The Workers’ Party Republican Clubs condemns in the strongest terms the horrific attack that took place in the Kinnaird Avenue area of North Belfast last night. Our thoughts are with the victim, who remains in a serious condition in hospital, and with his family, friends, and the local community. We hope for his full recovery and for the party responsible to be brought before the courts to face justice without delay. This was a shocking act of violence. Making matters worse, footage of the incident has now circulated widely on social media. Many people will have witnessed deeply disturbing scenes. The psychological impact of such material should not be underestimated, and it is entirely understandable that many people feel angered, distressed, and alarmed by what they have seen. It comes as no surprise that people will demand answers when such serious crimes occur in their communities. Neither is it a shock that concerns are being raised about public safety, policing, community cohesion, immigration, and integration. Dismissing such concerns outright or attempting to silence debate only creates further resentment and mistrust. However, no worthwhile cause is advanced by seeking to exploit this incident to inflame racial tensions or spread hatred. Anyone wishing to do so offers no solutions and has no interest in justice. Their aim is not the protection of working class communities but division. The responsibility for this attack lies with the individual who carried it out. The responsibility for bringing them to justice lies with the police and courts. The responsibility of political leaders is to address the wider issues that concern local communities through democratic means rather than allowing them to fester. We urge calm in the days ahead. Working class communities have suffered enough from violence, division, and those who seek to exploit fear for political ends. Justice, accountability, and solidarity must prevail.

❌️⚽️ Ireland should not play against Israel — not in Dublin, not in Budapest, not anywhere. According to RTÉ's Tony O'Donoghue, the Football Association of Ireland is expected to announce this week that the men's national team will play Israel in a neutral venue (likely in Hungary) during their UEFA Nations League fixture scheduled for later this year. The venue is not the issue. The issue is playing at all, which legitimises a state that is currently committing genocide against the Palestinian people. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds (if not thousands) of sportspeople, have been killed by Israel during the ongoing genocide. Israeli clubs play in illegal settlements within Occupied Palestinian Territory. Israel is not only in violation of sporting spirit, but of international law. Why should Ireland play ball with them? It would be a national embarrassment. The view of Irish football supporters, as well as the view of the wider public, has been made perfectly clear. The government and the Football Association of Ireland must do the right thing and ensure that the fixtures against Israel do not go ahead. #StopTheGame #ShowIsraelTheRedCard #FreePalestine

✊🏻🚩🇮🇪 Join us at our 2026 Wolfe Tone Commemoration as we remember the father of Irish republicanism and the United Irishmen. It takes place on Sunday, 21st June, at 1.30pm in Bodenstown Cemetery, Co. Kildare. Bígí linn!

✊🏻🚩🇮🇪 #OnThisDay in 1868, James Connolly, Ireland's greatest socialist republican revolutionary, was born. Born in Cowgate, Edinburgh, Connolly's work as a trade union organiser took him to Belfast, Dublin, and America. Connolly was a leading figure within the Irish Transport and General Workers Union and the Irish Citizen Army, including during the 1913 Dublin Lockout. He is best known for his role during the 1916 Easter Rising and as one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He would, of course, be executed in Kilmainham Gaol by a British firing squad as a result. Some nationalist leaders of Connolly's time had little interest in the plight of working people. To them, freedom was simply about a change of management rather than fundamentally improving the day-to-day lives of the Irish people. Connolly, however, took a different view and criticised these sorts strongly: “Ireland without her people is nothing to me, and the man who is bubbling over with love and enthusiasm for ‘Ireland’, and can yet pass unmoved through our streets and witness all the wrong and the suffering, the shame and the degradation wrought upon the people of Ireland, aye, wrought by Irishmen upon Irishmen and women, without burning to end it, is, in my opinion, a fraud and a liar in his heart, no matter how he loves that combination of chemical elements which he is pleased to call Ireland.” Not only did Connolly seek to improve the lot of working people, but he identified where that change could ultimately ever only come from: “Only the Irish working class remain as the incorruptible inheritors of the fight for freedom in Ireland.” Even 110 years after his death, Connolly's vision, which has been carried forward through the generations to the modern-day, remains alive if unfulfilled. So it shall remain until the establishment of a 32-county socialist republic.

