The Irish Republican Socialist Party will be joining with other concerned citizens on the 17th January in opposition at the state sponsored commemoration of the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) that is due to take place at Dublin Castle.
The RIC through methods of intimidation and violence maintained the British Occupation of Ireland, and were directly involved in attempts to quell the legitimate struggle for independence.
Its members were traitors, collaborators and enemies of the people of Ireland. They committed war crimes including murder & torture on the orders of Britain and they terrorised and evicted working class people at the behest of the wealthy. Any attempts to try and re-write or normalise that history by the state must be opposed.
The IRSP oppose the state attempts including the use of tax payers money to positively commemorate any occupation force in Ireland, but we uphold our belief that family and loved ones have the right to remember their dead from all sides of the conflict in a dignified, respectful and peaceful manner, including those that found themselves in the opposite side of the war.
It is of also no surprise that this event is being supported and partly orchestrated by Drew Harris, whom only 18 months ago was serving as the Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI; an armed force whose history and objective directly dates back to the RIC.
The British occupation of Ireland has and continues to cause great pain and suffering on the Irish people, and its historical legacy in the 26 counties lives on to this day.
We must remember those that were historically complicit with the occupiers so we dont allow the same mistakes to be repeated in the future. The British imperialist occupation was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.
