The massacre which took place in the Bogside on Sunday, 30 January claiming the lives of thirteen Irishmen will bring home to many people, inside and outside Ireland, the Importance of the IRA's role in the Six-Counties. It has been the existence of armed bodies of men engaged in the defense of the oppressed Catholic minority which has prevented the latter from being crushed by the British army. The main lessons of the massacre in the Bogside is that Irish people have to defend themselves guns in hand against British imperialism. The killings themselves bring back memories of Peterloo, the Jallianwalla Bagh massacres in India in 1919 and more recently Sharpeville and Rhodesia. When imperialism decides to answer the grievances of the people with a premeditated massacre, as Bogside so clearly was, they do so in order to inflict a blow from which they hope their adversary will not recover. In most cases they are wrong and the reaction to Derry in the Six-Counties, the Republic and in parts of Britain indicates that British imperialism has made a serious miscalculation. Since August 9th last year, British imperialism has been under a constant attack mounted by the oppressed Irish minority in the Six-Counties, but this attack has existed on two fronts: first the military struggle and secondly. the mass rents and rate strikes. These two fronts, separated by the logisties of guerrilla warfare, were not only aimed at the same enemy, but were also linked politically through the mass popular demonstrations such as have been held over the last week, culminating in the failed completely to inflict a decisive blow against the IRA. The only way to defeat a rates and rents strike is by arresting thousands of householders. This was clearly impossible. The mass demonstrations provided the clearest target. Here lay the real hope of stemming the tide. Here one decisive blow could teach a terrible lesson to those who continued the resistance.
The British Army desperately needed the massacre in Derry to try and demoralise and terrorise the largest Catholic population concentrated in a single town in the Six-Counties. Because Derry provided the most durable resistance, because here the demonstrations were the largest and the most defiant; and because here a salient lesson could be taught to the whole Catholic population of Northern Ireland.
What is this but a war? On one side is British imperialism and the Orange Order and on the other the majority of the Irish working class, spearheaded by the minority in the Six-counties and represented militarily by the IRA. For us as socialists and revolutionaries it is necessary to take sides in this war. The side of the Irish people and the IRA against our own bourgeoisie. As we have stated many times before, Ireland IS the acid test!
In the North what is needed is a co-ordinated strategy to smash Stormont by a concerted armed struggle linked with the mass movement via the rent and rate strikes and continued civil disobedience. But, as we have always argued in the past, a strategy for victory can not be restricted to the Six-Counties alone. It has to envisage ships, airport workers refusing to service British planes, ete. In the eventuality of this leading to occupations of British-owned factories, the demagogy of Lynch would rapidly be transformed into actions against the workers. To wage a meaningful struggle against British imperialism the Lynch government has to be brought down and today an anti-imperialist government has, of necessity, to be anti-capitalist in character. This would have to be based on Republican and socialist organisations, small farmers committees, trade-unions and other combat organisations.
The recent events have demonstrated the urgency of building a mass solidarity movement in this country. Our fight is in the heartland where imperialist ideology is at its strongest. This makes it vital for us to oppose British imperialism and provide support for the embattled Irish people and those who fight on their behalf. We may have political differences with both the wings of the IRA, but our support for them against British imperialism must be unconditional. The miners out or strike should understand that the troops which fire on Irish workers today will be turned against British workers at some future date. An organised struggle in Britain involving both Irish and British workers is essential to help the fight in Ireland.
The massacre which took place in Derry will be avenged. Sunday 30th January was a day which embodied centuries of oppression. It will be remembered till Ireland defeats British imperialism. That defeat will change the relationship of forces in Britain itsalf and will be a useful aid to the struggle against capitalism in Britain.