Former Uachtarán Shinn Féin Gerry Adams speaking at this evening’s Ireland’s Future event in Queen’s University called on the Irish government to establish a Citizen’s Assembly and that it should agree with the British government a firm date for the unity referendum provided for by the Good Friday Agreement.
“I am not suggesting that this should take place immediately but the Irish Government should seek a date now which allows for inclusive preparation to begin. And that preparatory work should start now.”
Mr Adams also addressed the place of unionists in the new Ireland; “It is important that unionists are involved in shaping this”.
In his remarks Mr Adams said:
“The recent local government election demonstrates that huge change is happening as we speak, and more change is on its way. It is important that unionists are involved in shaping this.
Let it be very clear unionists have a place of right in the new Ireland.
And we want them to be part of what we collectively create.
Change is happening as we speak, and more change is on its way. It is important that unionists are involved in shaping this. Let it be very clear unionists have a place of right in the new Ireland. And we want them to be part of what we collectively create.
The unionist population and its political representatives working with the rest of us on this island is the surest guarantee that their cultural identity – British and unionist – will prosper and be protected in a new and independent Ireland. The safeguards that are in the Good Friday Agreement with respect to identity, cultural and language rights will continue in a new Ireland.
The DUP should take its place with the other parties in the executive. Working with the unionists in the Assembly and the other parties and independents is also part of working toward a new agreed Ireland.
But let’s be clear we have our work cut out for us. We know at this point that the British and Irish governments are against constitutional change and against the referendums. So, are the unionist parties. There are many different reasons for this.
For example, the British government is a unionist government. And the Irish government is worried about a national realignment of politics in which the establishment parties will lose their dominance.
Notwithstanding this our efforts in the time ahead must focus on challenging the Irish and British governments with the demand for the setting of a date for the referendums.
We must also encourage the governments and the Irish government in particular to prepare for the unity referendums and for a successful outcome.
The Irish government has chosen at this time to reject any proposals – including the establishment of a Citizen’s or series of Citizens' Assemblies – to facilitate discussion and to plan for the future.
We must remind Dublin again and again and again that the Good Friday Agreement created a mechanism for constitutional change through referendums. It was overwhelmingly endorsed by the people in referendums North and South.
The Irish government has a constitutional obligation, and it is also a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement - to prepare for unity. So, that means the Irish government should establish a Citizens’ Assembly to begin the work of planning.
It should agree with the British government a firm date for the unity referendum provided for by the Good Friday Agreement.
I am not suggesting that this should take place immediately but the Irish Government should seek a date now which allows for inclusive preparation to begin. And that preparatory work should start now.
The Irish people have the right to self-determination. We have the right to determine our own future, without outside interference, peacefully and democratically. That is a central part of the Good Friday Agreement.”
Speaking at a Sinn Féin event in Dublin this eveningto mark 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement and the referendums North and South that gave overwhelming public support to the Agreement former Uachtarán Shinn Féin Gerry Adams called on the Irish government to begin the work of planning for Irish Unity.
Gerry Adams said:
“The Irish people have the right to self-determination. We have the right to determine our own future, without outside interference, peacefully and democratically. That is a central part of the Good Friday Agreement.
“There is growing evidence from a succession of elections, academic reports and opinion polls that support for the reunification of Ireland is growing. Last week’s local government election in the North is the latest example of this.
“The Good Friday Agreement created a mechanism for constitutional change through referendums. It was overwhelmingly endorsed in referendums North and South.
“There is a constitutional obligation on the Irish government – including as a co-guarantor of the Agreement - to advance the objective of unity. That means planning now and engaging in a process of inclusive dialogue that ensures that the process of constitutional change is democratic and seamless.
“The Irish government should establish a Citizen’s Assembly to begin the work of planning. It should agree with the British government a firm date for the unity referendum provided for by the Good Friday Agreement.
“I am not suggesting that this should take place immediately but the Irish Government should seek a date now which allows for inclusive preparation to begin. And that preparatory work should start now.”
Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams joined with President Bill Clinton and the leaders of seven leading Irish American organisations last night in New York to celebrate 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement. The organisations represented included: Friends Of Sinn Féin; Ancient Order of Hibernians; The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick; Brehon Law Society; James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition; and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Speaking after the event Mr. Adams welcomed the remarks by President Clinton that the Executive and Assembly should be restored.
Addressing a packed hall in Cooper Union Building on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement Mr. Adams said:
“The Good Friday Agreement is the most important political agreement of our time in Ireland. The twists and turns from then to now have been many. Currently the institutions are suspended due to the intransigence of the DUP and the machinations of successive Tory governments. This is unacceptable.
The results of the last election to the Northern Assembly need to be respected. The DUP need to take up their Ministerial posts with the rest of us.
