No Orange parade in Dublin City

Republican Sinn Féin rejects all forms of sectarianism both domestically and internationally. Should the Orange Order try and march in Dublin yet again then we shall stand against it in peaceful protest as we did in 2006. The Orange Order is an organisation steeped in sectarianism and bigotry, clouded in secrecy and wedded to the Crown. The Orange Order will not be welcome in the City of '16 no more than it is in non-loyalist/unionist villages, towns and cities in the occupied 6-counties.

It is worth noting that not all Protestants are Orangemen but all Orangemen are and have to be Protestants, they are a bigoted and sectarian organisation and have no respect for other faiths nor those of a different ethnic background or those who hold a different world view. Republican Sinn Féin has Protestant members and members of different faiths and indeed those of no faith and we respect and defend the civil and religious rights of all the citizens of Ireland. However our opposition to these triumphalist marches is in defence of communities who have no connection and want no connection to the Orange Order yet annually they come under siege from the Loyalist bigots and their cohorts in the RUC/PSNI who drive the marches through their communities no matter what the cost.

Recently the Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland Drew Nelson called on the 26-County Government to allow the Orange Order to march in Dublin despite the disastrous failure of the first attempt in 2006 by the discredited Loyalist Willie Frazier of the so-called Love Ulster group. This development has to be viewed in the wider context. It is all part and part and parcel of the process of normalising British rule in Ireland. The Pro-Imperialist 26-County State no doubt will not have a problem facilitating this spectacle, however, it would be a great mistake to proceed, they should not underestimate the proud anti-imperialist history that lies in the hearts of the people of Dublin City as it is a place of deep historical significance for Irish Republican Revolutionaries and was the centre of the Easter Rebellion against the British occupation in 1916.

Furthermore we call on all republicans who oppose the ongoing British occupation to be vigilant of all attempts (no matter how trivial they may seem) to re-connect the 26-Counties to the British Commonwealth of Nations. Drew Nelson has also suggested that the 26-County state should rejoin the Commonwealth saying, “We believe strongly that the interest of our members in Northern Ireland (sic) is best served by remaining part of the United Kingdom, and we would welcome the Republic of Ireland (sic) joining the Commonwealth.”

Republican Sinn Féin wants full and unfettered Irish Sovereignty within a four province federal and decentralised system of governance as set out in our primary policy document Éire Nua, within such a system we will have a New Ireland that will be free from the shackles of British imperialism and we call on all who believe in the freedom of Ireland to act in its favor and reject the normalisation of British rule throughout all of Ireland. Make it plain to your local politicians, we do not want to be under the crown yet again within the British Commonwealth. Republican Sinn Féin for its part is dedicated to ending the Stormont regime once and for all and we remain committed to seeing the back of British rule and dominance in Ireland forever.

Leanúnachas abú

Seán Costello / Martin Hurson Cumann,
Republican SINN FÉIN Poblachtach,
Athlone, Co. Westmeath.
Contact: rsfwmeath@gmail.com
www.rsfwestmeath.blogspot.com