🇮🇪 Thanks to everybody who came to our meeting on neutrality in Palmerstown this evening. It could hardly have come at a better time, as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael continue their plans to dismantle the Triple Lock. 🗣 Gerry Rooney, former General Secretary of PDFORRA, and Padraig Mannion, Chairperson of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, spoke on the issue and the need to protect Irish neutrality, while @DavidGardinerWP, Workers' Party representative for Palmerstown-Fonthill, chaired the event. No to NATO/EU military alignment. Protect Irish neutrality.

🇮🇪 PROTECT IRISH NEUTRALITY: A final reminder that we're hosting a meeting on Irish neutrality in Palmerstown tomorrow at 7.30pm. 🗣 Speakers include Gerry Rooney, former General Secretary of the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association, and Padraig Mannion, Chairperson of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance. David Gardiner, Workers' Party representative in Palmerstown-Fonthill, will chair the event. 📍 The meeting will be held in the Palmerstown Community Council building, 24 Manor Road, D20 E270. Bígí linn!

🪖 Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are advancing their plans to dismantle the Triple Lock and to abandon Irish neutrality. Their goal is to serve the interests of Washington and Brussels by pushing Ireland closer and closer towards NATO. Working people must stand against their efforts. 📆 We're holding a meeting in Palmerstown on Wednesday at 7.30pm, which will hear Gerry Rooney, former General Secretary of PDFORRA, and Padraig Mannion, Chairperson of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, outline why we must protect Irish neutrality. Bígí linn. @DavidGardinerWP

🇮🇪 Next week, we're hosting a meeting on the need to protect Irish neutrality. It takes place on Wednesday, 3rd June, at 7.30pm in the Palmerstown Community Council building on Manor Road. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have made clear their intentions to dismantle the Triple Lock in their bid to push Ireland closer to NATO. If they succeed, Irishmen and Irishwomen will find themselves fighting and dying abroad to serve the interests of Washington and Brussels. Working people must stand firmly against that. Speakers at the meeting include Gerry Rooney, former General Secretary of the Permanent Defence Forces Representative Association, as well as Padraig Mannion, Chairperson of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance. Bígí linn! @DavidGardinerWP

It is with deepest sadness that the Workers’ Party of Ireland shares the news of the passing of our comrade Paddy Fitzsimons: a true socialist, republican, and Dubliner. Our thoughts at this time are with Paddy's family, friends, and comrades. Details of funeral arrangements can be found at the link below. Further tributes are to follow. Rest in peace, Paddy. Beidh tú inár gcuimhne go deo. rip.ie/death-notice/paddy-fi…

