While the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) is in talks with Rome and has been taking public steps to at least give the appearance of distancing itself from the extremists in their organization, (Read here.) Fr. Morgan, the SSPX District Superior of Great Britain, has taken bold steps in the opposite direction. The latest issue of Mater Dei, the district's quarterly magazine, highlights two characters who are known as members of the radical right. (Read here.) The first author is Bishop Williamson, the infamous Holocaust Denier. (Read here.) The other radical is Michael Fishwick, an early member of the International Third Position (ITP). The ITP, founded by derek Holland, Roberto Fiore, and Nick Griffin, was an English political and racialist organization whose former members continue to cozy up to the SSPX. (Read here.)
It is a shame that Fr. Morgan spends his time attacking people who are scandalized by how Bishop Williamson has detracted from Catholicism. (Read here.) He would do better to protect his faithful from the radicals writing for his magazine.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Adrian Davies' Habit of Defending Radicals:
Adrian Davies, son of Traditional Catholic author, Michael Davies, is the attorney for two accused racists who fled Europe to the United States. (You can read the entire story here.)
This is not the first radical that Davies has worked for. Davies used to be a member of the British National Party and broke away to form his own right-wing movement, the Freedom Party. (See here.) Davies also defended David Irving in the appeal of his failed law suit for libel against Deborah Lipstadt. (See here.)
Below is a video of Adrian Davies.:
This is not the first radical that Davies has worked for. Davies used to be a member of the British National Party and broke away to form his own right-wing movement, the Freedom Party. (See here.) Davies also defended David Irving in the appeal of his failed law suit for libel against Deborah Lipstadt. (See here.)
Below is a video of Adrian Davies.:
Sunday, November 22, 2009
28 Arrested As Nick Griffin Speaks In Madrid :
Typically Spanish is reporting:
28 people were arrested in Madrid on Saturday when two far right groups came to blows outside the hotel Velázquez in the city.It looks like Roberto Fiore was at the event as well. (Read here.)
All the arrests were from the far right collective Patriotic Socialist Movement, who were trying to break up a meeting being held inside the hotel by the D.N., Democracia Nacional group.
The meeting had invited the Euro MP and leader of the British Nationalist Party, Nick Griffin, to talk, along with Roberto Fiore from Forza Nuova and Manuel Canduela from the DN...
...Several people needed medical attention after the riot.
A Spokesman for Nick Griffin told the Daily Telegraph that he ‘may’ have made a visit to Franco’s tomb at the Valley of the Fallen.
Friday the 20th was the 34th anniversary of Franco’s death. (Click for the entire story.)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Bishop Williamson; Tell It To The Judge!
Here is the latest on Bishop Williamson from the Daily Mail:
British Holocaust-denying bishop Richard Williamson faces trial in Germany for an outspoken TV interview in which he denied that the wartime extermination of the Jews took place.(Read more here.)
The ultra-conservative Catholic cleric was hit with a fine of nearly £12,000 today by a court for his comments made to a Swedish television interviewer - but he refused to pay it.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Bishop Williamson Makes Renewed Attack on Jews:
Bishop Williamson has come out with his latest weekly article. (Click here to read.) In this article, Bishop Williamson writes about a non-Christian group of intellectuals who were uncomfortable with White Anglo culture and were forced to leave Hitler's Germany. The Bishop wrote,
Who are these non-Christians corrupting Western society? For those who know Bishop Williamson, the Jews immediately come to mind. Bishop Williamson teaches that the Jews rule the world and are always working to destroy Christian society. This hunch is immediately confirmed once one visits the website linked to in Bishop Williamson's article. The Bishop wrote,
This latest antisemitic writing is spread by the help of Stephen Heiner of Overland Park, Kansas. Heiner disseminates Williamson's weekly letter around the world. Heiner also sells Bishop Williamson's letters in book format, (Click here.) and owns Get Smarter Prep. (Click here.)
The Frankfurt School needs to be much better known. It was a small but highly influential group of non-Christian intellectuals who, when Hitler came to power, fled from Germany to the USA, where in conjunction with a like-minded group of New York Trotskyists they continued to exert an influence out of all proportion to their numbers. Feeling a profound alienation from the "traditional Anglo-American culture", says MacDonald, they made war on it by promoting the individual against the family, multi-culture against White leadership, and modernism against tradition in all domains, especially the arts. "Theodor Adorno's desire for a socialist revolution led him to favour Modernist music that left the listener feeling unsatisfied and dislocated - music that consciously avoided harmony and predictability". The Frankfurt School wanted "the end of the order that bore the sonata".
