Issue 211, Saoirse : Irish Freedom (November, 2004)

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THE VOICE OF THE REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT
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THE dropping of all charges against Michael and
Mary Lavelle of Co Fermanagh in a Belfast nonjury Diplock court on October 12 last brings an end
to their family's 20-month-Iong experience of
British State terror tactics.
Their case is by no means
unique in the long history of
British rule in Ireland. They are
not the first nationalists to be
abused by the British
occupation forces and
administration in Ireland.
However, their experience is a
manifestation of all that
continues to be rotten in the
police statelet of the Six
Counties.
Shortly before midnight on
February 20 last year hundreds
of heavily-armed British
Crown Forces descended on
the village of Donagh in Co
Fermanagh. Nationalist
families were unjustifiably
ordered from their homes as the
RUC/PSNI and British army
raided and ransacked the
Lavelle home. They locked
Michael and Mary Lavelle
along with two sons and two
teenage daughters out of their
home. Returning the next
morning they smashed in the
door and "searched" the house
without any family members
being present.
Local people are convinced
that this tactic allowed the
British Crown Forces to plant
the alleged incriminating
evidence in the Lavelle home
and in the surrounding area. It
turned into a three-day siege for
the nationalist community of
Donagh.
Michael and Mary Lavelle
were arrested and taken to
Enniskillen barracks on Friday
night. Michael's brother Jimmy
was arrested the following
morning and his house was
ransacked. On the next
morning their son Emmet was
arrested and another son,
Michael (jnr) was assaulted by
the RUC. As happens so often
in occupied Ireland, the injured
man was then charged with
assaulting those who badly beat
him.
Trumped-up charges of
possession of arms and
explosives were laid against
Michael, Mary and Emmet
Lavelle. Mary Lavelle spent
eight days in custody before
being freed on bail and had to
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• British Crown Forces around Donagh, Co Fermanagh during the three-day siege of the nationalist community in
February 2003.
sign  every  day  at  an  RUC     before the last of them was
barracks.  It was ten months     released on bail, having spent
that remand time in
Maghaberry prison.
By December 2003 all
charges had been dropped
against Emmet Lavelle but his
parents had to wait another 10
months until their case was
dealt with. Then the Crown
prosecution case was thrown
out of court without a defence
being heard and both Michael
and Mary Lavelle were cleared.
What has been seen in this
case is the fact that nothing has
changed in the RUC and in the
British administration in the
norUi. The British police may
change their name and their
uniform but it is still the same
sectarian, anti-nationalist terror
group it always was. The
nationalist community should
shun the politically-directed
British police in the Six
Counties and they should be
supported in doing so by all
nationally-minded people
throughout the country.
GEORGE HARRISON
1915-2004
Tributes on pages 8-9 inside
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