The Communist Party of Great Britain’s position on the British-imposed Treaty and Irish Civil War passed at its 5th Congress in October, 1922.

‘Resolution on Ireland’ by the Communist Party of Great Britain from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 2 No. 89. October 17, 1922.

The Communist Party of Great Britain feels compelled to call the attention of the working masses of Britain and other countries to the reign of terror established once again by British Imperialism in Ireland. Having failed to conquer the Irish nation by its own army it has bribed the capitalist and the landlord class of Ireland with the so-called “Treaty” to become the instrument of Imperialist oppression. True to their class interests they have accepted the money, the guns, the military equipment of Britain to subdue the heroic Republican army, still maintaining the traditional struggle for Irish emancipation, to whom are rallying the Workers and peasants of Ireland who have throughout borne the brunt of the fight.

True to their instinctive hatred of the working masses, they have produced their own Black and Tans in Free State uniform to kill and torture, to banish and imprison their fellow countrymen who dared to continue to fight for what they themselves have betrayed.

Thus have they made clear to all the world who are the real standard bearers of national and social freedom; thus have they demonstrated that the fight against Imperialism is the fight of the working class against the capitalist class of the world.

We congratulate the Irish Republican Army on its magnificent struggle against British Imperialism represented by the Irish Free State Government.

We heartily agree with the Communist Party of Ireland in rendering assistance to the Irish Republican Army and call upon the workers and peasants of Ireland to rally behind these forces as a means to the creation of a Workers’ and Peasants’ Republic of Ireland, upon the basis of the Social Program already accepted by the best and foremost Republicans.

We appeal to the rank and file of the Irish labor movement to be true to the cause for which their leader James Connolly sacrificed his life, to dismiss the leadership of today, and rally to a new leadership which will dare to line up the forces of Labor with the Communist Party of Ireland and the I.R.A. in the fight against Imperialism.

This is the only way the workers and peasants of Ireland can defeat the forces of reaction and secure the Workers’ Republic to which they are pledged. To this end the Communist Party of Great Britain pledges every possible assistance to the present revolutionary forces in Ireland, and as a first step suggests the establishment of Hands Off Ireland Committees to prevent the transport of munitions to the Imperialist Free State butchers. We are confident that in so doing we can deliver the greatest blow to British Imperialism and pave the way to a Federation of the Workers’ Republics of the World.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/inprecor/1922/v02n089-x-supp-oct-17-1922-Inprecor.pdf