Who are these non-Christians corrupting Western society? For those who know Bishop Williamson, the Jews immediately come to mind. Bishop Williamson teaches that the Jews rule the world and are always working to destroy Christian society. This hunch is immediately confirmed once one visits the website linked to in Bishop Williamson's article. The Bishop wrote,
Valuable lessons for all friends or lovers of "Western civilisation" are to be culled from an analysis of the USA's leftwards lurch in the 1960's by a Californian Professor of Psychology, accessible at http://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/articles/MacDonald-WheatlandII.html. Professor Kevin MacDonald is there reviewing the critique of mass culture in a book on "The Frankfurt School in Exile".(Click here to read the article.) The article Bishop Williamson references is filled with references blaming the Marxism of the Frankfurt School on the Jewishness of the members of the Frankfurt School. The spreading of antisemitism is nothing new for Bishop Williamson. In January, he was ordered by Rome and his own religious organization to stop speaking of the Jews in this manner. (Click here to read.)
This latest antisemitic writing is spread by the help of Stephen Heiner of Overland Park, Kansas. Heiner disseminates Williamson's weekly letter around the world. Heiner also sells Bishop Williamson's letters in book format, (Click here.) and owns Get Smarter Prep. (Click here.)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Are the NPD and European National Front Next? Berlin Bans Neo-Nazi Group
From Breibart:
Authorities in Berlin said on Thursday they have banned a neo-Nazi group whose members appeared in public wearing a black uniform similar to that worn by Hitler's paramilitary "storm troops."
Police conducted dawn raids at the Berlin homes of leading members of the "Frontbann 24" group, described as "the fastest-growing neo-Nazi organisation in Berlin" by Ehrhart Koerting, the city's interior minister.
Click here for the entire story.
(Click here for a previous story on the NPD and a great video which gives you a taste for what these thugs are up to.)
Authorities in Berlin said on Thursday they have banned a neo-Nazi group whose members appeared in public wearing a black uniform similar to that worn by Hitler's paramilitary "storm troops."
Police conducted dawn raids at the Berlin homes of leading members of the "Frontbann 24" group, described as "the fastest-growing neo-Nazi organisation in Berlin" by Ehrhart Koerting, the city's interior minister.
Click here for the entire story.
(Click here for a previous story on the NPD and a great video which gives you a taste for what these thugs are up to.)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Gerry McGeough: An Interview With Helen McClafferty
Several months ago, I wrote an article entitled, Gerry McGeough; An Omen of the Future. (Click to read.) After that article, I was approached by Helen McClafferty of FreeGerry.com. Despite the fact that our ideas were diametrically opposed on the topic of the Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.), we began a conversation and she agreed to a short interview for this site.
Q) Helen, first tell us a little about yourself. Where were you born? What are your political and religious ideologies?
A) I was born in Brooklyn, NY of American parents of Irish heritage. My grandparents, on both sides, hailed from Derry, NI, Donegal, Mayo and Dublin. I was raised a Roman Catholic and attended Catholic grammar and high school. I graduated from a secular college with a degree in Business Management. I now live in New Jersey and own my own business. I would consider myself a moderate-conservative with regard to my political and religious ideologies with a possible slight slant to the left depending on the issues at hand.
I have always been passionate about issues concerning injustice and human rights.
Besides my commitment to the “Irish cause,” I joined forces with protestors in the early 70’s supporting Caesar Chavez’s Grape Boycott and the United Farm Workers to help improve conditions for migrant workers. In the 80’s I supported Lech Walesa’s Solidarity movement and in 1989 I joined protestors at the UN over the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
My involvement in Irish affairs started in 1969 when civil-rights marches in the north of Ireland were being put down by the British government. At that time the British government was under attack from The European Committee on Human Rights and Amnesty International for their blatant human rights abuses against the Catholic nationalist population in the north of Ireland. Being of Irish heritage and a Roman catholic, I was outraged at how the Irish were being treated in their own country, so I became active in Irish civil and human rights issues.
As a result of my commitment to the “Irish Question,” as it was referred to back then, I became a member of The National Association for Irish Justice which later became known as Irish Northern Aid. As time went on I become more involved with other Irish-American organizations such as The New Jersey Fenian Society and the Irish National Caucus. I served two years as President of the Irish American Unity Conference North Jersey Chapter and two years as their New Jersey Regional Political Action Committee Chairwoman. I was also the Coordinating Chairwoman of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike Memorial Foundation which honored 10 young Irish POWs who starved themselves to death to bring world attention to the injustices that were every day life for Irish Catholic nationalists living in the north. MP Bobby Sands led the strike.
