Adams' fundraising visa about to be denied again. Irish America must stand up.

Published: 17 February, 2006

Action Alert

Adams’ Fundraising Visa About To Be Denied Again by US State Department

The US Special Envoy, Ambassador Mitchell Reiss, has barred Gerry Adams once again from attending a fundraising event unless the party endorses the PSNI.  This time it is a Friends of Sinn Féin breakfast at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. on the morning of March 16th.

The move by the US Administration is all the more galling and mystifying at this time as policing reform remains the subject of delicate negotiations with the British government, expected to introduce legislation devolving policing and justice to elected officials in the north of Ireland.  Something SF has been lobbying for.

Sinn Fein has pledged that if the British legislation is as promised, it would call a Special Ard Fheis to consider movement on its policing policy.

Oddly, the IRA moves over the past months in standing down as a military force and totally decommissioning its arms seems to have stimulated the US Administration to punish Sinn Fein.  The first case of banning Mr. Adams came just after these events in November of last year.  Without doubt, Sinn Fein is the number one mover of the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process.

At the time of the first ban, Mr. Adams said, "Our position on policing is very clear.  The British government has agreed to honour certain commitments.  I am committed if and when they do that to go to the Sinn Fein ard chomhairle [executive] to deal with the issue of policing. These positions are matters of public record.

"The visa position, as I understand it, is absurd.”

There also seems no end of the British [and Irish?] government propagandizing in Washington and elsewhere in the U.S. over the recent IMC [Independent Monitoring Commission] report which contended, without any evidence or judicial backing, minor evidence of IRA “criminality” and a few guns apparently floating about republican circles.  This despite the one hundred thousand weapons legally held in predominantly unionist hands. 

The IMC, which is neither independent nor monitors anything – it is told what to report by the PSNI, just happens to be visiting the U.S.  What a coincidence. 

Meanwhile, the DUP is opening a US office.  There are no plans to ban Ian Paisley from fundraising.  The DUP will be rewarded for its tireless efforts to wreck the GFA and return to the unacceptable, bloody past.

Irish America must stand up.

We must send a powerful message to Amb. Mitchell Reiss, the National Security Council, and whoever is responsible in the U.S. Administration by supporting the Washington D.C. fundraiser [details soon] and communicating our anger to the Bush Administration [see contact info below].

Contact the White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20500

White House Phone Numbers

Comments:   202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX:             202-456-2461

E-Mail

Send your comments to comments@whitehouse.gov.

Secretary of State, Dr. Condolezza Rice

220 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520

[202] 647-4000

Special Envoy, Dr. Mitchell Reiss

[202] 647-2972 ext 7312

Contact both by email:  http://contact-us.state.org