Sinn Fein
The Week in Review
25 November – 02 December 2016

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams extends condolences on death of Fidel Castro.
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD was in Cuba this week to represent Sinn Féin at the Funeral of Fidel Castro.
Speaking from Havana, Gerry Adams said; “Fidel Castro was a global leader and a good friend of the Irish people. I am proud and honoured to travel to Cuba to represent Sinn Féin, as we remember Fidel Castro.”
Mr Adams continued: “Fidel was an internationalist. He was keenly interested in the experiences of others. During our conversations, we discussed matters of mutual interest and concern including the issues of human rights, civil and religious liberties, democratic values, social justice, climate change, and equality. We also discussed the attacks on the USA on September 11th. He remarked that, following those attacks, no progressive struggle would be won by armed actions. They could only be won by the power of ideas and the mobilisation of people.
“Under Fidel Castro Cuba’s internationalist commitments, thousands of Cuban health workers travelled across the world providing health care to millions. More recently, the Cuban government has helped broker peace in Colombia and put an end to one of the longest running wars in modern history. On my last visit to Cuba in October 2015, I met with senior negotiators from FARC. The Cuban government facilitated that meeting. Other senior Sinn Féin representatives have also visited the region to discuss the Irish peace process with the negotiating teams of the Colombian government and FARC.
The loss of Fidel Castro is a huge blow to the people of Cuba and to the world.”
The Sinn Féin President signed the Book of Condolences in Revolutionary Square and was one of a large international delegation that joined the million strong crowd in Revolutionary Square to remember and honour Fidel Castro.
Mr Adams later laid flowers at the Hunger Strike memorial in Victor Hugo square in Havana in remembrance of the men and women hunger strikers of 1980 and 81.
Mr Adams also met with the Secretary for International Relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera.
Mr Adams concluded; “It is very clear that there is a deep sense of loss and mourning in Cuba on the death of Fidel Castro. There is also a deep commitment to continuing his efforts to build a stronger economy and to Fidel Castro’s internationalist approach, including providing doctors and health care resources to states in Africa, south America and Asia. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to come to Havana to extend the solidarity of Irish republicans to the people of Cuba.”

Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil move on Diaspora voting rights ‘gutter stuff’ – Mary Lou McDonald TD
Sinn Féin Vice President Mary Lou McDonald TD, speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Thursday afternoon, has said the move by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to block the extension of Presidential voting rights to citizens in the north and the Diaspora in the Seanad on Wednesday was ‘gutter stuff’.
Teachta McDonald said: “The Taoiseach is in the United States this week and I have no doubt he will be meeting with representatives of Irish America as part of his visit. I welcome that. Outreach and dialogue with our diaspora is essential. I know too that the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was in Queens University Belfast last week preaching the rights of citizens in the north to the benefits of EU citizenship. Again, I welcome that, but we need more than rhetoric. We need better than parties saying one thing and doing another.”
Ms McDonald continued; “Yesterday in the Seanad, we got one of the worst examples of hypocrisy we have seen from either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil in the current term, when a Bill to give voting rights in Presidential elections to people in the north, people forced to emigrate and the Diaspora was voted down. When the opportunity to extend rights – when push came to shove – Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil both walked off the pitch. It’s gutter stuff, on an issue that should not be divisive – on an issue that’s about connecting the people of the north and the Diaspora and giving them a place in our society, that’s about giving those forced out during the economic crash a say.
The Sinn Féin Vice President noted that the Good Friday Agreement is now 18 years old and that the Agreement, “enshrined in law the rights and entitlements of Irish citizens across all of Ireland’s thirty-two counties. It didn’t give partial citizenship or second-class citizenship. It gave full Irish citizenship as a birth right.”
She concluded by urging the government to “do the decent thing, the right thing, and commit to extending Presidential voting rights to Irish citizens, in the north and in the Diaspora”.

Martin McGuinness MLA criticises British Prime Minister for Brexit summit no-show
Sinn Féin MLA Martin McGuinness has criticised the British Prime Minister for not attending a major inter-governmental summit in Wales last Friday which focused on Britain’s plans to leave the EU.
Speaking in Cardiff at a meeting of the British-Irish Council, Mr McGuinness said; “This was the first meeting of the British-Irish Council that British Prime Minister Theresa May had the opportunity to attend and she did not show up. This is the biggest issue on the political agenda it would have been hugely important for her to come along and allow members of the devolved administrations to ask questions.”
Mr McGuinness continued: “The fact that she did not attend was a missed opportunity for her to engage directly with the administrations which are facing huge implications as a result of the British Government’s actions. I fear this is further evidence that this British government doesn’t know what it’s doing and has no plan or strategy in terms of Brexit.”
The Joint First Minister called on both the British and Irish governments to recognise that the majority of people in the north voted to remain in the EU and that vote needs to be “recognised and respected”, he further stated that they should be “working to reach a situation which would afford the north designated special status within the EU.”

Sinn Féin stands by the people of Palestine – Martina Anderson MEP
Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson has said her party will continue to work to build international solidarity in support of the Palestinian people.
Speaking from Palestine last Tuesday, on the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine, Ms Anderson said; “Sinn Féin continues to support the people of Palestine and is constantly working to build solidarity at home and internationally.”
The MEP said: “Just this week I attended the Fatah congress in Palestine to show solidarity and welcomed the re-election of Mahmoud Abbas. The international community has a responsibility to support the Palestinian people and challenge the continuing human rights abuses of Israel. For our part, Sinn Féin will continue to support the people of Palestine and efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in the region.”

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