The three Irish men recently arrested in Bogotá have been have been the object of intense demonisation by the bourgeois media world wide. This is an indication of the tabloid nature of the bourgeois media and the class interests it serves. All kinds allegations and rumours have been circulated by both print and broadcasting bourgeois media. The point is that little or nothing is known concerning the circumstances in which these three men have been arrested. Their relationship, if any, to Sinn Fein/IRA has not been even established. It is well known that it is quite common for a variety of different kinds of people to visit the area from which FARC operates. This area has been officially designated by the Colombian government as a FARC controlled area. Even Pastrana himself, I believe, has negotiated with FARC within that area. It is clear that the presence of these men in Colombia was a well established fact known by the CIA for some time. It is clear that Washington had no real problems with their presence there. It is clear that the CIA, the Washington and London administrations agreed that these three men be arrested at the time when they were. It is clear that it was done to embarrass, discredit and exert pressure on Sinn Fein/IRA. The approximate timing of the arrests was significant. The plan may have been to use the arrest tactic to force Sinn Fein/IRA to cave into British imperialism's demands on decommissioning, policing and perhaps other matters. It would appear that this has not happened as of yet. The arrests are a card that American/British imperialism hope to use to blackmail Sinn Fein/IRA into further surrendering their positions. They are saying to the Provos that they will release these men and allow others, on the run, to become free men again in exchange for a move on decommissioning or policing. The arrests are the pretext for an anti Provo media blitz that includes threats of ostracism etc from bourgeois politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. Imperialism is sending out a clear signal to the Provos --if they do not co-operate things can be made difficult for them. Who knows making things difficult may even include a policy of selected assassinations of certain of its leaders whose demise would be convenient concerning imperialism's plans for Ireland in the context of globalisation. George Pennefather _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
