Tomás Ó Flatharta

Gareth Peirce is a dedicated lawyer who, for the last 30 years, has defended “suspect communities” against state attacks.  In the 1970’s successive British governments targeted Irish people living in Britain and many individuals were framed, tortured, and forced to spend several years in jail for IRA bombings they did not commit.

Peirce came to public attention for tirelessly defending individuals in cases such as the Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four, Judith Ward and Danny McNamee.  She delivered the Law Society of Ireland 2011 Human Rights Lecture on May 10 in Dublin.

http://www.humanrights.ie/index.php/tag/law-society/

John Meehan reports.

On March 14 1991 the free man Paddy Hill grabbed a microphone outside the London Old Bailey Court where the Birmingham Six were finally released, and told the world that the Judges inside the building behind him “did not even understand” the word Justice.

Gareth Pierce marked the 20th anniversary of the release with a Guardian article pointing out lessons from that era had been ignored, and today the British state is trying to create another “suspect community” : Muslims.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/mar/12/gareth-peirce-birmingham-six

The Law Society Meeting Room was packed – Scattered among the large crowd were many activists from the Miscarriage of Justice Campaign  in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. One was Michael Farrell, who texted me and many other people about the meeting.

Some are no longer with us – notably Thom McGinty (the Diceman) who starred as “British Justice” in a huge Dublin “Parade of Innocence” protest march against the Birmingham Six frame-up in 1989 :

http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/1375/troubled-images-posters-1-10 Read the rest of this entry »