As the “Troubles” worsened, along with the civil and human rights abuses, my involvement increased and I was now serving on such committees as The Free Joe Doherty Committee, The Committee to Free The Tucson Six and as Coordinator of the Gerry McGeough Defense Fund. I also served as President of the New Jersey Irish Action Coalition and Editor of its newsletter for five years. I also served as co-chairperson on The Irish Famine/Genocide Committee. This important committee helped make the Irish genocide materials possible in schools throughout New Jersey, New York, and Nebraska to mention a few. The Irish Famine Curriculum was approved by the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education on September 10, 1996 for inclusion in the Holocaust and Genocide Curriculum at the secondary level.
Q) Helen you run a website FreeGerry.com. How did you first come to know Gerry McGeough? Who is Gerry McGeough?
A) Throughout the years, leading up to this interview, my involvement in various Irish-American organizations promoting human rights for Irish-Catholics in the north of Ireland and self-determination with justice free of British rule, placed me in contact with many people both here and abroad over the years. In that course of time I became personally familiar with various people involved in the struggle to re-unite Ireland. Gerry McGeough was one of those people.
I became aware of Gerry’s plight in 1992 when he was extradited from Germany to the USA to face charges on attempted gun-running while he was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). I met with Gerry and I totally related to his cause and, along with other prominent members of the Irish-American community, we formed the Gerry McGeough Defense Fund Committee with the purpose of raising funds to help defray some of his legal expenses to defend him in the United States.
Who is Gerry McGeough? In my opinion Gerry McGeough is a man of honor and integrity. He is a man totally dedicated to his belief that Ireland should be re-united and free from British rule and he has been working that process through peaceful means since 1996. He is a practicing Catholic, anti-abortion, anti-gay, and supports total Irish nationalism. He is a graduate of Trinity College, a devout husband and father of 4 children. He has written several books on the Irish struggle and he is fluent in Irish, German, Spanish, French and Latin. He was the founder and editor of The Hibernian Magazine about faith, family and country.
The Freegerry.com web site came about as a result of Gerry being arrested on March 8, 2007 in Tyrone, Northern Ireland by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) on attempted murder charges of a part-time *Ulster Defense Regiment solider dating back to 1981 while he was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Gerry’s arrest, unless proven otherwise, was politically motivated due to him running as an Independent candidate in the 2007 elections in the north of Ireland on an anti-policing platform.
The reason his attorneys and supporters feel his arrest was politically motivated is due to numerous reasons, one being the fact that Gerry had been living and working openly in the north of Ireland with his family for several years prior to his election campaign. The RUC/PSNI had every opportunity to arrest Gerry on these charges on many occasions over the years but did not do so until he ran for election. Another reason is the fact that on the same day, in other polling stations, the 1981 Provisional IRA chief of staff and its adjutant general went unmolested by the political police as they went about their business. One of these men has been the source of recent media speculation that his finger prints were found on a car used in an armed attack that claimed the lives of two members of the RUC. However, no attempt was made to detain him and there is a political reason for that. He supports the force that arrested Gerry. By contrast Gerry's public vocal opposition to the RUC/PSNI is what landed him in jail.
*It needs to be noted: ”The “Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR) ever since its formation in 1970 was under investigation for bias during its tenure. The regiment was infiltrated by and colluded with Protestant Loyalist paramilitary groups.” “Members of the security forces in Northern Ireland colluded with the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR) and loyalist paramilitary organizations over the murders of many innocent people in 1970 and 1980’s including the murder of nationalist Councilor Patsy Kelly 1974 and solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989.” The government forces involved included Force Research Units of the British Army, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, (RUC) Special Branch.” Out of 3,015 members of the security forces involved in these stages, only 18 were convicted of murder, 11 for manslaughter. 99 members were convicted of assault, armed robbery, weapons offences, bombing, intimidation and attacks on Catholics, kidnapping and membership in the Ulster Volunteer Forces (UVF).”
It does not take a genius to work out that Gerry, who openly admits his role as an IRA volunteer, if guilty of the attack for which he appeared in court, did not operate in splendid isolation. He was part of a wider organization whose leaders directed his activity. That he and not they were charged is a clear message from the British political establishment. It is in charge and will discriminate in its choice of target for prosecution over events which are now meaningless. Loud and clear, republican opponents of the RUC/PSNI are being told that their opposition will render them potential political hostages. Their past will be subject to selective scrutiny.
At Gerry's first court appearance his lawyer described his arrest as “an abuse of the democratic process and a return to the dark ages of Northern Ireland political policing.” Gerry openly campaigned in the streets of the north in clear view of the political police throughout his election campaign and appeared in the BBC studio in Belfast. According to Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew, “Gerry lived openly in her constituency. He could have been arrested at any time.”
