Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland
Gníomh Frith-Impiriúlach na hÉireann
AbbreviationAIA
Founded2017 (2017)
Youth wingÓige Réabhlóideach/Anti-Imperialist Youth
Ideology
Political positionFar-left
Colours
  •   Black
  •   Green
  •   White
Website
https://anti-imperialist-action-ireland.com/

Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland or AIA Ireland is an Irish socialist-republican organisation that advocates for the establishment of a socialist state in Ireland through a socialist revolution. The group was founded in 2017. Since then, it has undertaken a number of protest actions across Ireland. The organisation has described itself as "a broad front" opposed to "the UK, the EU, the US and all other forms of Imperialism in Ireland".

Ideology

AIA "aim[s] to finish the work" of historical Irish revolutionaries such as James Connolly, socialist commander of the Irish Citizen Army, and Seamus Costello, founder of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Irish National Liberation Army.[1] AIA opposes the Good Friday Agreement, and are staunchly opposed to reformism, not participating in elections and opposing a border poll as they believe these means are a pacification strategy and instead propose mobilising workers into creating "alternative power structures" and building an "Anti-Imperialist Broad Front".[2]

It also has shown support for the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the Naxalite insurgency in India.[3] and previously called for the release of the now-deceased Peruvian Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman from prison.[4] Members of the group are sympathetic to Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and have republished texts from Maoist groups on their website.[5][6][7][8]

History

AIA has conducted a number of protest actions across Ireland, mainly to bring attention to the struggle for Irish national liberation and Socialism against a perceived threat of British, American and European Union imperialism but also for other issues including Palestinian solidarity.[9]

In 2018, AIA painted over numerous street signs of streets named after Queen Victoria and encouraged others to do the same to other street signs bearing the names of British officials.[10] In the same year Israeli politician Gilad Erdan sent a formal letter of protest to the Irish government demanding they stop Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine member and former airplane hijacker Leila Khaled from appearing over a video call to members of AIA and another Republican group called Lasair Dhearg[lower-alpha 1] during a public talk held at the teacher's club in Dublin. However, the protest was unsuccessful and the call was not cancelled.[11]

Since 2019, the organization has conducted and encouraged "Poppy Watch Patrols" to forcibly prevent the Royal British Legion from collecting donations.[12]

Throughout 2020, AIA ran a political campaign against the extradition of Liam Campbell to Lithuania on charges of weapon trafficking.[13] In June 2009, Campbell was found guilty[14] in a civic court of participating in the 1998 Omagh bombing, the single deadliest attack of the Troubles, in which 29 people were killed and another 220 injured. In October 2022, the Lithuanian court announced that Campbell was returning home after all charges against him were dropped due to a statute of limitations expiry.[15]

In June 2020, following the spray-painting of a statue of Seán Russell in Dublin with rainbow colours and pro-LGBT slogans,[16] AIA released a pamphlet defending Russell, and maintained that Irish republicanism and LGBT liberation were allied, not opposed, causes.[17][18] Seán Russell was a Chief of Staff of the IRA during World War II who organised a bombing campaign in Northern Ireland and England known as the Sabotage Campaign. Russell's time as IRA Chief of Staff was marked by the increasing influence of Irish fascist group Ailtirí na hAiséirghe over the organisation,[19] as well as his direct collaboration with Nazi Germany.[20][21]

In August 2022 the group was criticised by Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister for burning a Union Jack in a video which he dubbed a "hate crime". The flags of the Parachute Regiment and the Ulster Banner were also burned in the video.[22]

In September 2022, a gathering of AIA members in Beresford Place, Dublin, mocked the death of Queen Elizabeth II by throwing a coffin marked "RIP British Empire" into the River Liffey.[23] In November 2022, AIA claimed responsibility for a paint attack on the headquarters of the Royal British Legion in Dublin, defacing the building's doorway.[12]

In April 2023, after members of the group were targeted with a series of raids and arrests across Ireland by the Gardaí, various organisations expressed solidarity with AIA including the Palestinian organisation Samidoun.[24]

In August 2023, AIA alongside the Communist Party of Ireland took part in a protest in Dublin to denounce the Irish Defence Forces providing training to members of the Ukrainian Army, which they said went against Irish neutrality.[25][26]

Associated organisations

The group has a youth wing called Óige Réabhlóideach[lower-alpha 2][27]

See also

Notelist

  1. ↑ Irish for "Red Flame"
  2. ↑ Irish for "Anti-Imperialist Youth"

Reference

  1. ↑ "Anti Imperialist Action Ireland". Anti Imperialist Action Ireland. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  2. ↑ "Reject the Border Poll- Smash Britain's Border!". 12 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  3. ↑ icspwi (2021-12-02). "IRELAND: 24 N- Action in Dublin of solidarity with the CPI (Maoist) and the Protracted People's War in India! (Anti Imperialist Action Ireland)". Support the People's War in India. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  4. ↑ "Free Chairman Gonzalo!". 11 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  5. ↑ https://anti-imperialist-action-ireland.com/blog/2021/12/27/unite-under-maoism/
  6. ↑ "Unite Under Maoism!". 27 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Class Struggle". 1 May 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Cast away the illusions and launch into fight!". 1 May 2020.
  9. ↑ https://imemc.org/article/worldwide-actions-commemorate-ahed-tamimis-17th-birthday-demand-freedom-reports-and-photos/
  10. ↑ https://www.thejournal.ie/spray-signs-colonial-4109928-Jul2018/
  11. ↑ Bachner, Michael (31 May 2018). "Israel urges Ireland to cancel speech by Palestinian terrorist". Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  12. 1 2 Cousins, Graeme (6 November 2022). "Paint attack on Royal British Legion headquarters in Dublin branded 'utterly pathetic'". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Stop the Extradition of Liam Campbell". 24 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Four found liable for Omagh bomb". RTÉ News. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  15. ↑ Sherry, Alan (18 October 2022). "Omagh bomb suspect Liam Campbell back in Ireland after terror charges dramatically dropped in Lithuania". Sunday World.
  16. ↑ Slater, Sarah (23 June 2020). "Base of Seán Russell statue painted in rainbow colours". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Hands off Seán Russell". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  18. ↑ starryplough (2020-06-25). "It is right to tear down reactionaries. Hands of our patriot dead!". Anti Imperialist Action Ireland. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  19. ↑ Douglas, R. M. (2009). Architects of the Resurrection: Ailtirí na hAiséirghe and the Fascist 'New Order' in Ireland. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-7998-6.
  20. ↑ Hanley, Brian. "Russell, Seán". Dictionary of Irish Biography. 16 March 2022.
  21. ↑ Hanley, Brian (2005). "'Oh here's to Adolph Hitler'?…The IRA and the Nazis". History Ireland. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "TUV's Allister brands video of group burning flags a hate crime". Belfast Telegraph. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Cumiskey, Neasa (2023-09-11). "Coffin marked 'RIP British Empire' thrown into River Liffey during Queen's funeral". Sunday World. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  24. ↑ https://samidoun.net/2023/04/solidarity-with-anti-imperialist-action-ireland
  25. ↑ Dispatch, Peoples (2023-08-24). "Peace groups protest Ireland's involvement in Ukraine war". Peoples Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  26. ↑ "Demonstrators protest against Ireland giving weapons training to Ukrainian troops". TheJournal.ie. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  27. ↑ https://anti-imperialist-action-ireland.com/blog/2022/10/28/new-all-ireland-revolutionary-anti-imperialist-youth-movement-launched/
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