Connolly Youth Movement

The Connolly Youth Movement (CYM, ) is an all-Ireland communist youth organisation named after revolutionary socialist, James Connolly. From its founding in 1963 until 2021, CYM was affiliated with the Communist Party of Ireland. The CYM is Marxist–Leninist, supports a united Ireland, and opposes the Good Friday Agreement and European Union. It is a member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.

History and current status

The Connolly Youth Movement (CYM) was founded in 1963 by young people who were influenced by the Communist Party during the Dublin Housing Action struggle. In 1970, with the merger of the Irish Workers' Party and Communist Party of Northern Ireland, to form the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI), the Northern Ireland Young Communist League joined the CYM, with Madge Davison as its general secretary. The CYM disbanded in 1991 due to a reduction in membership following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and eastern and central European bloc and the resulting political crisis in the World Communist Movement. However, following the resurgence of the left and anti-capitalist movement in Ireland, the CYM re-formed in 2002, grouped mainly around young members of the Dublin Branch of the CPI and student activists at NUI Galway. The Connolly Youth Movement has relations with a number of young communist organisations around the world. The CYM attends the :Meeting of European Communist Youth Organizations (MECYO).

The CYM supported the programme of the Communist Party of Ireland until a vote of the membership rescinded it at an Extraordinary Ard Fheis on 9 January 2021. The Communist Party issued a statement saying that, shortly before the split, several dual (CPI-CYM) members had been expelled for breaches of discipline and factional behaviour.

Policies and ideology

The CYM is constitutionally a Marxist-Leninist organisation. It opposes the Good Friday Agreement and the European Union. In July 2022 it published a new programme, ''Cause of Youth, Cause of Ireland.'' This included a commitment to Irish unity, revival of Irish culture and promotion of the Irish language, civil rights, free education, free healthcare on an all-Ireland basis, action on climate change, a public housing programme, international solidarity, and "a comprehensive system of worker's rights".

In 2020, CYM's then General Secretary Alex Homits stated that "poverty and trafficking are the leading creators of sex workers." The CYM have offered solidarity to those engaged in sex work, and support for decriminalisation of the purchase of sex.

The CYM condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an "inter-capitalist conflict" and a "highly dangerous and irresponsible course of action which will lead to the loss of many lives and create a fusebox of conflict". It criticised the Ukrainian government and said the eastward enlargement of NATO was a cause of the war. The CYM also recognizes the Russian-controlled breakaway states of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in Ukraine.

The CYM has denied China's human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

The CYM opposed the Israeli invasion of Gaza, calling it a genocide, and supported calls to expel the Israeli ambassador. Previously they have also called for the release of Palestinian political prisoner and expressed support for Palestinian self-determination and opposition to Israel's illegal settlements in the West Bank. The CYM is also a supporter of the BDS campaign.

Activities

In 2017, members of the Cork branch of the Connolly Youth Movement occupied and re-purposed three derelict buildings near UCC as part of an initiative to highlight rising levels of homelessness. In 2018, two of these buildings were repossessed by the Garda Emergency Response Unit acting in conjunction with a contractor for the O'Dwyer Asset Management Company that owned the vacant properties. The first occupation, still ongoing as of 2021, is referred to as Connolly Barracks by the organisation.

The Connolly Youth Movement was involved in highly publicised instances of direct action in 2018 and 2019 when members of the movement disrupted Fine Gael public meetings in Cork in protest of government policy on homelessness and wealth inequality. One such action was criticised by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who stated "I think no matter what political party you come from or what your political views, we should all be committed to democracy and freedom of speech and trying to shout other people down and trying to shut down their meetings is profoundly anti-democratic". The CYM responded that it had a right to challenge and question the government on policy issues. In a March 2020 interview, CYM General Secretary Alex Homits said "Socialism will not and cannot be delivered through the ballot box and the CYM and its membership will not lie about this or endorse those who do".

In July 2020, Connolly Youth activists, supported by members of Saoradh, the Irish Republican Socialist Party and Lasair Dhearg, smashed an Irish Freedom Party stall in Belfast.

In March 2023, members of the Connolly Youth Movement disrupted an event in Dublin City University where Bertie Ahern was receiving an honorary doctorate, calling him an "architect of the financial crisis" before being removed from the venue.

In June 2023, Connolly Youth activists holding an anti-NATO banner disrupted a forum discussing Irish defence policy. Micheál Martin, who was giving a speech, accused them of being undemocratic and trying to shut down debate.

Publications

The CYM irregularly publishes a print magazine titled ''Forward,'' with online articles published under the same title.

Affiliations

* World Federation of Democratic Youth

Prominent past members of CYM

* Madge Davison – served as General Secretary of the CYM.
* Declan Bree – served as Chairperson of the CYM
* Manus O'Riordan – served on the executive committee of the CYM

References

External links

*

Archive of Forward Issues

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All-Ireland political parties
Communist parties in Ireland
Communist parties in Northern Ireland
All-Ireland organisations
Irish republican organisations