Another reason one would conclude that Gerry’s arrest is politically motivated is an article that appeared in the Irish Voice, June 14, 2007, “British Seek To Block Inquiries”. Senior civil servant Maurice Hayes claimed “millions of pounds used to fund a public inquiry into the British Army’s shooting dead of 14 civilians on Bloody Sunday could have been better spent in other ways and that a lot of people in Northern Ireland are particularly concerned the police would have enough resources to deal with the present crime challenges facing the police service here.” He goes on to say “there comes a point when political archaeology doesn’t make terribly much sense and he thinks there is a lot to be said for Northern Ireland drawing a line”.
Gerry’s supporters feel that Mr. Maurice Hayes needs to explain where he thinks that “line” should begin and end? Why doesn’t that line also pertain to Irish Republicans like Gerry McGeough, arrested on charges dating back as far as 25 years ago? What sense and abuse of funds does it make in pursuing a case against one Irish Republican, especially when they have failed to produce any concrete evidence pertaining to these charges in 1981, 1994 and in 2007? Unfortunately, Maurice Hayes’ statement only goes to prove that when it comes to Irish justice there remains a double standard. One standard for the British government and RUC and one for Irish Republicans.
In 2008 the British government announced that “None of its soldiers or police operatives would ever face prosecution for their involvement in the killing of Catholic civilians, either directly or through collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries, during the period of conflict known as the “Troubles”. Yet ten years after the signing of the “Good Friday Agreement,” when everyone is being asked by the British government to “move-on,” the British government continues to hound and attempt to prosecute Irish Republicans for incidents that allegedly occurred decades ago during those same “Troubles”.
(Q) Why do you think the British government keeps moving back the trial date for Gerry? Has his counsel objected to the moving of the date? The reason I ask is that in the United States one has a right to a speedy trial. If the trial does not occur within six months the case is dismissed unless the Defense has agreed to the continuance. Is this the process in England?
(A) First your readers need to understand that England does not have a Constitution unlike the USA. Politically motivated cases brought before the Crown in the north of Ireland are treated entirely differently then the same case would be in England. The north of Ireland courts are overseen by one person who presides as both judge and jury. They are referred to as “Diplock Courts”. These Diplock courts were established in 1972. The right to trial by jury was suspended for certain "scheduled offences" and the court consisted of a single judge. These courts tried Republican or Loyalist paramilitaries associated with the “Troubles”.
The Diplock courts were to be abolished no later then July 2009. However, the British government has “unexpectedly” extended the legislation allowing for Diplock Courts for another two years in the north of Ireland. Some observers see this as a blatant move to ensure that Gerry is “tried” under this notorious emergency legislation at a non-jury trial.
(Q) What does the British government have to gain by treating Gerry in this manner? I do believe that an accused is innocent until proven guilty, but I find it difficult to believe that the entire matter is “trumped up.” If the Crown had no evidence and were intent on framing Gerry, wouldn’t they just present false evidence? Doesn’t the fact that they are postponing the trial indicate that they will be obliged to present evidence under strict scrutiny and that the Crown intends to do so?
(A) The British government has a history of treating the Irish as second-class citizens and that is an understatement. Anyone familiar with Irish history can document British injustice in Ireland for over 800 years not to mention their human and civil rights abuses against Irish-Catholics condemned by the European Convention on Human Rights, Amnesty International and British-Irish Watch Rights as recent as the early 1990’s.
They have everything to gain by treating Gerry in this manner. If they can succeed in “criminalizing” Gerry, they will succeed in silencing other Irish Republicans who speak out against any injustice by the very questionable RUC/PSNI. Throughout Gerry’s campaign, Gerry argued that the RUC/PSNI had inflicted collusion murder torture and perjury in the name of British rule and should not receive the backing or cooperation of any true Irishman or woman. Gerry, an ex-IPOW, who wants peace in a united Ireland and decided to work within the democratic process by running for office, is a prime example of what the RUC is still all about. It's quite clear, by the politically motivated arrest of Gerry, that any republican not following British "party line" will now be, once again, subjected to intimidation tactics, arrest and maybe even torture by the RUC/PSNI.
As far as the Crown possibly “framing Gerry” I cannot comment on that because only they would know if that is their intention. What I do know is that they could not prove their case in 1981. They weren’t able to prove it in 1994 and they still have not come up with enough concrete evidence to prove their case against Gerry since his arrest in March 2007.
The British government is known for its twisted sense of justice as it pertains to the Irish. (Dublin-Monaghan Bombings/Murder of Attorney Patrick Finucane/Bloody Sunday Massacre). The British are very good at disrupting one’s life, inflicting as much financial damage as possible, not to mention alienating one from their family, friends and co-workers and then dismissing a case after the damage has been done.
The British government has NEVER been fond of Irish nationalists and I do believe would stoop to any means, as in the past, to make sure any Republican discord was silenced once and for all. They protect their own regardless of their guilt, again as witnessed in the references below but are willing to rail-road or prosecute any Irish republican at the drop of a hat.
