One World One Struggle - Bloody Sunday Families' 45 Year Struggle for Justice

January 30, 2017

by James Quigley

The Bloody Sunday March For Justice took place on Sunday Jan 29 2017. It commemorated the Bogside Massacre in Derry in 1972 where 14 people were murdered and 14 injured when British Troops opened fired on peaceful, unarmed protesters against internment.

However the march was not the only event but the culmination of a week long series of events. This year's event was titled 'One World One Struggle' where the common and indeed international element of struggle against State violence, injustice and cover ups was highlighted. I congratulate the organisers and support the families of Bloody Sunday victims as well as all people who suffer injustice and intimidation. I encourage anyone who believes in 'One World One Struggle' to read Bloody Sunday March For Justicein the hope that they might come out next year or indeed anytime to support such a cause.

One little incident marred what was an otherwise exceptional week, an incident which I believe was at odds with the essence of Bloody Sunday March For Justice and the exposition of violence. During the march a shout of 'Aim to kill' could be heard clearly several times from what seemed to be a marshal of one of the bands. Perhaps I mistake the intention or meaning however, for people that might take such a violent call at face value, accompanied by uniformed personnel marching in formation, it is incongruous with anti violence and injustice.

It was noted that at several events during the week speakers spoke critically about Sinn Féin who in fact were very noticeably absent from the march. Even Kate Nash, from the platform, said "seven years ago there were attempts to shut the march down but that did not sit well with us. We felt that the battle had not been won. We knew the Bloody Sunday victims deserved more. Here we are today still on this platform demanding justice for the families of Bloody Sunday." see Derry Journal article.

Some events during Bloody Sunday week

Internment Then and Now

Joanne Donnelly, Eamonn McCann, Moazzam Begg and Francie McGuigan

Former internee Francie McGuigan who was one of a number of men brutalised by the British army here in the early 1970’s, which became known as ‘the hooded men’

Joanne Donnelly, spokesperson for the ‘Craigavon Two’ campaign outlined the background to the imprisonment of the two men Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton.

Moazzam Begg ex detainee of Kandahar; Bagram; Guantanamo Bay spoke about his experiences of interrogation and imprisonment at the hands of British and American security services while also locating the use of internment by both states in a more global context.

Climate Change, Nonviolence, and A Spirituality for Our Times

Alastair McIntosh, a Quaker, peace activist and author from the Isle of Eigg, Scotland and Bernadette McAlliskey, a Northern Ireland civil rights campaigner, an atheist and as she described herself 'maybe an anarchist' discussed religion, spirituality, nonviolence, climate change and community empowerment in the context of nonviolent resistance to injustice, war and environmental destruction.

You'll Never Walk Alone

This event will contrast the experiences and the struggles of three very different campaigns in pursuit of truth and justice.

Sheila Coleman, Hillsborough Justice Campaign

Having campaigned for many years, suffering deep disappointments along the way and having only relatively recently come through a gruelling inquest process where the jury returned a unanimous verdict of ‘Unlawful Killing’, Sheila Coleman, Hillsborough Justice Campaign, talked about the Liverpool families long running campaign for truth and justice for the 96 Liverpool fans.

Marcia Rigg, United Families & Friends Campaign

Marcia Rigg’s brother Sean died in Brixton police station in August 2008 after being held in a state of prolonged restraint by police officers. Marcia talked about her families campaign for their brother and her work with the London based ‘United Families & Friends Campaign’, which is a coalition of those affected by the deaths of their loved ones in police, prison and psychiatric custody and which offers support to others throughout Britain in similar

Belfast man Raymond McCord has been campaigning since 1997 following the murder of his son Raymond junior by the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Deeply angered and frustrated by the lack of interest coming from unionists politicians within his own community Raymond went on to carry out his own investigation, discovering that the murder of his son had been sanctioned by North Belfast UVF commander Mark Haddock. Later discovering that Haddock was a police informer who wasn’t questioned for the killing of his son.

All event videos will be found on the Bloody Sunday March For Justice web site in due course.

Crown Estate flotsam washed up in Greencastle sheds light on Lough Foyle controversy

January 30, 2017

The flotsam referred to is of course a little memorandum that floated our way electronically. Mr Enda Craig, SaveTheFoyle, was able to snatch a copy of the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission meeting in Ballymascanlon Hotel, Dundalk on 9th May 2007 from their web page before it was taken down.