🇨🇺 The following statement has been issued by Revolutionary Government of Cuba explaining their ongoing situation. We send our solidarity both to them and to the resilient Cuban people as they continue down the path of socialism and sovereignty. *** The Revolutionary Government condemns in the strongest terms the despicable accusation by the United States Department of Justice announced on May 20 and proclaimed for several weeks against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution. The United States government lacks the legitimacy and jurisdiction to carry out this action. It is a despicable and infamous act of political provocation, based on the dishonest manipulation of the incident that led to the downing, in February 1996, of two aircraft operated by the Miami-based terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue over Cuban airspace, which repeated violations of Cuban airspace for hostile purposes were of common knowledge. Furthermore, the U.S. government distorts other historical truths about the event it uses as a pretext. It omits, among other details, the numerous formal complaints filed by Cuba during that period with the State Department, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding more than 25 serious and deliberate violations of Cuban airspace committed by the cited organization between 1994 and 1996, in blatant transgression of international law and U.S. legislation itself. It also ignores public and official warnings issued by Cuban authorities about the inadmissibility of such violations of its airspace and alert messages conveyed directly to the President of the United States about the seriousness and possible consequences of such transgressions. Cuba's response to the violation of its airspace constituted an act of legitimate self-defense, protected by the Charter of the United Nations, the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the principles of air sovereignty and proportionality. The United States, which has been a victim of the use of civil aviation for terrorist purposes, does not and would not permit the hostile and provocative violation of foreign aircraft over its territory and would act, as it has demonstrated, with the use of force. The inaction of the US government in the face of the warnings issued by Cuba at the time, revealed its complicity in the planning and execution from its territory of violent, illegal and terrorist actions against the Cuban government and people, a recurring and systematic practice since the triumph of the Revolution to present day. It is highly cynical that this accusation is made by the same government that has murdered nearly 200 people and destroyed 57 vessels in international waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific, far from the territory of the United States, with the disproportionate use of military force, for alleged links to drug trafficking operations that were never proven, which qualify as extrajudicial executions, in accordance with International Law, and murders, according to US laws themselves. This spurious accusation against the Leader of the Cuban Revolution adds to the desperate attempts by anti-Cuban elements to construct a fraudulent narrative in an effort to justify the collective and ruthless punishment against the noble Cuban people, through the strengthening of unilateral coercive measures, including the unjust and genocidal energy blockade and threats of armed aggression. Cuba reaffirms its commitment to peace and its firm determination to exercise the inalienable right to self-defense, recognized by the Charter of the United Nations. The Cuban people reaffirm their unwavering decision to defend the Homeland and its Socialist Revolution and, with the greatest strength and firmness, their unrestricted and unchanging support for Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, Leader of the Cuban Revolution. Homeland or Death, We Will Prevail.

"James Connolly identified that formal sovereignty without economic sovereignty is no sovereignty. The overwhelming majority of Irish exports by value are generated by foreign-owned multinationals, a dependency that successive governments have deepened rather than reduced. Shannon Airport has functioned as a US military transit hub for operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. The Irish state does not inspect those aircraft to maintain deniability." Joshua Brady-Arnold, International Secretary of the Workers' Party of Ireland, contributed to the 3rd International Anti-Fascist Conference, organised by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The full contribution can be read at workersparty.ie/imperialism-…

🏚❌️ Rents continue to rise and workers continue to struggle while the landlords continue to get richer and richer. 🏠✅️ Public housing is the solution to the housing crisis. It can provide genuinely affordable housing for working people who are struggling to rent, struggling to buy, or struggling just to keep a roof above their heads. 🔗 Read more on public housing at workersparty.ie/housing

⚛️ 🏭 This evening, we held a meeting in Belfast on nuclear power. Our Garrett Greene and Brian Molloy from @18for0 made up the panel, which was chaired by Ard Comhairle member Padraig Mannion; discussing energy security, affordability, and the future role that different energy sources must play. 🔗 Find out more on our pro-nuclear energy policy, entitled "Let's Get Real: A Plan For Nuclear Power In Ireland," at workersparty.ie/nuclear-powe…

A man has died after being restrained by private security staff following an alleged incident of shoplifting in a retail store on Dublin's Henry Street. A distressing video circulating on social media appears to show the security group applying heavy force to keep the man on the ground while a crowd watches on. At one stage, one member of security appears to push his knee into the back of the restrained man's neck, while another appears to use his hands to push the man's head to the floor. At the same time, others have placed themselves on his body. An alleged incident of shoplifting should not result in death. The man posed no threat to life and thus such an outcome cannot be justified. It should go without saying that the protection of a person's life ought to outweigh the protection of a department store's property. Questions must be asked of the training received by the security guards to deal with these incidents, as well as their rationale in using such a level of force that the man restrained ultimately died. We await the results of the ongoing investigations being carried out by Gardaí and Fiosrú with concern. Our thoughts are with the man's family and friends at this time.

