Yet, despite the obvious danger of having to report to one of two police stations at the Neste Cole twice weekly, the only concession was that she could report to one of three police stations, which still meant that she was a sitting target for loyalist killers. She has had to leave her home, and she and her children live in constant fear.
At the next court hearing the police dropped the only charge against Geraldine. She, who incharged nor convicted of any offence whatsoever prior to this event, has filed civil charges against the police alleging ill Ircatment while in police cus todye now faces dally harass ment from the security forces intimidate her into abandoning her legal action.
In the meantime this young woman is trying to come terms with all that has hap pened to her since Her bruises have healed but she will continue to bear the psychological scars of her seven days in custody for many years to come.
Geraldine will live in constant fear of an attack from loyalist killers for the rest of her life. The fact that she is, and has been proven to be, a completely innocent victim will not make these tasks any casier.
Geraldine O Cornor's case does not, as yet, appear in the Amnesty reports. Socialist Outlook has for warded the information receivol ron francis wwe to roneste Two days after her release Geraldine's Me was threatened by the UFF A CENTRAL section of the Special Powers Act, through which the Stormont goverment ruled the North of Ireland, gave the Unionist administration the power to ban inquests. Today British legislation sets a number of conditions on Inquests can be delayed for mary years. RUC and Army members cannot be requited to altend. The jury can only sokct from a limited number of verand a murder verdict is not a permitted outcome.
This lays bare the overal basis of British rue in treland and the overall responsibilty for the violence there. British rude is based on force. The law is tailored to hide this fact and profect state forces from the consequences. rather than defend working people or point to the need for a portal soutor The search for a British mäitary victory leads to a 'streamlined" legal sys tem and the Diplock 'no jury courts. A key component - ofen the orly com ponent - of convictions consists solly of statements from defendents. The foundation of the whole system is tor. ture of the threat of torture.
It is from Republican and ant-imperialist forces that the main opposition The political crisis in Simn Fein has left a vacuum, filed at the moment by community and rolatives groups.
A new force is from a small layer of the inteligensia. Many within the logal profession have managed to ink with bodies like Amnesty International and with the Betish state's brutal the lish bourgecisie, the trade unions and the reformist loft. posed to end the hationalist nichimare n the North. In practice it made the irish DOUTORN repression there. They run a mile from any anti-repression movements sechons of the roht, such as Ft Denis Faul, are now calling for Amnesty reports on IRA atrocilies. This attempl rilla movement and the holders of state power can only legitimise further torTrade unions define workers' unity only in terms of policies that do not offend the far right minority within the protestant working class. They go no further than the palest of milk and water resolutions.
Far to the right of this position, but Workers' Party. Their Peace Train' and New Consensus' movements attack the symploms of paramiltary violence vhin essentially supporting the cause the British presence. In fact they g further in demanding "peace through Socialists should work with all forces resisang tonure n fresno toody, For hom especially, a key lask is confront g and defeating the colaboration o trade union bureaucrats tionary apolgia for British rule posed by the Peace Train' movernent.
John McAnuty is a mamber of Peopie's Democracy - Irish section of No. 13 Dec. 14, 1991
- Special Feature