Fighting Talk Fighting Talk: The Statements of 'The IRA/New IRA' Accepted Draft: Terrorism and Political Violence, In Press Author: John F. Morrison, University of East London 1
Fighting Talk Abstract With the advent of the new violent dissident merger, 'The IRA/New IRA', the group and its affiliates have had to legitimise their new existence. They have utilised the maintenance of paramilitary activity to achieve this. However, they have also produced a number of organisational statements, justifying their position, tactics and strategies. This article analyses the evolution of these statements, both pre and post- merger from 2007 to 2015. 126 individual statements and 4 magazines are analysed using grounded theory. This analysis found that the statements have a dual strategy, aiming to foster trust in the movement and distrust in their perceived enemies. One of the dominant ways in which the group aims to foster trust, is by proposing their possession of an historical mandate from the republican forefathers of 1916, as well as the internally lauded paramilitaries from the Troubles era PIRA. The focus of the distrust narrative has been on the 'constitutional nationalism' of Sinn FĂ©in. However, it also pours scorn on the PSNI, and capitalism, across the island of Ireland. The analysis of these statements can provide us with an understanding of the future direction of the group, as well as giving us insight, which can inform the development of any counter-narrative. Keywords: IRA, Dissident Republicanism, Statements, Legitimisation, Northern Ireland 2
Fighting Talk Introduction Following extensive consultations, Irish republicans and a number of organisations involved in armed actions against the armed forces of the British crown have come together within a unified structure, under a single leadership, subservient to the constitution of the Irish Republican Army.1 In July 2012 the Real IRA (RIRA) and Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) announced that they had merged.2 Alongside other previously unaligned violent dissident republicans (VDR)3 they formed a new group, under the all-encompassing title of 'The IRA.' In the years since their creation they have posed a 'severe' threat to the security of Northern Ireland, and Great Britain.4 This merger, often referred to as 'The New IRA,'5 was responsible for the murder of prison officer David Black in November 2012.6 In the words of the group, Black was killed as a result of the perceived 'torture and degradation' of dissident republican prisoners, and in 'direct response' to the growing tensions within Maghaberry jail, the Northern Irish prison which houses the majority of VDR detainees.7 Since this murder their paramilitary activity has continued to target both national and local victims. This has seen them launch a letter and parcel bombing campaign against high profile politicians, police officers, MI5 and British army recruitment offices. These have been carried out in parallel to the continued day-to-day targeting of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers. This is representative of the national strategy of the organisation, namely to carry out 'armed actions against the armed forces of the British crown.'8 It lies in parallel with