Concannon - the architect of the H Blocks would like to be put in touch with Socialist ge supporters in your area or would like formation fill in the form below /CLP (if any)....
Ito: Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50, London N1 Challange 7 May 1961 Page 2 two them, support the hunger strikers the revolutionary socialist organisation Ireland, Peoples Democracy, is contesting two seats in the Belfast city council election in two weeks time.
Their candidates, John McAnulty and Fergus O'Hare, are challeng. ing Gerry Fitt and Paddy Devlin.
renegades the Democratic and Labour Party, who left the SDLP because it was 'too Republican'.
Fitt and Devlin have taken the side of the British in the hunger strike. Explaining why they are stanwhich have refused to support the prisoners, and have even attacked have gone unchallenged far too long.
The elections offer an opportunity for a genuine anti-unionist voice to be heard.
canaidates in an British and to those who have claim- effective rebuff ed to represent us.
"The struggle against British rule must use every effective tactic of which the method of contesting elechols Is only one.
'Each facet of British rule must be challenged and organised against their criminalisapolicy, their repressive their attacks on the living standards of the working class, their partition of Ireland and their maintenance of sectarianism:
'We do not believe that the election of councillors in itself will solve these problems but it will provide a platform and a means of organising for anti-imperialist worker:
'PD candidates will stand on our own platform but we there should be the maximum units ot anti-imperialists in the clection. The election WIll be to both the fightback laws, Fergus O'Hare believe that John McAnutty "Thus, operate of the hunger volvement abstention resolution political status.
platform:
*Against Defence imperialists, womell.
workers. *For building are willing to cowith any candidate on the basis of support for the 5 demands strikers, active inthe campaign and until of the struggle PD will stand on the following *Defence of the political prisoners and political status.
partition. Immediate withdrawal and disbandment of the RUC and UDR *Support for all democratic rights.
of rights of anti-trade unionists and For affirmative action in for anti-unionist fight against austerity and cutbacks, fightback the unions, among the unemployed and in the communities.'
Owen Carron, Babby Sands' eloction agent, after Bobby's election triumph said that Sands was still refusing to come off the hunger strike and that the prisoner had had argument teta politica him for 'about a minute' Presumably that was all the time Sands needed to political opinion of Concannon. Christ The indignation of the Irish people began to boi over after Concannon's visit. This was reflected in an Irish Press editorial of 2 May, which compared Concannon to the Roman centurion who gave Christ vinegar instead of water as he hung on the cross.
A polarisation is clearoppressed Iris • nation is being pushed into confrontation the British, including even the bourgeois forces that remain insolubly tied to imperialism The government's intention seems to be to provoke the Catholic population into futile explosions of rage that will break harmlessly against armoured power, leaving behind exhaustion • CHIC hopeless-
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Socialist Challenge
ding PD We believe that those parties
y developin The entire