One would only wish that while the Crown is desperately trying to find or create evidence they can use against Gerry to support their flimsy allegations, they would spend their time and taxpayer’s money bringing to justice those involved in the murder/assassination and massacre of innocent Irish-Catholics. The justice system in the north of Ireland is still one-sided and only reserved for a selective group who are loyal to the Crown.
(Q) One of the things you mentioned in your critique of my previous article on Gerry was the fact that Gerry has always been upfront about his previous involvement with the I.R.A.. I agree that Gerry has been clear about his previous I.R.A. membership, which leads to one of my quandaries. I have failed to find any public statement from Gerry condemning his past activities. The impression I get from reading his interviews and reading the statements from his supporters is that he is proud of his involvement with the I.R.A.. Is this accurate? Is Gerry proud of his previous actions, and if so, how is this compatible with his Catholicism which he attempts to spread via the Hibernian?
(A) Did George Washington and the Continental Army condemn or apologize for their past activities against the British? Don’t forget, they were known as “terrorists” too! As the saying goes, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s hero.” Gerry McGeough and all the other young men who served in the IRA and gave their lives for a free and united Ireland were not the cause of that war. They were the symptom.
People forget that the British Empire was known for its brutal occupation of countries and Ireland was no exception. Britain established total control over political, social, economic and cultural life of many countries. They constantly deprived the local population, treating them as second class citizens. The bottom line is that only the invaders and their colonial administration benefit from this process while the native population suffers from permanent oppression, in some cases severe economic exploitation, and lack of religious ad political freedom. If you look at what happened in India and Africa, just to mention a few British occupations, it is similar to what happened in Ireland. British rule in India and Africa exploited the economy of both those countries. They introduced various oppressive laws that sometimes led many people to starve to death. Unfortunately, 800 years on - the north of Ireland is now Britain’s last colony!
I don’t believe that Gerry not condemning his past activities has anything to do with being compatible with his Catholicism. Gerry’s past is his past and the only person Gerry has to answer to is his maker.
(Q) Derek Holland and John Sharpe are the co-founders of IHS Press and the Neo-Conned series. The Neo-Conned series is a two volume collection of articles opposing the 2003 U.S. War in Iraq. Gerry publicly endorsed these books as can be seen on the Neo-Conned web site.
I believe that is completely legitimate to question wars and government policy. Its one of the things which places a safe-guard on government action and gives strength to a representative republic. However, is it not a bit hypocritical to on the one hand support the I.R.A., and on the other hand condemn the U.S. War against an evil dictator as unjust?
(A) I’m not familiar with either of these gentlemen or their articles. However, I did speak with Gerry about this issue and he reviewed the article to refresh his memory and was honest enough to admit that “he had not read the articles but blindly gave reference to it in his magazine The Hibernian as a favor to the author.” In hind sight he said “he would not have given it a positive review had he actually taken the time to read it prior to his blind review.”
I have known Gerry since 1992 and Gerry has always been pro-America. There has rarely been a time when Gerry and I will communicate that Gerry will not bring up his fondness for the USA and his sincere concern for the well being of this country. He firmly believes that our enemies are real - both within and world-wide. He is concerned over the fact that the most powerful country in the word, the United States of America, is slowing losing its freedoms and is rapidly deteriorating morally and ethically.
There would be absolutely no reason for Gerry to condemn the U.S. War in Iraq. Gerry is foremost a soldier, from the age of 17, and has no sympathy for the enemies of the United States or Ireland.
(Q) Thank you very much for your time, Helen.
(A)Thank you.
Q) Helen, first tell us a little about yourself. Where were you born? What are your political and religious ideologies?
A) I was born in Brooklyn, NY of American parents of Irish heritage. My grandparents, on both sides, hailed from Derry, NI, Donegal, Mayo and Dublin. I was raised a Roman Catholic and attended Catholic grammar and high school. I graduated from a secular college with a degree in Business Management. I now live in New Jersey and own my own business. I would consider myself a moderate-conservative with regard to my political and religious ideologies with a possible slight slant to the left depending on the issues at hand.
I have always been passionate about issues concerning injustice and human rights.
Besides my commitment to the “Irish cause,” I joined forces with protestors in the early 70’s supporting Caesar Chavez’s Grape Boycott and the United Farm Workers to help improve conditions for migrant workers. In the 80’s I supported Lech Walesa’s Solidarity movement and in 1989 I joined protestors at the UN over the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
My involvement in Irish affairs started in 1969 when civil-rights marches in the north of Ireland were being put down by the British government. At that time the British government was under attack from The European Committee on Human Rights and Amnesty International for their blatant human rights abuses against the Catholic nationalist population in the north of Ireland. Being of Irish heritage and a Roman catholic, I was outraged at how the Irish were being treated in their own country, so I became active in Irish civil and human rights issues.