If the DUP remain intransigent then the two governments should move ahead using the Good Friday Agreement all-Ireland mechanisms. A return to British direct rule is not an option. The governments need to implement those crucial elements of the Agreement that have still not been implemented, including a Bill of Rights for the North.
The Tory government should withdraw its deeply flawed and offensive Legacy Bill and implement the agreements on Legacy reached 10 years ago.”
Commenting on the continuing role of the US Administration Mr. Adams added:
“We appreciate the work done by President Biden to defend the Good Friday Agreement. People in Ireland still need the White House to act as guarantor of the Agreement, as President Clinton did and as President Biden continues to do.
And embedded into the Agreement is the right of the people of Ireland to decide our future. It does not belong to an English government or indeed the DUP.
The people of Ireland have for the first time a peaceful way to end the union with England and to build our own future. No one should be allowed to take that right away from us.”
Mr. Adams called on the Irish government to establish a Citizen’s Assembly and he spoke of the need for reconciliation and the protection of the rights of unionists. He said:
“The Irish government should establish a Citizen’s Assembly or series of such Assemblies to discuss the process of constitutional change and the measures needed to build an all-Ireland economy, a truly national health service and education system and much more.
We need national reconciliation in a citizen centred rights based society including the rights of our unionist neighbours – and the Orange Order and other loyal institutions.
The protections in the Good Friday Agreement are their protections also. The island of Ireland is their land, their home place. The unionists are our neighbours. We want them to be our friends. Sinn Féin is committed to upholding their rights and to working with them to make the island of Ireland a better place for everyone.
The new Ireland planned and built by all of the people of the island can accommodate and celebrate our differences and diversity. Very few countries get the chance to begin anew. Ireland, North and South, has that chance.
So despite the current difficulties the future looks bright. What is needed is the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including a date and planning for the unity referendum.
The Good Friday Agreement has created a democratic and peaceful path to Irish reunification. It is now a do-able project. And with the continuing support of Irish America we can make it happen.”
Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has expressed his “deep regret at the death of former UUP leader and First Minister David Trimble”.
Mr. Adams extended his “sincere condolences to David’s wife Daphne, their daughters Victoria and Sarah, their sons Richard and Nicholas and to the entire family circle, including his former colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party.
Gerry Adams said:
“David faced huge challenges when he led the Ulster Unionist Party in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations and persuaded his party to sign on for it. It is to his credit that he supported that Agreement. I thank him for that.
“In the years immediately following the Agreement I met David many times. Our conversations were not always easy but we made progress. We used to meet quite often on our own and I got to know him quite well. While we held fundamentally different political opinions on the way forward nonetheless I believe he was committed to making the peace process work.
“David’s contribution to the Good Friday Agreement and to the quarter century of relative peace that followed cannot be underestimated. I want to extend my sincerest condolences to Daphne Trimble, their daughters Victoria and Sarah, their sons Richard and Nicholas and to the entire family circle. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis”.
Gerry Adams has thanked his legal team, including Paul Tweed, Johnson’s Solicitors and senior counsel following an apology in court in Dublin by the Sunday World over a false story they carried in September 2015.
Gerry Adams said:
“For some time some elements of the media have made offensive and false claims about me and other republicans. I am happy that this case has been settled and that the Sunday World today apologised in open court.
“The Sunday World retracted the allegations it made about me and Kevin McGuigan.
“I am also very conscious that Kevin McGuigan and Gerard Davison were murdered and that their families like many others are grieving.
"It is my intention to donate the proceeds of the settlement to good causes. These will include the Irish language sector, Green Cross, The Bobby Sands Trust, The Moore Street Trust and others.”
Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, commenting on the tenth anniversary of the Aiete International Conference in Donostia in the Basque Country – which he participated in – and the end of armed actions by ETA said:
“The Aieta International Conference proved to be a watershed moment in the process of building peace and ending conflict in the Basque Country.
“Within days of our call on ETA to end the last armed confrontation in Europe the Basque organisation called a definitive cessation. Since then it has also disarmed and no longer exists.
"Arriving at that historic point was a result of considerable behind the scenes efforts, involving many people, including Sinn Féin. Irish republicans were pleased to be able to share our experience of promoting dialogue, finding agreements and negotiating peace.
"At that time I urged the governments of Spain and France to welcome the progress that had been made and to begin the next steps in promoting reconciliation, addressing the issue of victims and recognising that a serious effort has to be made to heal personal and social wounds.
“I specifically referenced the issue of prisoners and acknowledging the democratic rights of all political parties and treating them as equals.
“Regrettably ten years later and the issue of prisoners has not been resolved.
“There are still 197 Basque political prisoners, as well as others who are unable to return to their homes.
“The Spanish government can build confidence into the peace process by putting in place a prison policy that sees prisoners, who played a significant part in making the peace possible, released.
"Regrettably, there has been no progress on the central issue of national self-determination for the people of the Basque country.
