Monday, April 16, 2007

West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin hold solidarity protest


Saturday 14th April seen Ógra Shinn Féin take to the streets of Omagh in solidarity with their international comrades in the Basque country. They were joined by Sinn Féin Councillor Martin McColgan.

The Spanish judiciary recently deemed the youth organisation as terrorist. Ógra Shinn Féin deemed the arrests as farcical and has called for the immediate release of the Segi members arrested. Shortly after the determination made by the Spanish courts arrest warrants were issued for the immediate detention of the Segi leadership within days the entire leadership of the Basque youth organisation had been arrested. Currently the leadership of Segi have been distributed to over 20 prisons in the Basque country.


Members of West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin handed out upwards of 500 leaflets and unfurled a banner proclaiming 'End the repression of Segi'. The activists got a good response from Saturday shoppers and passers by, many enquiring as to the reasoning of the protest. There was a continual presence of PSNI during the protest in Omagh.

Speaking of the protest West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin international officer, Lee McMahon said,

"This harks back to the days of internment in Ireland. I would call for the immediate release of the Segi youth activists arrested at the behest of the Spanish government. We in Ógra Shinn Féin will be stepping up our campaign for their release. We have written to the leadership of Segi in Euskal Herria and later this year in September we will form a large contingent of Ógra Shinn Féin to visit our Basque comrades."

"Indeed in July we will welcome members of Segi to Ireland. As long as the farce continues we will be active on the issue. We have recently launched an online petition to force the Spanish government to reverse their non-sensical decision. To this end we would urge everyone to sign the petition and call with one voice 'FREE THE SEGI ACTIVISTS'."

The petition can be signed online at http://www.petitiononline.com/SEGI/petition.html'


Leaflet drops were also held in Strabane and Castlederg.

2 comments:

Grace Lynch said...

Sorry again i couldn't make it!! I heard it went well though and the banner turned out class! I'm sure it'll be praised when it's brought to the Basque country as they'll see how determined ógra shinn féin are to see the end of the repression of the Basque youth!
Freedom and indepedance for the Basque country and Ireland!
Imprisonment isn't the way to deal with a political issue!
Tiocaidh ar la!

Anonymous said...

Great banner - end the repression!