As a result of my commitment to the “Irish Question,” as it was referred to back then, I became a member of The National Association for Irish Justice which later became known as Irish Northern Aid. As time went on I become more involved with other Irish-American organizations such as The New Jersey Fenian Society and the Irish National Caucus. I served two years as President of the Irish American Unity Conference North Jersey Chapter and two years as their New Jersey Regional Political Action Committee Chairwoman. I was also the Coordinating Chairwoman of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike Memorial Foundation which honored 10 young Irish POWs who starved themselves to death to bring world attention to the injustices that were every day life for Irish Catholic nationalists living in the north. MP Bobby Sands led the strike.
As the “Troubles” worsened, along with the civil and human rights abuses, my involvement increased and I was now serving on such committees as The Free Joe Doherty Committee, The Committee to Free The Tucson Six and as Coordinator of the Gerry McGeough Defense Fund. I also served as President of the New Jersey Irish Action Coalition and Editor of its newsletter for five years. I also served as co-chairperson on The Irish Famine/Genocide Committee. This important committee helped make the Irish genocide materials possible in schools throughout New Jersey, New York, and Nebraska to mention a few. The Irish Famine Curriculum was approved by the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education on September 10, 1996 for inclusion in the Holocaust and Genocide Curriculum at the secondary level.
Q) Helen you run a website FreeGerry.com. How did you first come to know Gerry McGeough? Who is Gerry McGeough?
A) Throughout the years, leading up to this interview, my involvement in various Irish-American organizations promoting human rights for Irish-Catholics in the north of Ireland and self-determination with justice free of British rule, placed me in contact with many people both here and abroad over the years. In that course of time I became personally familiar with various people involved in the struggle to re-unite Ireland. Gerry McGeough was one of those people.
I became aware of Gerry’s plight in 1992 when he was extradited from Germany to the USA to face charges on attempted gun-running while he was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). I met with Gerry and I totally related to his cause and, along with other prominent members of the Irish-American community, we formed the Gerry McGeough Defense Fund Committee with the purpose of raising funds to help defray some of his legal expenses to defend him in the United States.
Who is Gerry McGeough? In my opinion Gerry McGeough is a man of honor and integrity. He is a man totally dedicated to his belief that Ireland should be re-united and free from British rule and he has been working that process through peaceful means since 1996. He is a practicing Catholic, anti-abortion, anti-gay, and supports total Irish nationalism. He is a graduate of Trinity College, a devout husband and father of 4 children. He has written several books on the Irish struggle and he is fluent in Irish, German, Spanish, French and Latin. He was the founder and editor of The Hibernian Magazine about faith, family and country.
The Freegerry.com web site came about as a result of Gerry being arrested on March 8, 2007 in Tyrone, Northern Ireland by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) on attempted murder charges of a part-time *Ulster Defense Regiment solider dating back to 1981 while he was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Gerry’s arrest, unless proven otherwise, was politically motivated due to him running as an Independent candidate in the 2007 elections in the north of Ireland on an anti-policing platform.
The reason his attorneys and supporters feel his arrest was politically motivated is due to numerous reasons, one being the fact that Gerry had been living and working openly in the north of Ireland with his family for several years prior to his election campaign. The RUC/PSNI had every opportunity to arrest Gerry on these charges on many occasions over the years but did not do so until he ran for election. Another reason is the fact that on the same day, in other polling stations, the 1981 Provisional IRA chief of staff and its adjutant general went unmolested by the political police as they went about their business. One of these men has been the source of recent media speculation that his finger prints were found on a car used in an armed attack that claimed the lives of two members of the RUC. However, no attempt was made to detain him and there is a political reason for that. He supports the force that arrested Gerry. By contrast Gerry's public vocal opposition to the RUC/PSNI is what landed him in jail.
*It needs to be noted: ”The “Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR) ever since its formation in 1970 was under investigation for bias during its tenure. The regiment was infiltrated by and colluded with Protestant Loyalist paramilitary groups.” “Members of the security forces in Northern Ireland colluded with the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR) and loyalist paramilitary organizations over the murders of many innocent people in 1970 and 1980’s including the murder of nationalist Councilor Patsy Kelly 1974 and solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989.” The government forces involved included Force Research Units of the British Army, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, (RUC) Special Branch.” Out of 3,015 members of the security forces involved in these stages, only 18 were convicted of murder, 11 for manslaughter. 99 members were convicted of assault, armed robbery, weapons offences, bombing, intimidation and attacks on Catholics, kidnapping and membership in the Ulster Volunteer Forces (UVF).”
