The Irish National Liberation Solidarity Front (INLSF) was a pro-Irish and anti-imperialist organisation founded in 1969. It was set up by Maoists active in the British Vietnam Solidarity Front (BVSF) , itself a ‘front’ organisation for the Revolutionary Marxist-Leninist League (RMLL).
It was founded by Edward Davoren and Joe O’Neill, who became secretary and chair, respectively. Lasting two years, the INLSF shed its exclusively Irish focus by mid-1971, becoming the Revolutionary Communist League. Between 1970 and 1971, it published its newspaper, the Irish Liberation Press, which was almost entirely written and edited by Davoren.
The INSLF was infiltrated by HN347 ‘Alex Sloan’ between January and August 1971. According to Norman Temple, who was a member at the time, