Free Citizen: Vol. 2 no. 14, 8 January 1971

= FREE

CITIZEN

REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER AT THE POSTOFFICE

NEWSPAPER OF THE

PEOPLES DEMOCRACY

a

PRICE

WEEKLY FRI.

8 JAN 1971

CRUMLIN - THE TRUTH

GERRY FITT, THE PRISON GOV-

ERNOR, AND NOW IAN PAISLEY

HAVE ALL DECLARED RECENTLY

THAT CONDITIONS IN HER

MAJESTY'S PRISON, BELFAST,

ARE NEAR TO BEING AS GOOD AS

(MAYBE EVEN BETTER THAN)

CONDITIONS IN BUCKINGHAM

PALACE. THE REASON FOR ALL

THESE PUBLIC STATEMENTS IS

THAT WITH THE LARGE NUMBERS

OF POLITICAL PRISONERS THERE

HAS BEEN A MARKED INCREASE

™N UNREST INSIDE THE PRISON,

in the past four months there have been three "strikes" involving large numbers of prisoners - one in demand of warmer clothes, one demanding better food, and one in protest against a statement put out by the prison chaplains. Peoples Democracy has had its own reporter on the spot to observe conditions - unlike Fitt his visit was of more than a few hours' duration. Eugene Cassin has just left the Crumlin having served four months for his part in a meeting to protest about the importation of Cement intc Ardglass Harbour during the Cement Strike. Anyway unlike Gerry Fitthe should know what he is talking about. sat struck Eugene Cassin in particular about the prison was the brutality of certain Prison Wardens towards certain prisoners and their general air of agression. In all such cases what is necessary is to hear the facts. Unsubstantiated, undocumented and vague accusations of brutality are not likely to convince. Eugene has this to Say about one particular beatingup:screws "On 22nd December '70 Gerry Loughlin (Young Prisoner) wanted to have a few words with the governor about a pending court case.

i [wo screws grabbed him and push- } ed him into a cell where they both beat him about the stomach and He, afterwards, showed his arms’to a number of prisoners, who confirmed that they were badly arms. bruised. One fellow prisoner witnessed this beating, but as he is still serving his ser .ence his name iontinterteenineniideette te ade

EUGENE CASSIN

is being withheld. the two screws who carried out this brutal attack on a defenceless 19 year-old are Madden and The names of Hutton. ' Eugene Cassin described another case of agression against a defenceless prisoner: - "On the 15th December '70 John McDonagh (First Offender), Prison No. 2882, was involved with another prisoner named Whiteside in a dispute over snout (tobacco) which was stolen from McDonagh. Two screws immediately took McDonagh into a cell and beat him badly about the stomach, slapping him on the face. The names of the two screws involved in this beating were McFarland and Young.

McFarland boasts of having been present at the last hanging which took place in Belfast Jail."

Eugene Cassin was himself threatened with a kicking on his privates by a screw named McClean. The food in the Crumlin Road Prison may have been just what Gerry Fitt has been dreaming about all his life, but the men who have eat it day in and day out are not so impressed. For instance, over 300 prisoners refused to eat the evening meal because they felt it wasn't sufficient to sustain a man who had been working hard all day. The 2al in question consisted of one pint of tea, one matchbox-sized piece of cheese, one spoon of jam, a small nut.of margarine and white bread. While prisoners sat with arms folded demanding better food, the Prison Governor arrived and immediately ordered all prisoners to be locked in their cells.

He then interviewed all prisoners involved in the strike and asked them personally if they wanted to take their complaint further i.e. to the Board of Visitors. Eleven prisoners elected to take their complaint to the Board of Visitors. Of course the Board saw nothing wrong with the meal. Next day three J.P.'s were taken into the prison and a special court was held. All eleven prisoners were found guilty of making a false allegation, and sentenced to 22 days of solitary confinement each with loss of all such privileges as newspapers, tobacco, visits, letters plus only ten minutes recreation each day - in fact as the good Governor so elegantly put it, "Nothing for company, lads, but the Holy Bible’. Even after twentytwo days the Governor had still the power to impose further penalties - under prison rules a man can still be flogged.