It does not take a genius to work out that Gerry, who openly admits his role as an IRA volunteer, if guilty of the attack for which he appeared in court, did not operate in splendid isolation. He was part of a wider organization whose leaders directed his activity. That he and not they were charged is a clear message from the British political establishment. It is in charge and will discriminate in its choice of target for prosecution over events which are now meaningless. Loud and clear, republican opponents of the RUC/PSNI are being told that their opposition will render them potential political hostages. Their past will be subject to selective scrutiny.
At Gerry's first court appearance his lawyer described his arrest as “an abuse of the democratic process and a return to the dark ages of Northern Ireland political policing.” Gerry openly campaigned in the streets of the north in clear view of the political police throughout his election campaign and appeared in the BBC studio in Belfast. According to Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew, “Gerry lived openly in her constituency. He could have been arrested at any time.”
Another reason one would conclude that Gerry’s arrest is politically motivated is an article that appeared in the Irish Voice, June 14, 2007, “British Seek To Block Inquiries”. Senior civil servant Maurice Hayes claimed “millions of pounds used to fund a public inquiry into the British Army’s shooting dead of 14 civilians on Bloody Sunday could have been better spent in other ways and that a lot of people in Northern Ireland are particularly concerned the police would have enough resources to deal with the present crime challenges facing the police service here.” He goes on to say “there comes a point when political archaeology doesn’t make terribly much sense and he thinks there is a lot to be said for Northern Ireland drawing a line”.
Gerry’s supporters feel that Mr. Maurice Hayes needs to explain where he thinks that “line” should begin and end? Why doesn’t that line also pertain to Irish Republicans like Gerry McGeough, arrested on charges dating back as far as 25 years ago? What sense and abuse of funds does it make in pursuing a case against one Irish Republican, especially when they have failed to produce any concrete evidence pertaining to these charges in 1981, 1994 and in 2007? Unfortunately, Maurice Hayes’ statement only goes to prove that when it comes to Irish justice there remains a double standard. One standard for the British government and RUC and one for Irish Republicans.
In 2008 the British government announced that “None of its soldiers or police operatives would ever face prosecution for their involvement in the killing of Catholic civilians, either directly or through collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries, during the period of conflict known as the “Troubles”. Yet ten years after the signing of the “Good Friday Agreement,” when everyone is being asked by the British government to “move-on,” the British government continues to hound and attempt to prosecute Irish Republicans for incidents that allegedly occurred decades ago during those same “Troubles”.
(Q) Why do you think the British government keeps moving back the trial date for Gerry? Has his counsel objected to the moving of the date? The reason I ask is that in the United States one has a right to a speedy trial. If the trial does not occur within six months the case is dismissed unless the Defense has agreed to the continuance. Is this the process in England?
(A) First your readers need to understand that England does not have a Constitution unlike the USA. Politically motivated cases brought before the Crown in the north of Ireland are treated entirely differently then the same case would be in England. The north of Ireland courts are overseen by one person who presides as both judge and jury. They are referred to as “Diplock Courts”. These Diplock courts were established in 1972. The right to trial by jury was suspended for certain "scheduled offences" and the court consisted of a single judge. These courts tried Republican or Loyalist paramilitaries associated with the “Troubles”.
The Diplock courts were to be abolished no later then July 2009. However, the British government has “unexpectedly” extended the legislation allowing for Diplock Courts for another two years in the north of Ireland. Some observers see this as a blatant move to ensure that Gerry is “tried” under this notorious emergency legislation at a non-jury trial.
(Q) What does the British government have to gain by treating Gerry in this manner? I do believe that an accused is innocent until proven guilty, but I find it difficult to believe that the entire matter is “trumped up.” If the Crown had no evidence and were intent on framing Gerry, wouldn’t they just present false evidence? Doesn’t the fact that they are postponing the trial indicate that they will be obliged to present evidence under strict scrutiny and that the Crown intends to do so?
(A) The British government has a history of treating the Irish as second-class citizens and that is an understatement. Anyone familiar with Irish history can document British injustice in Ireland for over 800 years not to mention their human and civil rights abuses against Irish-Catholics condemned by the European Convention on Human Rights, Amnesty International and British-Irish Watch Rights as recent as the early 1990’s.
They have everything to gain by treating Gerry in this manner. If they can succeed in “criminalizing” Gerry, they will succeed in silencing other Irish Republicans who speak out against any injustice by the very questionable RUC/PSNI. Throughout Gerry’s campaign, Gerry argued that the RUC/PSNI had inflicted collusion murder torture and perjury in the name of British rule and should not receive the backing or cooperation of any true Irishman or woman. Gerry, an ex-IPOW, who wants peace in a united Ireland and decided to work within the democratic process by running for office, is a prime example of what the RUC is still all about. It's quite clear, by the politically motivated arrest of Gerry, that any republican not following British "party line" will now be, once again, subjected to intimidation tactics, arrest and maybe even torture by the RUC/PSNI.
