Sir Roger David Casement (1864-1916), 3 August 1916, hanged for treason... Options

[Christophe]

(IMG:http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/graphics/casement2.jpg)

Sir Roger David Casement (1864-1916), the British traitor and Irish nationalist hero, was hanged by the British in mid-1916 for his part in working with Germany and Irish nationalists in planning the Dublin Easter Rising of 1916.

Born in Dublin on 1 September 1864 the son of a Protestant father and Catholic mother, Casement served for many years as a distinguished British Consul in Mozambique, Angola, the Congo Free State and Brazil.

He gained international renown for his Consular reports criticising the treatment of native workers in the Congo and Amazon. As a consequence of his reports Belgium notably overhauled its administration of the Congo in 1908. Casement himself was rewarded with a knighthood in 1911, the same year he retired from the diplomatic service in ill-health and established himself in Dublin.

Casement helped to form in 1913 the Irish National Volunteers, a nationalist organisation. The following year, in July 1914, Casement visited New York in an attempt to garner support for the organisation. With the outbreak of war the following month Casement similarly hoped for German assistance in gaining Irish independence from Britain.

With this in mind Casement travelled to Berlin in November 1914; once there however he found the Germans reluctant to undertake the risk of sending forces to Ireland. He was also disappointed in his hopes of recruiting to his cause Irish prisoners taken to Germany.

While in Germany Casement strove in particular to effectively borrow a number of German officers to assist with a planned Easter rising in Dublin; again, he was disappointed. Believing the planned rising unlikely to succeed at that stage Casement arranged to be taken by German submarine to Ireland where he hoped to dissuade nationalist leaders from undertaking rebellion for the present.

Consequently he was landed near Tralee in County Kerry on 12 April 1916. Twelve days later he was arrested by the British, taken to London, and charged with treason. At about this time copies of a diary (the 'Black Diary') reputed to be written by Casement were circulated among government officials, detailing alleged homosexual practices with native boys.

Although clearly an attempt by the British to discredit Casement the diaries' authenticity was verified by an independent panel of scholars in 1959 and, more recently, in 2002. With an appeal dismissed Casement was taken to Pentonville Prison in London where he was hanged on 3 August 1916.

In 1965 Casement's remains were returned to Dublin and afforded a state funeral; they were then re-interred in Dublin.


Biography

[Tom McB]

There's a awful irony here.
Many nationalists cannot accept that Casement was gay.

Example.

Even now the homophobia that the government exploited so well is alive in Ireland.

Why can people not accept that he was a patriot and gay?

[Christophe]

I already read your 'example'. I think that's sad too... It's just the narrow-mindedness of people and surely RELIGION... (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) That's the -very basic now- meaning of religion in my eyes: Preach tolerance and act as INTOLERANT as you can...
Religion is a poison, it should be swept of the earth. Religion is only in the benefit of populists like Bush, Bin Laden and the likes... It only serves to keep people ignorant and keep them oppressed.
That's one of the things I deplore in Ireland: that catholic belief that's so hard to keep out of everything. It's like that in other countries too, catholic or not, but still quite a bit more in Ireland... I think the Gay community should organise a parade as in Berlin and other big European cities: Gay Pride, Love Parade, Gay parade and all that stuff...
Manhood shall only be really free to think when it's freed of religion...


Greetings from a realist and therefore a staunch atheïst. Or humanist if you like...
(Respect for Robin Cook in that -and other- matter.)


P.S. A god is fiction, the bible is science fiction and I've read some better stuff than that in the fairy tales section... (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
(IMG:http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/images/iheusymbol.gif)

[Tom McB]

I would agree with you but I wouldn't recommend that you say that in Ireland.

A gay pride parade in Ireland (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

I think that you'll find it ironic that a lot of Irish gays have gone to London etc- much more tolerance there.

[Christophe]

I would agree with you but I wouldn't recommend that you say that in Ireland.

A gay pride parade in Ireland (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

I think that you'll find it ironic that a lot of Irish gays have gone to London etc- much more tolerance there.

You really don't know me... (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I think I would, actually...
If they would ask me to join/help/participate etc: Immediately...
There's an anecdote about me in my last year in school (18y):
(I'll keep it short)

My -conservative catholic- school had the habit of 'celebrating' a mass -yawn- every time they could: Starting of the year, christmas, easter, ending of the year, graduation...

At masses, teachers new I would never make the sign of the cross or pray and all that crap (let alone go to communion).There were other pupils as well, mind you...
But at the graduation mass I was the only one -it did feel odd I can assure you- sticking to my principles... Boy oh boy, I've never been eyed so much in my life as then... Certainly the moment when every SINGLE one of them goes to communion and you're the only one remaining seated. (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

My point is: I stick to my principles and I certainly won't hide them... I'm not an idiot screaming it from the roof and having to let everybody know, but if they want to know, they will, even if that'll make me impopular in certain company, I don't care... I respect other people's meaning as well (as long as they aren't neo-nazi scum) as long as they remain civilized...

So, as a hetero: I would stand for those gay people yes... I just don't like that narrow mindedness some people have. It's even not their business...
What right has that cunt of a pope to have a meaning about millions of other people's private lives and way of living? The church is already -undirectly- responsible for million of HIV contaminations because they take offense of a piece of rubber...
The world isn't ranting every day about him having been in the Hitlerjügend, is it?

Pfff, I'll stop it here: I can get pretty wind up about religion and their dogmatic leaders... (IMG:http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
At least I'm tolerant about religion...

[jamescarragher]

Was he hanged in Kilmainham?

[Christophe]

"With an appeal dismissed Casement was taken to Pentonville Prison in London where he was hanged on 3 August 1916."