Message from POW Tommy Crossan to political status meeting in Belfast

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday May 02, 2002 16:50 by Reader of Saoirse

'Political Status is a Right, not a privilege'

Tommy explains his take on the renewed policy of criminalization, and the need for people to support the struggle for political status.

Political Status is a right, not a privilege
Statement from Tommy Crossan read out at Sundays meeting in Conway Mill
A chairde
Within the Stormont Agreement there was a hidden agenda to remove political
status for anyone convicted of a political act after April/May 1998.

England, that ever resourceful tyrant, was able to sneak this agenda through
unnoticed by many.

This was the start of yet another campaign by England to criminalise Irish
Republican POWs. Once again England is looking for a showdown with Republican
POWs.

Here today in Maghaberry prison, 21 years after the historic hunger strike that
saw ten of our comrades die in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh because they refused
to let England criminalise them or our freedom struggle, Republican POWs once
again find themselves in a renewed struggle to have political status as a right
restored. Political Status is a right, not a privilege.

Because the Brits are intent to criminalise Republican POWs one way they have
set out to do this is to bring in a policy of enforced integration, a policy
that endangers Republican POWs who are forced to share cells and landings with
loyalists who outnumber them; also drug dealers and sex offenders. A number of
Republican POWs have been attacked by loyalists.

I myself have been hospitalised. Other POWs have been attacked as well and have
suffered injury. We believe it's only a matter of time before one of us is
murdered. If the Maghaberry regime keep pushing the issue of enforced
integration as they are, we believe this will come sooner rather than later.

The struggle for POW status will go on. We have a number of demands. These are:
1. Segregation 2. Recognition as a group 3. The right to our own spokesperson
4. A wing of our own.

The struggle for all our demands will go on and will be carried to the full.
But we feel because of the dangerous situation, Republican POWs are forced
into, upmost of these demands has to be segregation as the only way we believe
to ensure the safety of Republican POWs.

We call on everyone to support us in our struggle. Although we may not agree
politically, we believe that this can be overcome on this issue as the
Republican/Nationalist communitys concern for the plight of POWs has always to
be unquestioned.

We now call on everyone to support us in our struggle.

We will not allow England to criminalise us or our freedom struggle.

Support the POWs demands!
-- Tommy Crossan, OC CIRA POWs, Maghaberry Prison