers as an insult to all and I can categorically say now that Mickey Devine was always adamant to me in conversations the Northern state could not be reformed. But even all this treatment at the hands of the provisionals, I stood above it all and when I was released in August 1984 I continued to work outside with the Hunger strike commemoration committee in Derry.
This work by me on behalf of the memory of my dead comrades ended when Sinn Fein decided to endorse the RUC/PSNI and from that day to this I have been the victim of whispering campaigns and ostracized by these same people I had worked with in order to maintain the memory of our dead.
I firmly believe that many Republicans wish to honour the memory of our Hunger Strikers but like myself, object to Sinn Fein manipulation of the Hunger Strike for their own political reasons. Next year hopefully we can have a National unity Hunger Strike commemoration in Derry where all the various groupings can speak and pay genuine homage to our dead instead of seeking the political gratification that Sinn Fein presently seek.
John Cassidy
Ex-Pow
(Sunday Journal del 17 agosto)
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