In Scotland and Northern England the official Labour movement, Loyalist thugs, the police and assorted middle class socialists have all united to disrupt the Hunger Strike campaign.
Liverpool
On Saturday 2 May a march organised by the Merseyside Hunger Strike Committee took place through the centre of Liverpool, calling for Victory to the Hunger Strikers! Political Status Now! The police and Loyalist thugs united to attack this demonstration. The police forced the organisers to change the demonstration’s assembly point from Granby Street in the centre of Liverpool 8 to a point on the edge of the area. They knew that the fascists and loyalists, some of whom had travelled from Scotland, would not have dared to enter the Granby Street area. The black youth – and many white youth – would not have tolerated either fascists or police invading their area.
At the new assembly point, without any police in sight, and with a police helicopter observing overhead, the Loyalists attacked the march. Only sheer determination enabled the march to reach its destination at Pier Head, as it was constantly attacked by the much larger crowd of Loyalists and fascists.
The committee will not be driven off the streets in this way. It is already making plans to call further demonstrations.
Glasgow
On Sunday 3 May the Glasgow Hunger Strike Action Committee (GHSAC) attended a May Day demonstration organised by Glasgow Trades Council. The GHSAC banner proclaiming Victory to the Hunger Strikers!, Political Status Now! was taken on the march as all other marches in the area had been banned for 3 months. The GHSAC contingent went only 300 yards before the police rushed in and pulled the banner down. Immediately Loyalists began to assault members of the contingent. Mike Duffield, one of the Glasgow 2, drawing the attention of other marchers to this was arrested and charged with a breach of the peace
The CPGB dominated Glasgow Trades Council allowed a Loyalist Flute Band to join the demonstration. The Band wore caps with UVF insignia and were dressed in red, white and blue. The march organisers fully approved the police action against the GHSAC stating that the Committee was not part of the Labour Movement.
Edinburgh
On Thursday 7 May the Labour controlled Lothian Regional Council banned a demonstration calling for Victory to the Hunger Strikers! Political Status Now, which was due to take place on Sunday 10 May.
The demonstration called by the GHSAC was opposed not only by the Loyalists and the press. The CPGB dominated Edinburgh Trades Council and the SWP/1MG/TOM dominated Edinburgh H-Block/Armagh Committee also opposed it.
Jim Maclean, Loyalist spokesman, was able to cite Edinburgh Trades Council and the Edinburgh H-Block/Armagh Committee opposition to the demonstration, together with ‘the threat of violence’ as grounds for banning the demonstration.
But the GHSAC will not be deterred. It organised a rally on the day the demonstration was due to take place.
FRFI 10 May/June 1981