Bearing this in mind and taking into account that some of the men had upwards of a years remission to lose, the prisoners were thus forced into making a written apology to the Governor. This case illustrates the absolutely frustrating position that a prisoner who protests is in.

For this reason it is important that those outside the prison (that includes ALL M.P.'s!) should inform themselves of the real facts about Crumlin Prison before making halfbaked statements about how wonderful prison life is. boycott Bearing this in mind, then it was no wonder that,when the prison chaplains issued a joint statement denying that there was brutality, or there had been complaints about food, prisoners of all denominations boycotted the following Sunday's services.

(CONTINUED INSIDE)

26 COUNTIES

SRD IN STRIKE POLL

Figures, just released by the International Labour Office, show the 26 Cos. as coming third in the World Table for days lost in strike in 1969: pO ey $0 Std eCusces 4 ERO Canada......... psdidetitahuecn dns ae SROs 6 5 die S0'ceuinasncss come te (days on strike per 1000 workers) In 1964 and '65 Ireland headed the list, were third in 1966, fifth in 1967, fifth in 1968. The 1969 maintneance men's strike was the main strike of 1969 when 142 firms were shut, and 31,000 workers idle because of the strike. The year just finished saw two major strikes, the cement strike, which affected 15,000 building workers, and the bank dispute, which affected 6,/800.

These figures are just another indication of the industrial militancy in Ireland which has its roots in the historic 1907-13 period when Connolly and Larkin led the working class. But then Connolly knew that purely industrial action was not enough for victory. What was needed was political action combined with industrial mililancy. This led Connolly to form thk Citizens' Army, and take part in the 1916 rising. The industrial militancy of the Irish,working class is a healthy sign. Faced with heavy unemployment, constant emigration and low wages the Irish workers have battled magnificently to improve their conditions. But the gains made by the heroic efforts of the Cement strikers, for example, are eroded by Government induced inflation.

Simply to maintain their present standard of living, the workers are forced into constant struggle, despite the reluctance of their trade union leadership to fight.

For real gains the workers must take political action in which they can use the weapon of the political strike. Italy's place at the top of the European league is due to the political ferment going on in that county. For it is only by combining the economic with the political struggle that the workers can really improve their position. The failure of both Labour Parties, North and South, to lead the workers towards socialism shows their bankruptcy.

The militancy of the Irish working class must be channelled into political activity. Wein P.D. are dedicated to the building of an Irish socialist movement which can politically direct the militancy of the Irish workers towards completing Connolly and Citizen Army's aim, the Irish Workers' Republic.

GERRY RUDDY.

LETTERS

Dear Sirs, Many, many laudable motions were passed at last weekend's Northern Conference of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (I.N.T.O.). Numerous ills of the Educational System were cited and condemned - the failure of local authorities to provide school meals facilities, and in Derry the neglect of the Development Commission to fight this state of affairs. The infamous "jobbery" which goes on around the appointment of teachers was condemned as was the weight of power in Clerical hands, where schools’ and teaching appointments are concerned. The Macrory Report was welcomed as a means of doing away with the "petty dictatorships" of local education authorities. But until the teachers, themselves, are prepared to make a stand against interference and jobbery, and manipulation of appointments, no good will come of their motions and declarations.

They should fight, collectively, against these ills and expose their own willy-nilly (or unprincipled) colleagues who gain by them.

Yours, "Ja Bs "

BUS STOPS |

Comrades, Bus stops in Belfast are to be reduced in number. Making the announcement, that guardian (selfappointed) of Public morals Jack Lewis. His comrade Councillor of the Transport Department explained the reasons: "It will effectively ease the traffic situation thus making it flow better also operative costs will be cut and we will make a little more money."

But what is the real reason? Already the Belfast Transport Department have put on one-man buses giving one man 1% men's pay for two men's jobs. Also bus fares have been drastically increased in some cases by more than 100%.

Thus the real lesson is quite simply to make more money! Why should they worry if an Old Age Pensioner has to walk an extra 100 yeard because a bus stop has been moved or taken away? After all,the councillors have cars. To you, and your kind, Jack Lewis, P.D. says - resign from your Film Striptease censorship etc. You are as corrupt as they come! Fraternally yours, Gabriel McCaffrey. FREE CITIZEN 8th JANUARY 1971 Look — No Strings! Commenting on the decision of the Northern Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to accept a 'grant' from the Stormont government of £50,000 over the next five years, William (Toady) Blease said "There is absolutely no foundation whatever that the arrangement is designed to undermine the independence of the trade unions".

