ADDS: Coleman is the Irish Northern Aid Committee
political education director.

"Coleman is the Irish Northern Aid Committee
political education director."

Gonzo, you hit the nail on the head. Not only that, all Coleman has to do is check the internet and see who are Galloway 's neo marxist sympathisers and friends and he comes up with Sinn Fein.

"George Galloway ...............................An ex secretary of War on Want, he opposed the purging of militant, identifies with Sinn Fein and has sympathies with the PLO,"
http://www.kelvinsnp.org/2/kelvin.html

Much to Paisley and the UK government's delight many more Sinn Fein representatives can be prepared to get their visa's blocked from entry to the US.

I was referring to Senator Norm **Coleman**
who was George Galloway's accuser and not Gerry **Coleman**.

I thought that Rita O'Hare was a US citizen or at least a landed immigrant. Whenever there was a comment attributed to her, she was always here in the US making the comment. Also, I haven't heard anything from her lately that would cause any alarm in Washington. This is probably just a tempest in a teapot.

I thought that if she was a US citizen and US resident she couldn't be a member of SF ?

Well, it appears that she is not a citizen (hence the need for the visa), so she can be an SF member. Anyway, I erroneously classified her as a Friend of Sinn Fein here in the States.

Clearly "my bad" as we say over here. I just checked back in An Phoblacht from 1997 (when they still called it "NORAID") and found SF blaze trail across US with the following statement:

Since Martin McGuinness arrived in the US 14 days ago the Sinn Fein presence in America has not let up. At present the party's two main information officers, Rita O'Hare and Richard McAuley, are in the US.

out of Interest - is the arrest warrant for Ms O'Hare still valid ? Does she count as an "OTR" ?

what's this about being a US citizen and SF member. They are not mutual exclusive - you can be both.

Davros, Alan do you think that US citizens can't be members of SF??

Hensons - there's some confusion as to membership qualification. AFAIK - One has to be an Irish resident, hence our Irish American cousins cannot join SF. How long after leaving Ireland does one have to resign from SF ? And do you know if the arrest warrant is still valid in respect of Ms O'Hare ? Could this be part of her visa problem ?

"what's this about being a US citizen and SF member. They are not mutual exclusive - you can be both"

Correct but you must live in Ireland to be a member of Sinn Féin.

Chris - so how come there was a cuban resident who was a member of SF ?

"Chris - so how come there was a cuban resident who was a member of SF ?"

Sinn Féin representatives are different

Are they not SF members ?

And - is the arrest warrent issued against Ms O'Hare still valid ?

not to my knowledge, the constitution doesn't allow it.

That said there could be a special dispensation for Sinn Féin reps abroad

"And - is the arrest warrent issued against Ms O'Hare still valid ?"

I don't know anything about that

It was still active in 1996. Post 9/11 these sorts of things have assumed a new significance in the mind of Bush's America.

From Hansard:

Written Answers to Questions
Friday 1 March 1996

>
>
>
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the arrest of Miss Rita O'Hare is still sought; and what attempts have been made to extradite her from the Irish Republic. [17099]

1 Mar 1996 : Column: 730

Sir Patrick Mayhew: The arrest warrant for Ms O'Hare is still outstanding and has not been withdrawn.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary made a request to have Ms O'Hare extradited from the Republic of Ireland. However, she successfully relied on the political offence defence and won her case against extradition in the High Court in Dublin in March 1978.

never knew that you had to be resident in ireland to be a member..hang on what about the SF EU staff living in Brussels.

This is a disgraceful decision.

O'Hare is denied access by US State quoting her IRA past.

McGuinness is granted access by US State ignoring his IRA present (According to Michael McDowell, Irish Justice Minister)

So - gross hypocrisy. They should BOTH be banned from travelling to the USA.

"So - gross hypocrisy. They should BOTH be banned from travelling to the USA."

David, the way the US system has changed dramatically since 9/11 you will probably find all DUP and all SF polititcans will find it hard to get a visa to travel to the US.

I have yet to hear the UK or Irish Government state that leading members of the DUP have a simultaneous membership of a depraved paramilitary group. The same cannot be said of Sinn Fein/IRA.

US State is a mass of contradictions and Condi Rice has her work cut out.

Post 9/11, the US should keep ALL terrorists out - and no exceptions for snake-oil salesmen from Sinn Fein.

"Post 9/11, the US should keep ALL terrorists out - and no exceptions for snake-oil salesmen from Sinn Fein."

Tut Tut David, you are the pot calling the kettle black. You forget both Paisley and Robinson have criminal records.as well Robinson was arrested and fined £12,000 quid for hanky panky work in the early hours of the morning with the Ulster Resistance over the border a while back. And Paisley was in jail once. So they have criminal records, and thats enough to stop their visa's to enter the US, if Condi wants to put her foot down .

Wheras UUP MP lady Hermon is as squeaky clean as a whistle and can get into the US whenever she wishes.

Do any of the above have arrest warrants outstanding, aka "On The Run" ?

(whether they should or not is a different matter )

I believe there is an international parliamentary convention that all the signatories who recognise each other as democracies (which the US and UK obviously do) agree to allow unfettered access to each other's elected parliamentary representatives. As Martin McGuinness is an elected member at Westminster that applies to him.

Whether this has altered since 9/11 I don't know.

Yes George2,

Here's a challenge for you. Could you share with us the status of the Ulster Unionist's Washington "office"?

You appear rather ill-informed as to what a terrorist is. Not surprising - after all, the UUP seem to share the same weakness.

Can I just say that the removal of the first line of my last post - a direct response to what George2 has said - is irritating.

"You appear rather ill-informed as to what a terrorist is. Not surprising - after all, the UUP seem to share the same weakness."

