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Statements by Our Candidates in the 2005 Elections

David McAuley

Police attack on Protestants

Monday 27th June 2005

Monday night's excellent "Insight" programme on UTV dealt with a PSNI attack on a group of young Protestants coming home from the pub.

It was the SEA which first made a public issue of this incident and supplied the media with copies of the video which was at the centre of the programme.

The SEA is aware of other such incidents in Derry and elsewhere. We will be following these up.

The programme showed why many young working-class Protestants believe they are treated worse by the police than young Catholics. This may be because the PSNI feels safer getting out of their vehicles in Protestant areas. But a more important factor is that young working class Protestants have nobody to speak up for them.

Where were Gregory Campbell, Willie Hay, Mary Hamilton etc. when they were needed in relation to the Violet Street incident?

This issue shows up the way the Protestant working class people have been left behind. Unionist politicians tell them that they'll be playing into the hands of Nationalists if they speak up against the police.

Nationalist politicians say exactly the same thing from a different angle. They say that Protestants have nothing to complain about, that the PSNI is a Unionist force which only ever misbehaves against Catholics.

The SEA organised a picket when a young man appeared on serious charges arising from the Violet Street incident. The picket outside Derry courthouse included people from the Bogside and Creggan as well as Irish Street and the Fountain. This showed that it's possible for working class people to come together in their common interest. But this can't happen on the basis or Orange or Green politics.

The only consistent way to stand up against injustice is on the basis of a socialist approach.

Over the coming months, the SEA will be highlighting State injustice against working class people of both communities. It is only in this way that sectarianism can be overcome.





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