In return for the 'grant' the Northern Committee will send a copy of their annual auditor's report (i.e.

statement of accounts) to the Government. The report gives a breakdown of how the Northern Committee's finances (and not just the Government 'grant') are spent.

Toady Blease denies that the Unions would be liable to any pressure because of this. Many trade unions are less sure than their permanent official. The Belfast branch of the Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunications Union has called on its executive to break from the I.C.T.U. A spokesman for the Branch said that the subsidy was intended to compromise the trade union movement. Rumours that Toady Blease is prepared to accept a substantial grant 'without strings' from the Federated Union of Employers are believed to be without foundation.

Greys Eulogy New Years Day is the day when every clapped-out politician and dignitory, in danger of falling into eternal obscurity, resurrects himself enough to mumble out his New Year's message to 'his people’.

Not to be out-done Northern Ireland's Governor, Lord Grey (bet you couldn't even remember his name) donned his regimentals, stuck his ostrich feathers up his hat, clear ed his throat, and told us to be good in 1971, and he was sure everything would get back to normal: "This is an opportunity for a new beginning", He said, "let us rejoice that the chances of a creditable year are brighter than they have been”.

But are they? Ulster goes into 1971 in an officially declared state of emergency by the Unionists, and rubber-stamped by Grey himself.

Northern Ireland goes into 1971 still groaning under the Criminal Justice Act - by which a mandatory sentence can be handed down for a variety of 'crimes' - an Act which supports Unionism by virtually outlawing the possibility of militant political action to oppose it.

The Governor should declare an end to this 'State of Emergency’. It is several months since there was any serious rioting in Belfast - and the possibility of a renewal seems unlikely. Such a declaration is well within the governor's power - it would serve him better than his platitudes.

Backhander You MIGHT AS WELL Say THAT — Armagh Revenge Court On the night, over seven months ago, when Bernadette Devlin was jailed in Armagh Prison about seventy members of Armagl. P.D.

held a meeting outside the Prison.

Our small meeting was immediately ringed by several hundred police, allegedly protecting us from a mob of five hundred Paisleyites led by Douglas Hutchinson. The police action, however, merely made our meeting a handy target for rocks and bolts from the Loyalists.

Three P.D. members were rendered unconscious that night, our flags and banners were seized and burned, others received various injuries from the missiles, and our camera which was engaged in filming such personalities as Billy Johnson (Armagh's U.D.C.'s Chairman) among the loyalists was seized and destroyed. To all this the police were amused spectators, awaiting our expected retaliation.

As no retaliation was forthcoming the police permitted such Paisleyites as Jim King to pass through their ranks and to parade through our meeting with the Loyalist Emblem. The police then openly jeered our speakers and sneered at the injuries sustained by our members.

In fact the police were slobbering at the mouth in anticipation of getting their hands on some P.D.

people. But the discipline of our members gave the police no excuse to attack our meeting.

It was, then, with some amazement that we received the news that a young P.D. member Malachy Trainor (aged 16 years) was the sole person to be charged for that night's activity.

He was not charged until about five months after the event and he is certainly the victim of police spite. Malachy Trainor's brother Kevin has been the subject of several unsuccessful police attempts to frame him. adjourned until the lst February.

- FREE CITIZEN 8th JANUARY 1971 Twat UtsTeR'71 1S A UNIONIST

PROPAGANDA STUNT —

we

RECNSE WE HAVE GIVEN THE

.C.T.U. A BACKHANDER.....

IMMORAL

EARNINGS

Every year smoking causes the death of 20,000 middle-aged men and cuts about ten years off the lives of heavy smokers in Great Britain and N.Ireland. These stunning facts come from a report issued by the British Royal College of Physicians. Any Government which cared at all for the health of its citizens would, at once, take steps to ban all cigarette advertising.

Millions of pounds are spent annually on the advertising of cigarettes. Cigarette companies are only concerned with making gigantic profits. They could not care less that their product brings death and ill health to thousands - so long as they can grow fat on their immoral earnings. Similarly, the numerous wellpaid advertising executives have a vested interest in seeing that people become 'hooked' on tobacco.

