Update Leonard Peltier Campaign in Ireland Part I
Update- Leonard Peltier Campaign in Ireland- Part I
Four years ago, September 8, 2002, I arrived in Ireland for the first time. My first day in the country was spent in a besieged part of Belfast known as the Short Strand. The Short Strand is a Catholic community that has the misfortune of being an island surrounded by hostile and hate filled loyalist neighbors. I was given a guided tour of the area, which had come under nightly assaults for the previous four months. In the midst of an on-going IRA cease-fire and an increase in votes for Sinn Fein, many loyalists began to sense that their position as the regions dominate class was being threatened. In their fear, Ulster’s unionists resorted to the most barbaric actions taken against their Catholic neighbors. Passing into the Belfast city centre I noticed graffiti that read, “End the Siege of the Short Strand.”
Minutes later, I was led on foot through the same area. As we began our tour, I could hear fireworks going off in the distance. It was explained to me that fireworks are thrown onto houses after balloons filled with gasoline had been thrown onto the same roofs. Thus, with a bit of careful aim you ignite a full-blown fire on top of the homes of your neighbour. Overhead were the sounds of helicopters. The helicopters weren’t hovering in the sky to stop or contain the carnage. Rather, they were there to monitor the situation in case any of the Short Strand residents decided to resist. “Would this be enough to provoke the IRA into abandoning their cease fire?” The pro-British pyromaniacs hoped the answer would be ‘Yes.’ They were to be disappointed.
For a little over an hour I surveyed burned homes, broken out windows covered by sheets of plywood, children with casts covering third-degree burns on their arms and legs, broken glass and barbed wire. One of my tour guides finally asked what my impressions were. “I’ll bet you’ve never seen anything like this before,” I was asked. I thought for a while with a numb look on my face. I explained that I’d seen senseless sectarian discrimination like this a hundred times before, on reservations and inner cities all across the US and Canada. It was at that moment that I made a realization that has been repeatedly confirmed for me over the past four years. Observing the similarities between the Irish and Native Americans caused me to think, “We have more in common than either of us knows.”
Four days after my shocking experience in the Short Strand, I was invited to attend a function in West Belfast. Located on the famous Falls Road is a cultural centre called ‘An Culturlann.’ The Culturlann is a Gaelic speaking get-away, bookshop, restaurant and meeting place. On 12 September, Leonard Peltier’s 58th birthday, I travelled to the Culturlann to witness the unveiling of a mural dedicated to Leonard Peltier. For the two years that followed, the recreation of Leonard’s famous ‘Hawk Man’ painting greeted Belfast residents as they made their way from the city centre into the Falls Rd. Just past the Divis Towers apartment building, Leonard looked out at Belfast across the street from the entrance to St. Peter’s cathedral. He was sandwiched between a mural advocating Palestinian solidarity and a mural devoted to the Turkish hunger strikes.
In attendance at the mural unveiling was civil rights icon Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey. Bernadette McAliskey: nationalist leader, Bloody Sunday survivor and formerly the youngest MP ever; personified in her presence that day the enormous degree of support Leonard Peltier has enjoyed in Ireland for thirty years. I would later discover that Nobel Peace Prize winner and SDLP leader John Hume was in attendance at yet another Leonard Peltier mural unveiling in 2000. That same year Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, spoke in person with President Bill Clinton twice on behalf of Leonard’s clemency petition.
I’ve consistently found the Irish mind to parallel my own in terms of the feelings that both of our peoples have many things in common. We were both invaded by a foreign empire, and in the case of Native Americans it was the descendants of the same imperial conquering force that invaded Ireland. We are both engaged in liberation struggles at present; each of us fighting for sovereignty, self-determination, equality and the humane treatment of our people. Each of us are also actively involved in preservation of language, culture and tradition. Of course, this is just a short version of an even bigger list of similarities. As I’ve said, I’m not alone in this realisation. Countless times I’ve encountered Irish people- from everyday citizens to activists, from grass roots campaigners to republican former POWs- who’ve said to me that they read or were inspired by some account of Native American history. Most commonly, individuals have proudly professed to me that they read, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” by Dee Brown. This is especially true of former political prisoners.
