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Irish-American groups protest Margaret Thatcher's visit to York |
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Gettysburg Times |
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Protesters met with stony stares as well as honks of support in front of the Strand-Capitol Theater in York Wednesday night. About 100 Irish-Americans gathered from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C. to decry former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's visit to York. |
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"Someone like that should not be allowed to visit. While she was in office, Irish Catholics were jailed without trial, without charges and under brutal conditions," said Dave Cooney from Philadelphia. |
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Her appearance was part of the "In the Spotlight" series sponsored by the Junior League of York. |
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Her talk netted money for the League's program to prevent child abuse. Ticket holders paid between $50 and $60 to hear Thatcher speak on "Challenges Facing the 21st Century." |
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Some patrons of the event were less than pleased with the large group of lively protesters. While a knot of ticketholders waited anxiously outside the entrance to the theater, one protester shouted, "Ask Maggie some tough questions!" |
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A woman waiting to go in retorted, "Ask her yourself--we're not in Ireland!" |
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Turning to her companion, she fumed, "They're just out here for attention--and they're getting it." |
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The rally, complete with taped Irish music, bagpipes, banners and placards, elicited whoops and honks of support from some passing drivers. |
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Protesters held up signs reading "Brits Out" and "Maggie's a Murderer," among other messages. |
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Most of the demonstraters were members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the Irish Northern Aid Committee (INA), and the Socialist Workers Party. |
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Hanover resident and AOH member, James McGuigan, helped coordinate the demonstration. |
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McGuigan was particularly incensed that Thatcher was scheduled to speak so close to the anniversary of Bobby Sands' death. |
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Sands, a member of the IRA and the Irish Parliament, died on May 5, 1981 on his 66th day of a hunger strike in Long Kesh prison. |
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According to one protester the prisoners were force fed when members of the royal family visited so that they would not die while a royal was in the country. |
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A York resident said he came down just to watch the scene. |
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"I lived in London in '83 - '84," he said. "I remember when the IRA set off a car bomb at Harrod's at Christmas and how paranoid the city was after that." |
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Activists are intent on showing up across the country at Thatcher's appearances. In March over 200 protesters demonstrated in Purchase, N.Y. |
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In a recently issued press release, INA chair, Paul Doris, said, "Her (Thatcher's) record of death and destruction in Ireland is clear. And we'll follow her anywhere to make our feelings known." |
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Gettysburg Times WWW: http://www.gburgtimes.com Article Ref: http://www.gburgtimes.com/archive/5-08.htm |