madeitouttobe. Even before the strike began, Mason had flown over 2,000 extra troops to the 6 Counties. He had assured the Loyalist opulation that they would not be used against the strike but werebeing brought in tocounter *any advantage the Provisional IRA might take of the situation"
And Mason kept his word. On the opening days of the stoppage thetroops were completely absent from the hardline Loyalistareas of the Shankhill, Sandy Row and Ease Belfast.
On the Catholic Falls Road they paraded as normal.
That was one political victory for the strikers.
But the most important victory came on Thursday night HACI Mason met the shop stewards of the Ballylumford power station. Already workershad voled in support of the tougher security measures demanded by Paisley and the rest of the bigots on the Unionist Action Council. They came to Mason seeing what he would give them, and the Northern Ireland Secretary was only too PEACE PEOPLE IN PIECES BST-ANC Ha IO SonaH of tha British media, tha Peace People, have not bean FNOCUYOHEUT Stre HIHHS, OrTOr SRaL 1901551 by their other supportere, thi Momind Star. But the obriou reason for this lack of interast in only bean amharrassmentu lo report In the bulld up to the stoppage the Peace People sald they ware reedy to mobilise demonstrsHon or DuDiC IHon This was followed by Belly Williams, one of the big three Pasce People, calling upen the Northem population to 'slend TIrm SOaMIST NO SENNOS Ma Willlams conveyod thin advico through a cabia from an Than on Saturday 7 May the Pasco Pooole heid ihalr pro The Unionist Action Committee's strike in the North of Ireland was NOT the total political failure that the British media have glad to oblige.
In a statement following the meting Mason promised: * The Royal Ulster Constabulary would be built up to a strength of 6,500; * The RUC would he provided with more modern weapons, equipment and vehicles. * The Uister Defence Regiment full-time strength would increased to 1,800 and furtber increases are being considered; * The laws dealing with 'terrorist' offences would be reviewed; * Increased emphasis would be placed on 'covert techniques" in "combatting terrorism'; * The number of security forces involved in SAS-type operations has been doubled and this trend will continue*.
So for all Mason's swaggering talk about 'standing up' to the Loyalist thugs, by the third day of the stoppage he had already gonc a long way to meting one of the main demands of Paisley's strikers — increased repression of the Catholic communityBythethird day of the strike as well it had become patently obvious that the type of repression now earmarked for the Catholic ghettos would not get within shooting distance of the Loyalist strikers. An incident in Sandy Row on thesecond day of the strike illustrates this.
Loyalists had blocked a number of streets leading into the city centre. When the RUC arrived on the scene they went uptothepicker lines and chatted freely, li was only when the television cameras arrived chat those blocking the roud were ever-so-gently directed 1o the pavement. As the newsreader on Northern Ireland BBC television said, commenting on the first day of the strike, the police kepi a "low profile'.
Certainly as che strike went on and the Action Council did not get the support expected the RUC gora bit more daring. Bureven then it was only after they themselves had been assaulted that the encounters got a bit ugly.
reason for profile" policy was clear addition to their usual partisanshiptothe Loyaliststhey did not would cause a reaction against the 'security forces', When the Army go into Catholic areas they don't worry about such things, but the Belfast Loyalists are considered a much more 'On the opening days of the stoppage the troops were completely absent from the hardline Loyalist areas of the Shankill, Sandy Row and East Belfast. On the Cathobe lic Falls Road they paraded as normal."
sensitive breed It was obvious why the British Covernment were concerned about over-realing.
Unionist opponents of the strike had one thing in common; they they had low to do anyching which Harry West, All the