The Workers’ Party notes the media coverage surrounding the resignation of Councillor Ted Tynan from Cork City Council and, in the interest of clarity, wishes to issue a correction. Despite what some publications have reported, Mr. Tynan is not a member of the Workers' Party. He was elected in 2024 as a non-party candidate¹ and is not listed as a member of any registered political party on Cork City Council's website². Jerrica Struthers, named in these reports as being set to be co-opted in Mr. Tynan's place at the June meeting of Cork City Council, is not and has never been a member of the Workers’ Party, despite being referred to as such. Our party wishes Mr. Tynan the best for the future, and hopes he has a full recovery from his present illness. — 1. 2024 Notice of Poll for Cork City North East corkcity.ie/en/council-servi… 2. Ted Tynan's profile on Cork City Council's website corkcity.ie/en/council-servi…

Brian Molloy an 18for0 member will be giving a talk at the workers part public meeting on nuclear power today. Brian is an Electrical Engineer with 40 years’ experience in nuclear industry. He is also the Technical Head for Management and Human Resource Development in the IAEA.

The invitation of Britain's King Charles III to Ireland for an official state visit is a disappointing and ultimately pointless development. Right-thinking, republican-minded people should reject such absurd notions as the divine right of kings, and should not entertain those whose status is based upon such a flawed foundation. The likes of Wolfe Tone, Emmet, Pearse, and Connolly did not envision an Ireland where the red carpet would be rolled out for such figures at the expense of the taxpayer. Building relationships with those on the neighbouring island is better achieved through dialogue with those who can lay claim to a democratic mandate. While the politicians in the House of Commons may do a poor job of representing the interests of their people, they surely have a better chance than an unelected man who, at the expense of the masses yet totally divorced from their reality, lives in luxury in a series of palaces. Likewise, hosting the British monarch will do little to improve north-south relationships in this country; something which can be better achieved through the avenues available on this island. “We will not blame him for the crimes of his ancestors if he relinquishes the royal rights of his ancestors; but as long as he claims their rights, by virtue of descent, then, by virtue of descent, he must shoulder the responsibility for their crimes.” — James Connolly.

⚛️🏭 We're hosting a public meeting on the need for nuclear power in Ireland. It takes place in the Connolly Centre tomorrow at 7pm. Speakers will include Brian Molloy from @18for0 and our Garrett Greene. The discussion will explore our pro-nuclear energy policy, as well as energy security, affordability, environmental impact, climate targets, and the future role that different energy sources must play. Bígí linn!

🏚❌️ South Dublin County Council is set to increase rents by 25%; a move that targets struggling working people while failing to address fundamental issues with the state's housing policy, according to @DavidGardinerWP, Workers’ Party representative for Palmerstown-Fonthill. Gardiner said: “The idea that South Dublin County Council should increase rents on working people at a time when so many are already struggling is a brutal one. Workers already feel the cost-of-living crisis in their lives on a daily basis, and this will only worsen it by taking more money out of people's pockets.” “For decades, the state has shirked its responsibilities on housing; refusing to accept the responsibility of being the leading housing provider like it was in the past, in order to push people towards the private market to the benefit of the profiteers.” “Ultimately, the only way to secure high-quality and genuinely affordable accommodation for working people is the mass construction of public housing. It would provide for social housing tenants as well as those struggling to buy and to rent privately, bringing more revenue into state coffers and allowing the state to provide housing for working people for generations to come.”

🇰🇪 The Workers’ Party of Ireland condemns the arrest, intimidation and harassment of anti-imperialist activists and international delegates in Nairobi, Kenya, following demonstrations against imperialism. These arrests expose the anti-democratic and repressive character of a backwards regime, which continues to defend imperialist and corporate interests while criminalising solidarity with oppressed peoples. Those detained include respected activists, organisers and intellectuals from Kenya and across the world whose only “crime” is opposing imperialism, militarisation and neocolonial domination in Africa. The detention of international delegates demonstrates the fear of growing international solidarity between progressive and revolutionary forces. History, in Ireland and beyond, has shown that repression, police intimidation and political persecution cannot defeat the struggle of working people for liberation. The Workers’ Party of Ireland demands the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested and calls for an end to state repression against anti-imperialist and democratic movements in Kenya.