A Critical Look at the RUC and the British Regime by an Irish Republican Activist.
The violence and harassment perpetrated by members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), an armed paramilitary force operating under the British government, serve as a grim reminder of the enduring and oppressive imperialist occupation in Ireland. Despite the rhetoric of “policing by consent” espoused by the British regime and its collaborators, the actions of the RUC speak to a far different reality, one rooted in control, coercion, and the systematic targeting of those who dare dissent from the imperialist agenda.
The British government claims that security in the North of Ireland is a matter of consent, that policing is based on the approval and participation of local communities. This notion of “policing by consent” is nothing more than a hollow slogan designed to obscure the ongoing violence and repression directed at certain sections of the population. The RUC, in its current incarnation, continues to operate as a tool of colonial control, targeting community activists, political dissenters, and those who resist the political status quo with violence and intimidation.
Throughout the occupation of Ireland we have witnessed how members of the RIC-RUC-PSNI engage in violent harassment and fabrication of charges, resulting in the prolonged detention of activists on administrative remand, “interment by any other Name” a clear violation of their fundamental rights, sent to political internment camps run and controlled by the faceless men and women of Britain’s spies in MI5, where the mere accusation of dissent is enough to imprison someone for years, often without trial. This is not policing in the service of the community, nor is it consented to by the people it is political repression aimed at silencing opposition to the occupation.
At its core, this reality exposes the myth of a “shared Ireland.” Proponents of the partitionist ideology often claim that Ireland is a shared island, a unified space in which communities, Catholic, Protestant and dissenter, can coexist peacefully under the umbrella of benevolent British sovereignty. But if Ireland were truly a shared island, there would be no need for an occupying army, no paramilitary police force, no death squads operating with the tacit support of the state. The very existence of the RUC, a force designed to enforce British rule over the six counties of the North of Ireland, demonstrates the lie that partition is a legitimate or benign political arrangement.
The propaganda around a “shared island” is precisely that propaganda. The concept of a shared Ireland is built upon a lie that seeks to paper over the realities of occupation, partition, and the systemic denial of Irish sovereignty. It seeks to pacify and appease those who might otherwise challenge the status quo, to convince the Irish population that the imperialist presence in the North of Ireland is somehow normal or even desirable. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The continued existence of the British armed forces in Ireland, including the paramilitary RUC and loyalist death squads, is a stark reminder that the British government has no intention of relinquishing control. They seek to maintain a divided Ireland, where the ruling powers can impose their will without the threat of unity or resistance. The loyalist drug dealing paramilitaries, armed, and funded by the British state, operate as a further extension of this control, ensuring that any challenge to British rule is met with violence and intimidation.
The true nature of the British occupation is not one of peaceful coexistence, but of violent repression aimed at preserving a political order that benefits only the occupying power. The actions of the RUC and the continued presence of British forces on Irish soil should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who might still believe that Ireland’s partition is a just or sustainable arrangement. For as long as the British state maintains its occupation, there can be no talk of a shared Ireland, no true peace, and no real consent.
In the face of this ongoing violence and repression, the struggle for Irish sovereignty and unity continues. The people of Ireland, particularly those in the North, have endured decades of hardship at the hands of the imperialist British state. But their resilience remains unbroken, and their fight for a united, independent Ireland grows ever stronger. It is time to expose the lies of “policing by consent” and confront the harsh reality of imperialist occupation. Only then can we begin to move toward a future where Ireland is truly free, united, and sovereign, a future in which the forces of occupation are no longer allowed to dictate the lives of the Irish people.