Ireland has proven to be the perfect place for a campaign to increase international support for Leonard Peltier. Since I accepted the position of LPDC Rep in Ireland and England in May, I’ve met with countless elected representatives in Irish government. I’ve met with individuals from most political parties, as well as a few independently elected members of Irish parliament.
I’ve received an enormous amount of support from Amnesty International, specifically the Bray chapter of the Irish Section of Amnesty International. The Irish Section of Amnesty is based in Dublin. I have met their coordinator for North American issues and the results have been an ever present helping hand whenever I’ve needed it. A life-long activist named Judy Russell, who is a member of Amnesty here in Ireland, was directly responsible for the showing of ‘Incident at Oglala’ I did on Leonard’s birthday this year. The event was held south of Dublin in a very nice hotel along the sea front. Around 20 Amnesty members were present for the film and my speech afterwards. Ms. Russell was kind enough to coordinate the event, arrange for the Bray group to coordinate their monthly meeting around the event, and she even took care of the costs of equipment rental (microphone, PA, etc). She is one of many hard-working activists with Amnesty that have dedicated time from their already busy schedules to support the campaign for Leonard Peltier in Ireland. I’ve yet to meet with Amnesty International in London. However, I’m preparing for a tour of England that will encompass such a meeting. I hope we can enjoy the same support from the London section as we have been blessed to receive from the folks in the Dublin branch (Thanks Judy, Kieran and Brian).
The biggest support that I have received has come overwhelmingly from Sinn Fein and their supporters (known simply as ‘The Republican Movement’). In part two of this update, I will explore in greater depth the support that Leonard has received from the nationalist community. I have recently returned from three days in Derry, in the heart of the republican northwest. I will enclose a detailed account of that trip. The campaign for Leonard Peltier in Ireland continues to gather momentum and build-up steam. Next month I will apprise everyone on recent events as they pertain to on-going efforts for Leonard Peltier’s fight for freedom and the methods in which the people of Ireland are working for those ends.
Four years ago, September 8, 2002, I arrived in Ireland for the first time. My first day in the country was spent in a besieged part of Belfast known as the Short Strand. The Short Strand is a Catholic community that has the misfortune of being an island surrounded by hostile and hate filled loyalist neighbors. I was given a guided tour of the area, which had come under nightly assaults for the previous four months. In the midst of an on-going IRA cease-fire and an increase in votes for Sinn Fein, many loyalists began to sense that their position as the regions dominate class was being threatened. In their fear, Ulster’s unionists resorted to the most barbaric actions taken against their Catholic neighbors. Passing into the Belfast city centre I noticed graffiti that read, “End the Siege of the Short Strand.”
Minutes later, I was led on foot through the same area. As we began our tour, I could hear fireworks going off in the distance. It was explained to me that fireworks are thrown onto houses after balloons filled with gasoline had been thrown onto the same roofs. Thus, with a bit of careful aim you ignite a full-blown fire on top of the homes of your neighbour. Overhead were the sounds of helicopters. The helicopters weren’t hovering in the sky to stop or contain the carnage. Rather, they were there to monitor the situation in case any of the Short Strand residents decided to resist. “Would this be enough to provoke the IRA into abandoning their cease fire?” The pro-British pyromaniacs hoped the answer would be ‘Yes.’ They were to be disappointed.
For a little over an hour I surveyed burned homes, broken out windows covered by sheets of plywood, children with casts covering third-degree burns on their arms and legs, broken glass and barbed wire. One of my tour guides finally asked what my impressions were. “I’ll bet you’ve never seen anything like this before,” I was asked. I thought for a while with a numb look on my face. I explained that I’d seen senseless sectarian discrimination like this a hundred times before, on reservations and inner cities all across the US and Canada. It was at that moment that I made a realization that has been repeatedly confirmed for me over the past four years. Observing the similarities between the Irish and Native Americans caused me to think, “We have more in common than either of us knows.”
