Successful ‘Youth in Struggle’ talk held in Strabane despite DUP attempt at censorship

The republican youth movement Ógra Shinn Féin have said they are ‘extremely pleased’ at the number of young people who attended their public talk on one hundred years of republican youth, despite being denied use of the town library’s civic room at the last minute.

The youth movement have said that approximately one hundred people turned up to the event on Saturday 15th August which was hastily moved to the function room of Joe’s Bar, to hear the experiences of former members of Na Fianna Éireann, Gerry O’Hara and Cllr Brian McMahon and also from representatives from the Basque and Catalan Struggles.


Commenting on the event Ógra Shinn Féin spokesperson Seán Mac Giolla Easpaig who chaired the event said;

“We are extremely pleased with the interest this event attracted from the public but more specifically the amount of young people who turned up. I think all on the panel spoke very well about their own experiences in the Fianna as well as our international comrades from both the Basque and Catalan countries who like ourselves are struggling for their national independence.”

“We are also disappointed at the decision taken at the last minute to deny Ógra Shinn Fein use of the library facilities for political debate. It is clear to us that political interference from the office of DUP culture arts and leisure minister Nelson McCausland had a profound influence on this decision. We believe that this amounts to abuse of this office in order to stifle political debate which is unacceptable in today’s society. We are now supposed to live in a healthy society in which political debate and dialogue is needed for mutual respect and understanding of those with opposing views. Banning political debate from public facilities such as libraries only serves to breed intolerance and foster division, something which a society like ours can do without.”

“We are pleased that the debate went ahead at an alternative venue and was a huge success, as was the national weekend of events organised by Sinn Féin and Ógra throughout county Tyrone where this year’s national hunger strike commemoration was held.”