As was said earlier, those meetings and discussions which we held over the past few weeks were very encouraging, constructive and positive. As a result of the wise counsel and advice which we have received, our family is now in a position to map out a plan of campaign over the next few months.
As you arrived here tonight, each of you will have received and have had a chance to read a four page leaflet setting out the background to Colin’s present imprisonment and the history of his persecution by state forces, which has involved the use of murder and open collusion by those forces on at least two occasions with unionist death-squads.
We have ordered an initial print-run of ten thousand such leaflets and we expect to increase that up to fifty thousand copies within the next few weeks. This will be for widespread, public distribution.
Secondly, this weekend, Colin’s eldest daughter, Caitríona, is mounting a token 48 hour fast to highlight the injustice of her father’s imprisonment. During that 48 hour period, Caitríona and other family members will hold protest vigils on Friday at ???? in Lurgan, at Free Derry Corner in Derry on Saturday at (time), at the old Andersonstown Barracks site in Belfast on Saturday at (time), and concluding at North Street in Lurgan on Sunday from ???? to ????. At each location, copies of the campaign leaflet will be distributed to members of the public by our supporters.
Thirdly, we will be formally writing to each of those candidates in the EU election who will be seeking votes from within the nationalist and republican community, asking them to formally and fully endorse our campaign for Colin’s immediate and unconditional release and to state their unequivocal opposition to prolonged detentions. We will advise our supporters not to vote for any candidates who refuse to publicly endorse, without equivocation, our family’s campaign.
Fourthly, we will be writing to all councillors who represent nationalist and republican communities across the North asking them to support our family’s campaign and to support the following motion in each one of their councils. The proposed wording of that motion will read:
This council fully shares the concerns expressed by the family of Colin Duffy that his arrest and present imprisonment is unjust;
This council views Colin Duffy’s arrest and imprisonment to be part of a continuing and extensive campaign of persecution by British state forces which has previously included the use of murder, proven collusion between those same forces with unionist death-squads and the proven use by state forces of fabricated false evidence against Colin Duffy;
This council calls for Colin Duffy’s immediate and unconditional release; and,
This council condemns the use of legislation which permits the use of prolonged detention for periods of up to 28 and which is the most draconian of its type anywhere in the EU and other western democracies.
Fifthly, our family will be pro-actively approaching, domestically in Ireland as well as internationally, all human rights and civil liberties organisations as well as legal representative bodies and individuals known for their defence of human and civil rights. We will be providing each organisation and individual with information packs setting out the entire history of Colin’s persecution by the state, including previous and proven miscarriages of justice. We will be requesting them to support the family’s campaign and to also launch their own independent investigations into the state’s actions against Colin.
Sixthly, and we will be in a position to formally announce the full dates, times and location of the first series of these events in the coming weeks - we will be holding a rolling series of public meetings across the North to explain the background to Colin’s case; to call for the end to prolonged detentions for periods of up to 28 days, and to establish support groups in each of those areas where these meetings will be held in order to take forward our campaign.