The Leadership of Irish Socialist Republicans extends greetings to our members, supporters, comrades and friends at home and abroad. In particular we extend our New Year Greetings to Anti Imperialist Action Ireland and Macradh- Irish Socialist Republican Youth and salute your ongoing commitment to rebuilding the All Ireland People’s Republic and the struggle for National Liberation and Socialist Revolution.
At this time of year we extend our solidarity to all revolutionary prisoners in Ireland and around the world, comrades who only find themselves imprisoned for taking an active part in the fight against capitalism and imperialism. In extending our solidarity to revolutionary prisoners of war, we do so in more than just words and in the coming year we will continue to take solidarity action on the streets. We take this opportunity to reiterate our demand for the immediate release of Comrade Amhad Sa’adat, the imprisoned General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, of Chairman Gonzalo, the leader of the Communist Party of Peru (PCP)of Leonard Peltier of the American Indian Movement and of Georges Abdallah, the Lebanese Communist and lifelong Palestinian Resistance Fighter, held captive by the French State now for over 40 years. At home, we demand the immediate end to the extradition of Irish Republicans Liam Campbell and Ciaran Maguire.
Irish Socialist Republicans note that 2020 has been a difficult year for families and communities in Ireland as a result of covid-19 and that these difficulties were made worse by the economic implications on the working class and by the abject failure of the Free State and British Imperialism to address the crisis. In stark contrast to the actions of the establishment, we salute frontline workers across Ireland who in very difficult circumstances and at great risk to themselves have put in a Trojan effort and have demonstrated that it is the working class who are essential and hold real power in society.
2020 was also an important year for Anti Imperialist Action. Despite the restrictions placed on society the organisation has continued to grow, with scores of new recruits across Ireland joining the struggle for National Liberation and Socialist Revolution Despite the lockdown, we have managed to continue our revolutionary activism and to honour our patriot dead. Most inspiring this year have been the numbers of revolutionary youth across the country coming forward to join Anti Imperialist Action because they correctly view Irish Socialist Republicanism as the revolutionary ideology that will lead the working class to victory. Alongside and as a result of these factors, Anti Imperialist Action reached an important milestone this year in that we now have an organised presence in every city in the Occupied Six Counties. This is no small achievement for a organisation that is just three years old and is demonstrative of the growth of Irish Socialist Republicanism into a truly national movement. We urge all our supporters across the 32 counties to become part of this growing momentum and to make 2021 the year you take your place in the ranks of the struggle for National Liberation and Socialist Revolution. Take a stand for your Class and your Country. Join the resistance today- you are needed for the battles ahead.
As 2021 dawns, Ireland remains a colony and a semi colony, exploited and occupied by imperialism. Six of our counties remain under direct military occupation by British Imperialism while the other 26 are subjected through semi colonialism by British, EU and North American Imperialism. Our Country continues to be illegally partitioned and administered by a Garrison class in both artificial statelets wholly subservient to Imperialism. All of the issues directly facing the Irish Working Class flow from this situation and it is for this reason that Partition and the Imperialist Occupation is the primary contradiction in Ireland and therefore the struggle for National Liberation and Socialist Revolution is primary. It is the duty of all revolutionaries to play an active part in the fight to defeat imperialism and the counter revolution and to rebuild the All Ireland People’s Republic, the Socialist Republic.
For the struggle for National Liberation and Socialist Revolution to be successful all progressives forces must be united into an Anti Imperialist Broad Front for that purpose. We are committed to this task and we urge all individuals and organisations that are serious about the fight for Freedom and Socialism in Ireland to take part with us in discussions and debate this year on the development of an Anti Imperialist Broad Front to lead the struggle for Nationalist Liberation and Socialist Revolution.
Throughout 2020, our activists played a leading role in the fight against Britain’s Far Right in Ireland and their efforts to gain a foothold for fascism in our Country. On a number of decisive occasions a United Front of Anti Fascists consisting of Socialist Republicans and other progressives, beat fascism of the streets across the country. We salute and extend solidarity to all who mobilised under the leadership of Anti Fascist Action Ireland and we look forward to standing beside you in the coming year. We state again clearly, for the record, that fascists will never be allowed to organise or mobilise in Ireland and we will continue to uphold the tried and tested policy of no platform. Working with like minded people to build the All Ireland Anti Fascist Resistance will remain one of the key priorities for Irish Socialist Republicans in the year ahead and we urge all who want to see the defeat of fascism to join with us to complete this task. While militant anti fascism is of key importance and necessary, working class initiatives and community structures to combat racism and direct provision are of fundamental importance to smash the far right. There is a role for everyone in the fight against fascism and the Revolutionary Movement. Get involved.
Irish Socialist Republicans reiterate our commitment to waging the class struggle and combating and resisting the enemies of the working class, be it the exploitative employers, landlords, or imperialist vultures that prey on our communities. Throughout the course of 2021 we will step up our activism to resist evictions, build revolutionary trade unions and fight for Public Housing.
Irish Socialist Republicans assert that Revolution is the only path to victory for the working class. Reformism, Revisionism and Electoralism are the tools of our enemies to keep our class exploited and oppressed and must be rejected. Over the next 12 months we will continue to build the boycott of capitalist and imperialist elections and to develop the Socialist Republican alternative of working class power structures in their place, the resistance committees, centres of resistance and Revolitionary People’s Councils across the country that will become the functioning institutions of the All Ireland People’s Republic proclaimed in 1916 and established in 1919.
As we begin 2021, Socialist Republicanism is resurgent and the resistance is developing on an All Ireland basis. The Starry Plough is hoisted unashamedly as our banner and the resistance is prepared to use any means necessary to achieve our revolutionary objectives. Our Struggle is for the seizure of power by the working class and the Socialist Republic. That is fundamental.
Let 2021 be a year of activism to bring the People’s Struggles to the fore and to strengthen and further develop the fighting organisations of the Irish Working Class.
In the words of Commandant General James Connolly, outlining the intentions of the Irish Citizen Army in 1915, ‘However it may be for others, for us of the Citizen Army there is but one ideal – an Ireland ruled, and owned, by Irish men and women, sovereign and independent from the centre to the sea, and flying its own flag outward over all the oceans.’
Britain Get Out Of Ireland!
Combat and Resist Imperialism and the Counter Revolution!
Join the Resistance- Rebuild the All Ireland People’s Republic!
For National Liberation and Socialist Revolution!
Beir Bua
An Lár Choiste
Irish Socialist Republicans