Republican Sinn Féin
| Sinn Féin Poblachtach Republican Sinn Féin |
|
|---|---|
| Party leader | Of the Dalton |
| founding | 1986 |
| Headquarters | 223, Parnell Street, Dublin 1 |
| Alignment |
Irish Republicanism Irish Nationalism Democratic Socialism EU Skepticism Secularism |
| Colours) | green |
| Parliament seats | 0 of 166 ( Dáil , 2007), 0 of 60 ( Seanad , 2007) 1 of 949 (Local Government in Ireland , 2019) |
| Website | www.rsf.ie |
Republican Sinn Féin ( Irish : Sinn Féin Poblachtach ) is an Irish party that split off from Sinn Féin in 1986 .
history
The cause of the split was ostensibly the conflict over the question of whether members of the Sinn Féin should, as before, only run for parliamentary elections in Ireland or , if they are elected, should also actively exercise their mandate . In 1986 a special SF party congress was called to vote on this problem. At first glance this seems like an insignificant question of detail, but it touched the Irish Republican dogma that the Dáil Éireann was complicit in the partition of Ireland and thus forfeited any legality. Recognition of the Parliament in Dublin (and also those in Belfast and Westminster ) would in fact be recognition of the division. The background to the development was the power struggle between the old guard of the IRA and the new generation of activists, above all Gerry Adams . Adams recognized the potential of the political struggle after the surprisingly successful protest candidacy of the hunger striker Bobby Sands . Before Sinn Féin politicians could have long-term success, the general waiver of mandates ( abstentionism ) had to be dropped. The protest against it formed around Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, former chief of staff of the IRA, former SF president and a rival Gerry Adams. Ó Brádaigh argued that this move would ultimately call into question all Republican principles, including the primacy of armed struggle for the reunification of Ireland.
ideology
The vote was in favor of Gerry Adams, which also decided the struggle for power. Ó Brádaigh founded the Republican Sinn Féin with a small band of apostates . The goals of the new party were not only the reunification of the country, but also the abolition of the Republic of Ireland in its previous form. Ireland should instead become a socialist and federal state, the financial sector and industries would be under state control, land ownership would be reformed.
Armed wing
After the split, the IRA made it unequivocally clear that it would not tolerate any armed organization next to it. The influence of the few dissidents was also low for a few years, so that the formation of a paramilitary group in the vicinity of the RSF did not take place. This did not happen until a decade later with the formation of the Continuity Irish Republican Army . In the eyes of the supporters, both Sinn Fein's leadership and that of the IRA have betrayed the principles of Irish republicanism and come to terms with Great Britain and its claim to Northern Ireland.
Assumptions about a connection or cooperation between RSF and the Continuity Irish Republican Army are repeatedly rejected by the party. It was only in March 2009 that RSF spokesman Richard Walsh from Derry stated that Republican Sinn Féin had no military wing, nor was the party the political wing of any other organization.
International organization
In spring 2008, the Republican Sinn Féin International Relations Bureau was founded. It should coordinate the work of the supporters of RSF in the German-speaking area. The current activities are mainly the translation of press releases and statements into the German language, as well as their dissemination on the Internet and to the press. At the same time, attempts are being made to deepen contact with “anti-imperialist and socialist” organizations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Since the turn of 2008/09, the party's international office has also been active in Italy. Activities are mainly concentrated around the capital Rome . Members publish the monthly newspaper Free Ireland in Italian .
literature
- Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA , Penguin , 2003. ISBN 0-14-101041-X
- Peter Neumann, IRA: Long way to peace , Rotbuch Verlag, 1999. ISBN 3-434-53043-6
- Robert W. White, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh. The Life and Times of an Irish Revolutionary , Indiana University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-25-334708-4
swell
- ^ Wrong representation of RSF in British newspaper Independent. Republican Sinn Féin Vienna , March 16, 2009, accessed July 29, 2009 .
- ↑ RSF starts German-language homepage. Republican Sinn Féin Vienna , May 28, 2008, accessed July 29, 2009 .
- ^ RSF presenti in Italia. Republican Sinn Féin Vienna , June 2, 2009, accessed June 2, 2009 .