That's ‘capitalism: profits before people. The wealth of the taburre ~vL...

panies gives them great power and influence in a capitalist society.

The editor of one liberal newspaper said that the banning of cigarette advertisements was a proper suggestion, but had to admit that his newspaper at present could not just do without the revenue from cigarette advertisements.

In this way the cigarette companies can wield great pressure on the mass media which in turn influence public opinion. How’ many newspapers - faced with the threat of loss of advertising - are likely to carry on a campaign of informing the public of the dangerous side-effects of cigarette smoking? In a capitalist society even truth fia met ‘ ’ Malachy Trainor's case has been’ *pegpme Pought.

AN CIGARETTE ADS, NOW!

ey A ches

RECA THE GOVERNMEMT HAVE

GWEN A MASSIVE Geant | THAT WE WAVE THE ie IN ouR Pocker |

CRUMLIN-THE TRUTH

(CONTINUED)

The shocked and Humilated prison chaplins were forced to conduct their Sunday services with as little as 5% of their usual congregation.

Other aspects of life in Crumlin Prison which bear commenting upon are the inadequate clothing and freezing cells. Thus on the 12th November '70 over 200 prisoners in the woodyard went on strike because of the inadequate clothing which they were given to work in - vest, underpants, trousers, unlined jacket and waistcoat. The consternation which this strike caused among the prison officials was expressed in the remark of one screw, "Whoever heard of a strike ina prison?" However the prisoners, by their disciplined and organised action, had the authorities on the run - and overalls were made available immediately. (The overalls dated from 1953). The point to be made is that any improvements in the conditions in Crumlin Prison have been achieved } by the efforts of the prisoners themselves. Anyone who was in Crumjin during the '50's can remember how the Republican prisoners managed to get rid of cocoa from the Prison menu and have tea substituted. They simply poured their tea over the prison balconies - until eventually the authorities got the message. - Similarly if any slight improvements have been noticed in the Prison by Messrs. Fitt and O'Hanlon, they should give credit to the struggle of the prisoners for such marginal improvements. Nothing could be more disheartening to any prisoner than to hear these people, after one hour's visit to the prison, pontificating about how fine a place the prisonis. It is amazing to see Fitt and the Prison Governor making the same type of comment about Prison life. However, it is good to hear that when Fitt attempted to talk to some political prisoners he was told, "T won't talk to you, Traitor!",

Lurgan Gas otill Stinks It is time that a full Public Inquiry was held into the financial affairs of Lurgan Borough Council. For the disgraceful saga of this all- Unionist council's attempts to welch on legally binding tenancy agreements made with the tenants of the big working class Drumnamoe Estate gets more peculiar and smells more rotten week by week.

It is well known that in 1968 the Council agreed to accept an extra 25/- per week to cover the entire cost of gas central heating, but that two whole years later it began sending out backdated gas bills of up to £145 for this same central heating over and above the mutually agreed orginal 25/- per week. Currently monthly gas bills keep arriving at each Drumnamoe house with some October bills as high as £27! Old age pensioners are receiving montlr ly bills for as much as £7 on top of the contractual 25/- per week!

The first of the newest nasty smells came on Thursday 26th November when a mysterious fire at Lurgan Town Hall failed to destroy the upper-storey where the Council offices are and where the Council records are kept. "But for the fact that a door above the stage on the ground floor was shut the entire building would have been destroyed", said the local Fire Brigade. Shortly afterwards local Unionist M.P. Bertie Mitchell remarked enigmatically that "any delay in the Council taking action over the gas bills affair was due to the fire at the Town Hall". Clearly the fire hadn't done its work well enough and those embarrassing original tenancy agreements are still intact. Bare-faced Then the tenants referred the matter of the bare-faced swindle to Complaints Commissioner Benn only to be smartly told that this tepid Unionist appointee could deal only with complaints from individuels. When huge bills of up to £27 began to arrive for October's gas, the tenants at once Suspected that the meters installed by the Council were inaccurately set. "One arm bandits" became the local description of them. Now the tenants want these meters removed. Finally the Council has just threatened to impound the hundreds of tenancy depesits (£10 per household) and use this money to pay off what they claim are arrears owing on gas bills. Such bloody impudence!