Four days after my shocking experience in the Short Strand, I was invited to attend a function in West Belfast. Located on the famous Falls Road is a cultural centre called ‘An Culturlann.’ The Culturlann is a Gaelic speaking get-away, bookshop, restaurant and meeting place. On 12 September, Leonard Peltier’s 58th birthday, I travelled to the Culturlann to witness the unveiling of a mural dedicated to Leonard Peltier. For the two years that followed, the recreation of Leonard’s famous ‘Hawk Man’ painting greeted Belfast residents as they made their way from the city centre into the Falls Rd. Just past the Divis Towers apartment building, Leonard looked out at Belfast across the street from the entrance to St. Peter’s cathedral. He was sandwiched between a mural advocating Palestinian solidarity and a mural devoted to the Turkish hunger strikes.
In attendance at the mural unveiling was civil rights icon Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey. Bernadette McAliskey: nationalist leader, Bloody Sunday survivor and formerly the youngest MP ever; personified in her presence that day the enormous degree of support Leonard Peltier has enjoyed in Ireland for thirty years. I would later discover that Nobel Peace Prize winner and SDLP leader John Hume was in attendance at yet another Leonard Peltier mural unveiling in 2000. That same year Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein, spoke in person with President Bill Clinton twice on behalf of Leonard’s clemency petition.
I’ve consistently found the Irish mind to parallel my own in terms of the feelings that both of our peoples have many things in common. We were both invaded by a foreign empire, and in the case of Native Americans it was the descendants of the same imperial conquering force that invaded Ireland. We are both engaged in liberation struggles at present; each of us fighting for sovereignty, self-determination, equality and the humane treatment of our people. Each of us are also actively involved in preservation of language, culture and tradition. Of course, this is just a short version of an even bigger list of similarities. As I’ve said, I’m not alone in this realisation. Countless times I’ve encountered Irish people- from everyday citizens to activists, from grass roots campaigners to republican former POWs- who’ve said to me that they read or were inspired by some account of Native American history. Most commonly, individuals have proudly professed to me that they read, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” by Dee Brown. This is especially true of former political prisoners.
Ireland has proven to be the perfect place for a campaign to increase international support for Leonard Peltier. Since I accepted the position of LPDC Rep in Ireland and England in May, I’ve met with countless elected representatives in Irish government. I’ve met with individuals from most political parties, as well as a few independently elected members of Irish parliament.
I’ve received an enormous amount of support from Amnesty International, specifically the Bray chapter of the Irish Section of Amnesty International. The Irish Section of Amnesty is based in Dublin. I have met their coordinator for North American issues and the results have been an ever present helping hand whenever I’ve needed it. A life-long activist named Judy Russell, who is a member of Amnesty here in Ireland, was directly responsible for the showing of ‘Incident at Oglala’ I did on Leonard’s birthday this year. The event was held south of Dublin in a very nice hotel along the sea front. Around 20 Amnesty members were present for the film and my speech afterwards. Ms. Russell was kind enough to coordinate the event, arrange for the Bray group to coordinate their monthly meeting around the event, and she even took care of the costs of equipment rental (microphone, PA, etc). She is one of many hard-working activists with Amnesty that have dedicated time from their already busy schedules to support the campaign for Leonard Peltier in Ireland. I’ve yet to meet with Amnesty International in London. However, I’m preparing for a tour of England that will encompass such a meeting. I hope we can enjoy the same support from the London section as we have been blessed to receive from the folks in the Dublin branch (Thanks Judy, Kieran and Brian).
The biggest support that I have received has come overwhelmingly from Sinn Fein and their supporters (known simply as ‘The Republican Movement’). In part two of this update, I will explore in greater depth the support that Leonard has received from the nationalist community. I have recently returned from three days in Derry, in the heart of the republican northwest. I will enclose a detailed account of that trip. The campaign for Leonard Peltier in Ireland continues to gather momentum and build-up steam. Next month I will apprise everyone on recent events as they pertain to on-going efforts for Leonard Peltier’s fight for freedom and the methods in which the people of Ireland are working for those ends.
Please click here for newspaper articles :
http://www.leonardpeltier.net/worldevents/dave.htm
Aho/ Nea’ese/ Go Raibh maith agut,
Dave Bailey (natsitsa@yahoo.com)
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Representative
in Ireland and England
Aho/ Nea’ese/ Go Raibh maith agut,
Dave Bailey (natsitsa@yahoo.com)
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Representative
in Ireland and England
posted by Leonard @ 10:25 AM
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