Workers Solidarity Movement

On Saturday 24th of September the Anti-Internment Group held a protest outside RTE (Irish television and radio station) studios in Donnybrook south Dublin. The protest was held because of RTE’s censorship against the case of the Craigavon 2. The Craigavon 2 have been in jail since March 2009, Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton (who was only 17 years of age at the time) were accused of the shooting dead of a Police officer.

Their trial was a farce, not only was it a non jury trial, all evidence used in the case used by the prosecution was either circumstantial or witness evidence from a witness whose statements were totally contradictory but also his own father came forward and said he is “walter mitty” (a walter mitty is well known slang in Ireland for a liar).

Below are some facts about evidence the witness gave:

“The prosecution star witness did not come forward until eleven months after the shooting by which time Brendan McConville’s name had been widely broadcast in the media.

The prosecution star witness continuously lied under oath.

The prosecution star witness contacted the police on a number of occasions while drunk or drinking, including on the first occasion he had contacted them in the middle of the night.

The prosecution star witness was proved to be suffering from astigmatism and short sightless and would have difficulty identifying facial features at more than eight yards.

The distance between the path along which the prosecution star witness walked and the electricity box, where he claimed to have seen Brendan McConville is just over sixteen yards.

The prosecution star witness was accompanied by his partner on the night in question, yet she is unable to confirm his version of events. The prosecution star witness gave evidence that when he claimed to have seen Brendan McConville, he was wearing a knee length, green army coat with a German logo. The coat recovered from a vehicle with the DNA of Brendan McConville on it was a brown waist length jacket.”

If you want to look more into the Craigavon’s 2 case see jftc2.com.

There was over 80 supporters outside RTE studios protesting, the line up of speakers included John Paul Wootton (who spoke from the prison phone to a mobile phone of one of the protesters which was hooked up to a speaker, he said:

“The press often claim they are the guardians of democracy, and its their role to expose corruption, wrongdoing, and injustice. Well nows their chance, nows their chance to remove the self imposed censorship and tell the people what’s going on.”

There were also moving and emotional speeches from John Paul Woottons Auntie and Brendan McConvilles fiancee. Towards the end of the protest the mothers of the Craigavon 2 released two white doves. There were also solidarity demos held in several other cities across the world.