BY ANN FIANDER AND DEBRA JACOBS
MANCHESTER, England - Thousands of people marched to City Hall in Belfast February 22 to protest the expulsion of Sinn Fein from negotiations on the future of Ireland. Two days earlier, the British and Irish governments had announced the expulsion of Sinn Fein, the leading party fighting to end British rule in Northern Ireland, from the talks for three weeks, until March 9. Others took part in protest rallies and meetings across Northern Ireland that weekend.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams responded to this decision saying, "The process by which this decision was reached lacked any notion of natural justice. At the stroke of a pen this decision attempts to silence the voices of 175,000 people who voted for our party nationally," both north and south of the line dividing Ireland that was imposed by London in 1921.

"The anger at the British Government's indictment of Sinn Fein is palpable, particularly in nationalist areas of the north, and is evident throughout Ireland," Adams continued. "I appeal to everyone to channel their anger and frustration at today's decision into peaceful and disciplined protest. It is our democratic right to protest. Now is the time for people to exercise this right."

As a pretext to suspend Sinn Fein from the negotiations, British secretary of state for Northern Ireland Marjorie Mowlam cited assertions by Ronald Flanagan, head of the pro- British Royal Ulster Constabulary, that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was responsible for the killings of two men. Neither Flanagan nor Mowlam have offered evidence for their claims.

Since Sinn Fein's expulsion, two bombs have exploded in Northern Ireland, which British authorities have attempted to blame on the IRA. In response, the IRA issued a statement saying, "We reiterate that the complete cessation of military operations, which began at midday on Sunday, July 20 last year, remains intact."

David Trimble, leader of the pro-British Ulster Unionist Party, complained that the three-week expulsion of Sinn Fein was too brief. David Adams of the loyalist Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) made similar comments.

The UDP was earlier forced to withdraw from the talks for a month after admitting a death squad associated with it was responsible for killing several Catholics in January. The RUC and British authorities had ignored these murders for weeks.

Debra Jacobs is a member of the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers.  
 
 
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