éirígí : The Price Sisters – victims of British vindictiveness

The Socialist Republican Party, éirígí, has said that the British administration’s decision to refuse Marian Price leave to attend the funeral of her sister, Dolours, is designed to add further grief to that already being felt by the Price/Rea family.

éirígí spokesperson Ursula Ní Shionnain said, “Republicans throughout Ireland were profoundly shocked and saddened to learn of the premature death of Dolours Price-Rea on Thursday.

“As young republicans, imprisoned in both Britain and Ireland from 1973 until the beginning of the 1980s, both Dolours and her sister Marian endured great hardship and ill-treatment, including the torture of force-feeding while on hunger strike, at the hands of the British state. Despite the efforts of their captors, the spirit and resolve of these two sisters could never be broken. Both Dolours and Marian provided inspiration and encouragement to many, not least of which was to their comrades in many other prisons.

“Those long years of imprisonment, isolation and ill-treatment were undoubtedly contributory factors to the ill-health which both sisters have suffered in recent years. They are not alone in that respect. It is a rarely discussed reality that many republican ex-prisoners continue to suffer the negative health impacts of long years of imprisonment and ill-treatment.”

Ursula continued, “What is special about the case of the Price sisters is the extent to which a campaign of vindictiveness and vilification has continued to be directed against them - a campaign now pursued even after death. The current internment of Marian Price has to be seen in the context of this forty year campaign by the British state.

“Even with the death of Dolours, the British state continues that campaign of vindictiveness by refusing Marian an opportunity to bid her sister a final farewell or attend her funeral. Such a cold and malevolent decision should not shock anyone – callousness and mercilessness have long been the hallmarks of ‘cruel Britannia’.

“That British decision is politically driven and designed to demonstrate the fact that, despite some cosmetic political changes, Britain remains the ultimate governing authority in the Six Counties. It is also designed to heap further unnecessary grief and torment on Marian and the wider Price/Rea family at this time of loss.

“On behalf of éirígí, I extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to Dolours’ family, her two sons, Danny and Oscar, and to her many friends. We particularly extend our sympathy and solidarity to her sister, Marian, at this most difficult of times.”