The 26-county Free State has recently announced further legislation to bolster its powers in policing political dissent.
An amendment to the so-called “Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act” will open greater bounds to harass Republicans and revolutionary anti-imperialists with bogus charges. This adds to the already draconian powers in the fascistic “Offences Against The State Act” which allow for juryless courts, holding activists without charge, and infringements on other fundamental rights such as the right to silence. This new legislation comes in the same week that the special non jury court was renewed without a vote in Leinster House, while Sinn Féin were conveniently absent from the room, allowing them to promote the fiction that they intended to abstain.
Under this amendment, there will be provisions to charge anyone who “publicly provokes the commission” of a so-called “terrorist offence” and even who “distributes or publishes, or causes to be distributed or published, by any means (including via the internet)” any message supposedly “inciting” or which “glorifies” whatever is deemed “terrorist activity”. There can be little doubt that the true purpose of this legislation is to crack down on political protest, on Irish Republican commemorations, and on displays of support for the heroic Palestinian resistance in an attempt to criminalise any support for revolutionary resistance.
The Free-Staters hope to give An Garda “Síochána” and the Special Branch more draconian powers in their futile harassment campaign against revolutionary Republicans. This campaign will continue to fail. There is nothing criminal about Irish Republicanism, and Republicans will not be deterred from pursuing our legitimate objectives. The real criminals are the imperialist terrorists and their puppets who suppress the democratic People’s Republic declared in 1916 and ratified in 1919. That the quisling Free State annually renews the Offences Against the State Act emergency powers – and wishes to further compound on them – is a clear sign of their fear of the growth of revolutionary Republicanism through Anti Imperialist Action Ireland and other organisations.
There is nothing normal about the semi-colonial Free State – it is a pro-imperialist, collaborationist state. All genuine Republicans, Socialists and anti-imperialists should raise their voices against its harassment campaign, and against the draconian legislation which enables it.
Saor Éire Anois!
An Phoblacht Abú!