"I want to commend the pro-independence left for keeping its commitments and working to advance their objectives through exclusively peaceful and democratic means.
"Sinn Féin remains committed to doing what we can to assist in building peace and reconciliation and to creating the new future the people of the Basque Country and the Spanish state desire.”
A solicitor acting for former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has written to the PSNI Chief Constable and to the Legal & Civil Services of Belfast City Council on his behalf to make a formal complaint about an offensive banner that appeared on council property on Saturday 6 February. The image on the banner can only be construed as a threat to kill and a hate crime.
A formal complaint has already been made to the PSNI by the Sinn Féin group leader Cllr Ciaran Beattie.
Mr Adams said:
“On Saturday a banner was attached to the fencing at the front of the City Hall. The banner included an image of me under the title ‘Tick-Tock’. It also contained abusive and sectarian language underneath. The author/authors claim to have killed one person and clearly signal their intent to kill me. I believe the banner is a breach of the Council’s bye-laws and constitutes a hate crime and a threat to kill.
"I have written to the PSNI Chief Constable asking him 'to identify the person or persons responsible for placing this banner in such a public location. Can you confirm whether enquiries have been made about preserving any CCTV footage which exists?’
"I have also asked him if he will “confirm a criminal investigation is underway”.
"I have also written to Belfast City Council’s Legal & Civil Services about the display of the banner and making a formal complaint. I have asked the council ‘to confirm what steps you have taken to establish who was responsible for placing this banner over council property which is in breach of Bye-law No. 5 which states :-
‘It shall be an offence for any person to……
(b) Affix any unauthorised notice, banner or bill, or attach any bicycle or other article to any wall, fence, gate, hedge or tree, or any statue or other structure.’
"The area in front of City Hall is monitored by CCTV and I have asked 'what steps have been taken to secure the footage and any other available evidence... also confirm that you have or will notify the PSNI and co-operate fully insofar as securing any evidence which would assist in their investigation of a hate crime.’
"I have also asked if security officials at Belfast City Council will be monitoring the situation at future Saturday demonstrations at the entrance to Belfast City Hall to avoid the repetition of any further offence.
“There can be no place for hate crime or public threats. The PSNI has a responsibility to confront those responsible for such offences when they appear and to pursue those responsible through the courts.”
Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has just published a limited edition poetry book entitled Poems for Hard Times.
Gerry Adams said:
“I put this modest collection of wee verses together for my family and friends.
“It is offered in memory of all those people who died from the Coronavirus and their families.
“It is a tribute to the heroines and heroes who minded them. And to all the frontline workers who minded and mind us all. Is laochrá iad uilig.
“Not all of the poems were written in the time of Corona. Some were. One was written in Havana during Fidel Castro’s funeral. Another was written in Gaza City. Others were written on planes and trains.”
Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has extended his solidarity and sympathy to the family of former New York Mayor David Dinkins who died on Monday.
Gerry Adams said:
“I had the great pleasure to meet David during some of my visits to New York. He was always very welcoming and during his years as Mayor of New York. David was critical of British government policy in Ireland.
“In 1989 he supported Joe Doherty’s application for political asylum in the USA and three years later Mayor Dinkins was one of those who supported Joe Doherty’s legal battle against eventual extradition.
“His philosophy and commitment to equality is best summed up in his statement shortly after taking office when he said: “I intend to be the mayor of all of the people of New York. This administration will never lead by dividing, by setting some of us against the rest of us or by favouring one group over others…”
“To his family, and many friends and colleagues I extend my deepest condolences. Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam dílis.”
Former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has extended his “deepest condolences and solidarity to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the death of Saeb Erekat who has died as a result of Covid-19”.
Gerry Adams said: “Ba mhaith liom mo chombhrón a thabhairt do chlann Erekat. It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Saeb Erekat. In the course of my visits to the Middle East and as part of Sinn Féin’s long relationship with the Palestinian people, I had the pleasure of meeting Saeb Erekat.
"As the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and as the chief negotiator for the PLO, Saeb was steadfast in his defence of the rights of the people of Palestine to freedom and independence. He was committed to dialogue and peace and to the creation of a genuine peace process in the Middle East that would resolve all of the relationships and ensure a peaceful, democratic future for the people of that region.
"In 2014, during the Israeli assault on Gaza, Saeb made time to brief me about the desolation and destruction being inflicted on the citizens of that besieged area by the Israeli government. He worked hard to secure a humanitarian ceasefire in the face of Israeli rejections.
"Saeb was very conscious of the long positive relationship between the Irish and Palestinian people. He thanked the people of Ireland for their ongoing support for the Palestinian people.
"Saeb will be missed by his comrades, his family and the Palestinian people. As they and we seek to advance the peaceful and democratic objectives to which he dedicated his life, there is an onus on the Irish government, at this important juncture in international relations, to implement past Oireachtas motions and recognise the state of Palestine.
"Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”