DV, I think you are the one who is ill-informed regards US Embassy rules for allowing non Americans into their country. One dosn't have to be a terroist to get a visa stopped. All one has to have is a criminal record IE (Fined or been in jail for breaking the law) to get a visa stopped on a techinical matter.

Maggie Thatcher's son had his visa stopped and he isn't listed as a terrorist. Next you will be denying Robinson was not fined 12 grand or Paisley was ever in jail.

At the risk of thread creep, can I ask David Vance if he thinks the self-confessed terrorist Luis Posada Carriles should be extradited from the US to Venezuela?

George2, it is even more strict than that - you can be prevented from entering the US just by having been arrested, even if you were not convicted, according to the UK FCO.

Davros

I don't think the UK is seeking Rita O'Hare's extradition any more. Just a vague remembrance, rather than having checked.

Was watching the Cup final there. Man Utd were robbed.

http://www.u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=60553&pt=n

Mr McGuinness said: "We are concerned about the refusal to grant a visa waiver to Rita O`Hare, someone who has made a huge contribution to the peace process, who has travelled extensively throughout the United States over many years now, promoting the peace process, and has built up many vitally important contacts."

Think we scooped the story.

"George2, it is even more strict than that - you can be prevented from entering the US just by having been arrested, even if you were not convicted, according to the UK FCO."

CS, I dare say you are correct, the UK FCO are very strict on who they let us UK passports to travel out of the country. But I doubt if Martin Magennis, Rita O'Hare (or any SF member) every try to travel to the US on a UK passport.

On their Irish passports they probably all have squeaky clean records. One must also realise these are not tourist visa's they travel on. They are special visa's to go to the US as representatives of Sinn Fein.

However the US press are certainly not hiding their past history or SF connection to the PIRA by this article.

Sinn Fein's Washington representative barred from traveling to U.S

[link modified for format]

David Vance - I expected better of you than whining. Take complaint to Mick. I read your 'badinage' as a grossly offensive "jest" about alzheimer's disease.
Lady Hermon is entitled to the same courtesy as was extended to you on this site when another poster made an inappropriate remark.

An interesting and subtle spin on the issue by Shawn Ppgatchnik George. While he mentions that Ms O'Hare is on the run having jumped bail while "awaiting trial for attempted murder of British soldiers and remains subject to arrest if she returns to the British territory" this isn't the whole story. With the spun version there is wriggle-room ... however even if she wasn't OTR she would still need a waiver having previously been in Jail.

From a rather splendidly spun biography:

Sinn Fien Introduction Speech (sic)

In 1971, she was jailed for her activity in the struggle and upon her release from prison later that year was shot and badly wounded by the British Army. Shortly thereafter, she moved with her family to Dublin where she continues to live today.

Just to say that whoever has been editing my comments today on this site has been absoltely outrageous. If this is how it is on the new soaraway Slugger, you're welcome to it. Bye.

Bye, DV!

Davros, thanks for the link to the Georgetown U. Irish American Society web page. Please check out the Irish American Society Pictures, particularly the Members of the 2003-2004 Executive Board, minus Heather. I also liked the girls in the St. Patty's Day Hats.

this is the real sean , I had nothing whatsoever to do with a heresy --Sinn fein need the stoops or that sinn fein are obstacle to a united Ireland.being left on another post claiming to come from me ,there is a stoop clone out there.

Was watching the Cup final there. Man Utd were robbed.

He he he !

"however even if she wasn't OTR she would still need a waiver having previously been in Jail."

Davros, how come an Irish citizen (which i take Ms O'Hare is) needs a waiver to travel to the US on an Irish passport if she never went to Jail in EIRE?

George the point is that she has a previous conviction. That it wasn't in the Jurisdiction of the country under whose passport she travels is neither here nor there... and to add some interest - it probably IS her position that it was in Irish Jurisdiction - and at the time committed the ROI would also have been claiming that it was in their jurisdiction.The waiver is in respect of the USA , not in respect of the ROI.

Davros,

yeah you could be right it was the irish Jurisdition. Just curious had she registered to go on holiday to Florida for three weeks with her family would she got the same rejection. No big deal.

George2,

I can't answer for the US State Dept., but the logic (if there is any) would have to be as follows:

1. A visa to enter the USA is not a right, but a privilege.

2. Anyone with a criminal record can be excluded from entry to the USA.

3. The State Dept. (or Homeland Security, I would think) can provide a waiver to #2 as long as they know exactly where in the USA the visa holder is going and for how long.

Therefore, if she said she was going to Disney World in Orlando for 3 weeks and actually went there, that should be OK.

"Therefore, if she said she was going to Disney World in Orlando for 3 weeks and actually went there, that should be OK"

Alan, Thats what I thought. Its because she is a representative of SF, and the last time she visited the US apparently she breached the waiver and traveled to places she had not said she was going to visit. So she has been refused this time as a slap on the wrist.

George2:

"CS, I dare say you are correct, the UK FCO are very strict on who they let us UK passports to travel out of the country. "

I find your opinion that the UK FCO restricts outward travel to be suspicious, and probably related to some political axe you have to grind, so I'll be careful about your posts in the future. The restriction is not from the UK FCO, it is from the US government. Here's a quote from the US Irish embassy website :

===============================================

I have a criminal record or have been arrested. Can I go to the States?

A. Convictions for some types of crime create a permanent ineligibility to enter the U.S., while others do not. In addition, some types of arrest can complicate the question of travel to the U.S. without a visa. Please visit the Department of State's website for more information about Classes of Persons Ineligible to receive Visas and Waiver of Ineligibility information.

CS
Could you not say that every poster on slugger has a political axe to grind someway or other. Why would they post on a political website otherwise?