BY AHMAD HAGHIGHAT AND PATTIE KELLY
TORONTO - "The British Government has failed miserably to break the nationalist movement," stated Sinn Fein youth leader Maeve McLaughlin at a public meeting here January 17. "[British prime minister] John Major, in desperation, has tried to sabotage peace. But one thing Major overlooks is that, after he is gone, the republican movement will continue."

McLaughlin, 27, and Marion Donaghy, 19, are currently on a tour of Canadian universities and high schools. The tour of the two youth from Northern Ireland is sponsored by various Irish activist groups in Toronto and Montreal, as well as the Ontario Public Interest Research Group. It is aimed at broadening solidarity with the Irish struggle and explaining the reality in Ireland today.

"The tour is a learning experience for ourselves," explained McLaughlin. "In terms of making links, we will work with anyone who is willing to work with us. Connections are vital to defeat our oppressors."

Being involved in the national struggle "is not a choice. Politics is your life, a reality," said McLaughlin.

Donaghy, whose father was arrested and imprisoned when she was four years old, described the years of harassment and intimidation she endured, as well as interrogation at the age of five. At a meeting at the University of Toronto she told an audience of more than 150, "I joined Sinn Fein so that I could have a voice."

The meeting at the University of Toronto, held January 15, was chaired by Faisal Moola, a young South African. He spoke enthusiastically about the connection between the struggle of the South African people and that of the Irish people. He described how he and his family had sought refuge in Ireland during apartheid because of their association with the African National Congress, and hailed the solidarity of the Irish people.

McLaughlin agreed, saying that "the links between Belfast and South Africa have existed a long time; they existed before I was born."

During the discussion, the two Irish youth said they were inspired by their meeting with Native activists earlier that day. One participant in the audience also pointed out that similar links exist between the oppression of the Irish and the oppression of the Quebecois, who were marching through the streets in Quebec last October chanting, "We want a country!" The meeting was recorded for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio and broadcast twice the next day. Clips of the meeting were shown on CBC Television.

In addition to visiting seven universities in the Toronto and the surrounding area, the Irish activists also spoke at six high schools. They said the reception they received was extremely positive and encouraging, with 400 students attending at one high school meeting. Other activities in Toronto included a public screening of the video The Law And The Order, a documentary exposing the violent nature of the Orange marches - parades organized by Protestant Loyalists through predominantly Catholic areas aimed at intimidating and terrorizing the neighborhood. About 70 people attended.

Upcoming solidarity events in Toronto include a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, to be held at the Ontario Federation of Labor Hall February 1. Bloody Sunday occurred on Jan. 30, 1972, when 13 civil rights protesters were killed by the British Army in Derry, Northern Ireland.

The two Sinn Fein youth leaders will then head on to Ottawa, where they will speak at Ottawa University and Carlton University and will conduct a television interview. They will conclude their tour in Montreal, where they will speak at Concordia University and at a premier of the film Some Mother's Son, a film about the hunger strikes by Irish political prisoners.  
 
 
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