The document is a revelation that sheds light on the controversy surrounding the ownership of Lough Foyle. You can view a recent RTE Prime Time programme here 'Prime Time disputed ownership of Lough Foyle - a clondyke for some but at what cost

The message,from the minutes of a 2007 Commission meeting on the subject of an agreement between CEC (Crown Estates Commission) and DCMNR (Dept of Communications Marine and Natural Resources), clearly states;

Wednesday 09th May 2007, Ballymascanlon Hotel, Dundalk
42nd Meeting of the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights

" Barry Fox informed the Board on recent contact made with Charles Green from the Crown Estates Commission. He advised that there have been a number of queries from Charles regarding the hecterage currently being used for aquaculture in Lough Foyle. The Agency has been reluctant to supply this information as it will encourage CEC to pursue a higher rent in Lough Foyle than the Department of Marine may agree."

The Lough Agency is an agency of the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission established as one of the cross-border bodies under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

This would suggest that the Irish Government have been paying rent to the Crown Estate. This is something that is recorded and must be known.

Due to the environmental disaster in Lough Foyle and many other problems and in light of England leaving the European Union, the question of the ownership of these Loughs can no longer be brushed under the carpet.

EU to take action over State’s ‘dangerous’ drinking water

January 30, 2017

Republic faces infringement proceedings due to the presence of chemicals in its supply

‘THMs are carcinogenic chemicals formed when chlorine is added to purify water.’ Photograph: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The European Commission will take infringement proceedings against Ireland due to dangerous levels of chemicals found in drinking water.

The commission wrote to the Department of Housing this month confirming that a pilot case it had initiated into the level of trihalomethanes (THMs) in the water system has been closed.

In the correspondence, it confirmed that further “treatment” would now be necessary to deal with the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer.

A spokesman said the commission would now move to take “more formal steps” in response to ongoing concerns.

Sources confirmed that infringement proceedings would begin within a matter of weeks.

Ireland will be given the opportunity to respond to the action. If its response is inadequate, the commission can take the case to the European Court of Justice, whose judgment is binding.

Significant daily penalties could be imposed by the court if Ireland does not act appropriately.

THMs are chemicals that have been present in many public water supplies for years. They are formed when chlorine is added to purify water.

Long-term exposure is reported to carry increased risks of cancers, including of the bladder and colon, and causes damage to the heart, lungs, liver, kidney and central nervous system.

Limited levels

Permissible levels of trihalomethanes in drinking water are limited by the EU drinking water directive and World Health Organisation guidelines.

It is understood that up to 400,000 households in Ireland are affected, including ones in parts Kerry and Cork, Kilkenny city, Waterford, Wicklow, Meath, Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal and Galway.

In May 2015, the European Commission initiated a pilot case here due to THMs levels exceeding guidelines in some drinking water supplies.

A spokesman for the Department for Housing confirmed that correspondence had been received and said it would co-operate fully with the commission.

“Irish Water, working closely with the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, has developed plans and programmes to address these THM exceedances where they have arisen,” he said.

“These plans were communicated to the commission as part of the response to the pilot case.

“The commission informed the department last week that it has closed the pilot case but with the intention of further treatment.”

Irish Water said it was unaware of the commission’s response, but the company has already committed to addressing areas with THM by 2021.

Its business plan sets out a clear commitment to reduce the number of all schemes on the agency’s remedial action list, including those affected by trihalomethanes, “to zero”.

Source: Sarah Bardon, Irish Times, Jan 30 2017

Buncrana Together

The wheels of European bureaucracy turn very slow.

One would think that there should have been more urgency considering the deadly consequences of the carcinogenic cocktail in our drinking water, especially in Donegal, one of the more neglected areas in Ireland and in particular Greencastle where levels of thrihalomethanes exceeds accepted levels. We were told that this was going to be fixed by 2017 . Many of our articles show the minimising arguments made by Irish health and Government officials.

Mr Tony Lowes, Friends of the Irish Environment, said"this decision has come six years after we first brought the issue to the Commission's attention". He pointed out his article ' Ireland's Poisoned, Dirty water: the cover-up' written by himself and Malcolm Coxall in 2011.

See http://buncranatogether.com/home/2016/2/18/the-emerald-isles-pure-clear-waters-are-swimming-in-carcinogenic-trihalomethanes?rq=trihalo