RNU Will Join Rights March Against Parades Bill

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Monday July 19, 2010 13:54 by RNU - PRO - Republican Network for Unity (RNU)

The Republican Network for Unity (RNU) chairperson/ cathaoirleach Danny McBrearty, has announced that RNU will join the October 5th civil rights march against the repressive law proposed by the DUP-Sinn Fein Stormont partnership.

The REPUBLICAN NETWORK FOR UNITY (RNU) Chairperson/ Cathaoirleach Danny McBrearty, has announced that RNU will join the October 5th civil rights march against the repressive law proposed by the DUP-Sinn Fein Stormont partnership.

“In their hastily arranged short-sighted deal for a compromised Stormont justice ministry, the DUP and Sinn Fein have achieved an unexpected degree of unity - in cross-community opposition to their blatant attempt to outlaw or subvert rights of freedom of expression, assembly and freedom from sectarian intrusion.

RNU in its document ‘RE-ROUTING PARADES OR REMOVING RIGHT TO PROTEST’ has provided a detailed Republican analysis and opposes this bill which would bin basic legal protections for residents living along the routes of sectarian loyal order parades and attempt to close down protests by those residents.

A measure stated to be designed to apply to contentious parades with cross-community implications is applied across the board to any public protest, at any location held for any purpose. Notice requirements are designed to moot, ban or undercut any protest or campaign. Adjudications will not be designed to protect rights but as bargaining sessions for gerrymandered panels of DUP and Sinn Fein party loyalists to compromise and bargain parades in accordance with wider party agendas.

Two political parties who gained political strength and support through protests and street activism now seemed united in blocking any other political groups from following that same path.

However this bill is not only a bad bill for nationalists and Republicans but for all those who value fundamental rights to freedom of expression, protest and assembly which are protected under the European Convention on Human Rights. Workers protesting lay-offs, those protesting rate increases or service cuts, school or hospital closures etc must demand to know why their rights are abridged under the heading of contentious parades in sensitive areas.

Mr. McBrearty concluded; “RNU will join the civil rights protest, and call on other Republicans to join with us, we also note that this protest goes beyond Republicans and should be backed equally by all those who will not accept the new censorship and repression from the new Stormont partnership.”