The whole affair stinks. It stinks of dishonesty and swindling trickery.

The Free Citizen joins with the Drumnamoe Tenants Association in calling for a government inquiry.

It's high time the swindlers of Lurgan Borough Council were exposed for the corrupt yang they are.

FREE CITIZEN 8th January 1971. -

ARISE SIR BEEZER!

Bobbie 'Beezer' Porter, the meek Unionist fall-guy with the Joe E.

Brown mouth and the Alderman Jack Lewis intellect, has now, by the grace of-Her Majesty, Queen Edward Heath, joined the ranks of the titled buffoons who have callously milked and mutilated the people for fifty years. The working class has always been vilely served by the’ squalid crew of born 'leaders' Sir Beezer now joins.

There was the megalomanic Lord Craigavon whose arrogant "Protestant parliament for a Protestant people" killed democracy. And there was the wealthy smuggler Lord Brookeborough whose "I would not have a Roman Catholic about the place" killed mutual tolerance. And the rejected Lord O'Neill whose "Roman Catholics will rear 18 children in a ghastly hovel" killed human decency. And now, for some reason or other, known only to the Unionist hierarchy, there is the pathetically insignificant Sir Beezer Porter whose unconsciously hilar ious performances as Faulkner's pet stooge at press conferences and on television damn nearly killed us all. With laughter! Mouse-man Don't imagine that Sir Beezer was the most ineffective Minister of Home Affairs, that honour belongs to Fozhound Faulkner, squire of the County Down. Nor was he the most stupid, that title goes indisputably to the boozing Bill Craig, alcoholic scum of hich politics. But he was certainly the most frightened. All the major pogroms and orgies of destruction took place while Sir Beezer was in 'charge’ of law and order, and its guardians - our world-renowned police force. But mouseman Sir Beezer was incapable of doing anything about them. He was too scared. Too scared of the Orange Order, the gun-toting U.V.F., the cudgel waving Paisleyites, but above all of the Pigs, the R.U.C., whome he allowed to baton, booze, rampage and murder innocent citizens with impunity from April 1969 to August 1970. There were, of course, phoney investigations (remember the unpublished Baillie Report?) and blustering threats of disciplining the guilty but basically nothing happened - or has-ever happened - to the police drunkards and murders saf:behingg their frightened conspiracies of silence.

Poor Beezer wastoo afraid, too timid to act, too gutless to protect the innocent. The fate of Dickie Ferguson was not for him!

Why then the accolade of knight hood for this contemptible failure?

One wonders even more when one reviews Sir Beezer's contributions to community peace and prosperity during his stay at Home Affairs.

His record reads like a litany of lunacy stretching all the way from Devenney's murder in April '69, through the horrible murders, Printed and Published by Peoples Democracy, 88 Ladybrook Park, Belfast.

evictions and burnings of August 1969 by Sir Beezer's own R.U.C.

and B Specials, the Shankill revolt, the Lower Falls bloodbath and illegal curfew, down to the shoot-tokill order that murdered Danny O'Hagan. During Sir Beezer's ministry, 30 people were shot dead or batoned to death by police, hundreds were seriously wounded by gunshots, over five hundred houses were burned down by supporters of Sir Beezer's Unionist party, hundreds were made homeless and as many again evicted. Children were shot dead in bed as crazed pig-police sprayed working class flats with heavy machine guns mounted on armoured cars. Police officers perjured and lied and shielded uniformed criminals while their little mouse of a master cowered in the Ministry of Home Affairs simulating nervous break-downs. Daily explosions blew up peace of mind.

So arise, worthy Sir Beezer Porter, Q.C., M.P., Knight Bachelor and failed politician. Arise and survey your handiwork. See what your cowardice and your police henchmen have done to the working class of this torn country. Takea good look at the rows of burnt-out houses, the rows of filled hospital beds, the rows of dingy chalets where the homeless shiver, the rows of gravestones. Makes you feel famous, doesn't it? For all this, Sir Beezer, you were given your knighthood. Your reign as our Minister of Home Affairs was a brilliant success by the standards of any Nazi deathcamp. You gutless little bastard!

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