As far as the Crown possibly “framing Gerry” I cannot comment on that because only they would know if that is their intention. What I do know is that they could not prove their case in 1981. They weren’t able to prove it in 1994 and they still have not come up with enough concrete evidence to prove their case against Gerry since his arrest in March 2007.
The British government is known for its twisted sense of justice as it pertains to the Irish. (Dublin-Monaghan Bombings/Murder of Attorney Patrick Finucane/Bloody Sunday Massacre). The British are very good at disrupting one’s life, inflicting as much financial damage as possible, not to mention alienating one from their family, friends and co-workers and then dismissing a case after the damage has been done.
The British government has NEVER been fond of Irish nationalists and I do believe would stoop to any means, as in the past, to make sure any Republican discord was silenced once and for all. They protect their own regardless of their guilt, again as witnessed in the references below but are willing to rail-road or prosecute any Irish republican at the drop of a hat.
One would only wish that while the Crown is desperately trying to find or create evidence they can use against Gerry to support their flimsy allegations, they would spend their time and taxpayer’s money bringing to justice those involved in the murder/assassination and massacre of innocent Irish-Catholics. The justice system in the north of Ireland is still one-sided and only reserved for a selective group who are loyal to the Crown.
(Q) One of the things you mentioned in your critique of my previous article on Gerry was the fact that Gerry has always been upfront about his previous involvement with the I.R.A.. I agree that Gerry has been clear about his previous I.R.A. membership, which leads to one of my quandaries. I have failed to find any public statement from Gerry condemning his past activities. The impression I get from reading his interviews and reading the statements from his supporters is that he is proud of his involvement with the I.R.A.. Is this accurate? Is Gerry proud of his previous actions, and if so, how is this compatible with his Catholicism which he attempts to spread via the Hibernian?
(A) Did George Washington and the Continental Army condemn or apologize for their past activities against the British? Don’t forget, they were known as “terrorists” too! As the saying goes, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s hero.” Gerry McGeough and all the other young men who served in the IRA and gave their lives for a free and united Ireland were not the cause of that war. They were the symptom.
People forget that the British Empire was known for its brutal occupation of countries and Ireland was no exception. Britain established total control over political, social, economic and cultural life of many countries. They constantly deprived the local population, treating them as second class citizens. The bottom line is that only the invaders and their colonial administration benefit from this process while the native population suffers from permanent oppression, in some cases severe economic exploitation, and lack of religious ad political freedom. If you look at what happened in India and Africa, just to mention a few British occupations, it is similar to what happened in Ireland. British rule in India and Africa exploited the economy of both those countries. They introduced various oppressive laws that sometimes led many people to starve to death. Unfortunately, 800 years on - the north of Ireland is now Britain’s last colony!
I don’t believe that Gerry not condemning his past activities has anything to do with being compatible with his Catholicism. Gerry’s past is his past and the only person Gerry has to answer to is his maker.
(Q) Derek Holland and John Sharpe are the co-founders of IHS Press and the Neo-Conned series. The Neo-Conned series is a two volume collection of articles opposing the 2003 U.S. War in Iraq. Gerry publicly endorsed these books as can be seen on the Neo-Conned web site.
I believe that is completely legitimate to question wars and government policy. Its one of the things which places a safe-guard on government action and gives strength to a representative republic. However, is it not a bit hypocritical to on the one hand support the I.R.A., and on the other hand condemn the U.S. War against an evil dictator as unjust?
(A) I’m not familiar with either of these gentlemen or their articles. However, I did speak with Gerry about this issue and he reviewed the article to refresh his memory and was honest enough to admit that “he had not read the articles but blindly gave reference to it in his magazine The Hibernian as a favor to the author.” In hind sight he said “he would not have given it a positive review had he actually taken the time to read it prior to his blind review.”
I have known Gerry since 1992 and Gerry has always been pro-America. There has rarely been a time when Gerry and I will communicate that Gerry will not bring up his fondness for the USA and his sincere concern for the well being of this country. He firmly believes that our enemies are real - both within and world-wide. He is concerned over the fact that the most powerful country in the word, the United States of America, is slowing losing its freedoms and is rapidly deteriorating morally and ethically.
There would be absolutely no reason for Gerry to condemn the U.S. War in Iraq. Gerry is foremost a soldier, from the age of 17, and has no sympathy for the enemies of the United States or Ireland.
(Q) Thank you very much for your time, Helen.
(A)Thank you.
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