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It
may seem strange at first to some that Sinn Fein has
a Caribbean Cumann at all. "'tis far from the
Caribbean ye were rared" my old granny would
have said were she here, and had she been in the habit
of using expressions like that. It is in fact a fascinating
region for students of revolutionary politics, and
nothing gives us more pleasure than to assist those
who wish to experience the struggle at first hand.
To us, nothing seems more natural, but clearly others
take a more jaundiced view. So it is that we have
become embroiled in the harrowing case of the three
Irish tourists wrongfully accused of terrorism in
Colombia. It would have been the easiest thing in
the world for us to point out that as these men were
entirely unconnected with the Republican Movement,
this was no concern of ours. That would have been
wrong.
When
I arrived in Bogota, it was with some trepidation.
Not only is the country in the midst of civil war,
the quality of the hotels is notoriously poor. Fortunately
I was not alone. Three Dublin politicians had accompanied
us, including our own Sean Crowe, and I learnt to
value their insight, their support, and the ability
to charge food and beverages to their rooms. As if
that were not enough, we were privileged to be joined
by Paul Hill. Paul, as you may know, is no stranger
to miscarriages of justice. He was on the defence
witness list for the trial of his cousin Michael Skakel.
Fortunately for us, he became available when the defence
decided that his character evidence was unnecessary.
One
of the things that has most angered me is the ill-informed
press speculation about the case. Recently Eilis O'Hanlon
in the Sunday Independent took me to task for suggesting
that discussion of the topic was unhelpful. What she
fails to realise is the extent to which her (frankly
rather sarcastic) comments in what is after all one
of the most widely read Irish Sunday newspapers in
Latin America, could prejudice the minds of the Colombian
judiciary as her poisonous diatribes are passed around
the Bar Mess. It is scandalous that, whilst the trial
is still ongoing, she is permitted to discuss the
facts of the case.
The
facts of the case are straightforward. Three Irish
tourists arrive in Colombia. Much has been made of
the fact that they were travelling on forged documents,
but who among us has not at one time or another, either
for privacy or simple amusement? Many of us involved
in the struggle have found it difficult to enter the
US, and, very often we find that, short of complying
with US immigration law, this is the only avenue open
to us. This is clearly a red herring. The men, as
James Monaghan has pointed out, were particularly
keen to witness the exchange of prisoners between
the rebels and government forces. This may seem like
a straightforward enough procedure but if you think
about it, is really quite complex. To take just one
example, who goes first? The relevance of this to
Ireland is clear, and the idea that "Mortar"
Monaghan was involved in weapons engineering is as
offensive as it is absurd.
Before
leaving, I felt that I had to see the revolution for
myself. I accompanied Catriona Ruane, who wanted to
organise a Christy Moore concert there. Catriona is
a leading non-member of Sinn Fein and has worked tirelessly
campaigning to persuade the authorities that the men
are so innocent that no trial is necessary. As a Republican,
my visit was an unforgettable experience. There is
a real bond that unites revolutionaries across the
globe. We listened to their stories of battles against
the Colombian army while I tried, in my schoolboy
Spanish, to explain the Private Finance Initiative
to them. The look of surprise on their faces told
me that they (unlike some around here I could name)
were impressed with what we have achieved. We left
all too soon to a rousing send-off. I will never forget
the sound of shots being fired in the air behind us.
Adalante,
indeed. Adios amigos, and Hasta Manana!
Jimmy
Sands
Ceann Comhairle
Caribbean
Sinn Fein
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