Christmas in the cell, censorship of Gaeilge

Monday January 13, 2003 13:21

by Republican

Republican prisoners in Maghaberry gaol wish to highlight an incident which occurred on Christmas Day.

Republican prisoners were forced to eat their dinner in their cells. Representatives of the Republican POWs met with an SO and a PO in the sentenced house. The reason behind the meeting was to address the issue of getting the use of the dining room for all prisoners. This proposal was flatly rejected by the two senior officers.

These two officers went on to say that there is a dining room on our landing and would not be permitted the use of the main hall.

The Republican representatives went on to stress that the dining hall on their landing was being used for other purposes. The officers in question asked what was going on in the room, but as they and governor had just left the landing they already knew that there was a party in full swing and of course it wasn't the sort of party which Republicans would be comfortable with.

The representatives of the POWs stressed that as Christmas Day was full association why then could the prisoners not get the use of the main hall. This again was ignored and the two senior officers told the Republicans to eat in their cells, saying that they were lucky to be getting a dinner at all.

The Republican representatives then asked to see the governor and were told that no-one was available, although he had been in the house minutes previous.

The Republican representatives refused to give any further details about the prisoners party instead insisting that the two officers in question should come forward and give their reasons as to why they told the Republicans to eat in their cells. We also called on the governor who was on duty that to divulge all relevant information the Republican Representatives who met the officers would just like to emphasise that had any officer or governor made any attempt to negotiate with them then we would not have felt the need to contact the media.

CENSORSHIP OF IRISH
Sectarianism, bigotry and hatred of the Irish language and culture is rife in Maghaberry gaol. Republican prisoners incarcerated inside Maghaberry gaol wish to express their total disgust of the apparent hatred of the Irish language shown by officers and governors within this establishment.

This loathing of the Irish language has become more evident in the recent weeks with Republican POWs receiving cards and letters from friends and family throughout the world. These greetings in general are addressed in Gaeilge.

When, we, the POWs receive these letters the Irish is in most cases completely censored. When we complain about this we are told by the landing officers: "nothing to do with us" but when we try to find out who is at fault we hit a brick wall of ignorance.

This wall usually appears in the form of a screw with an extra pip on their shoulder - along with this pip comes an inherited attitude.

The attitude shown by these officers toward anything Irish is astonishing to say the least. It seems these philistines have refused to move with the times.

The Republican prisoners have raised these issues through complaints to officers and petition forms but all we have received are empty promises that they will never happen again but still it continues.

We the Republican POWs deem this use of censorship totally unnecessary and would ask a spokesperson from the NIO and the prison to come forward and explain the reason behind this abhorrent behavior. We also that this hatred of our native tongue is addressed forthwith and that censorship of the Irish language is abolished. Finally we would ask everyone involved in Irish language institutions to voice their disgust and revulsion at this hatred of the Irish language and call for an immediate end to the censorship.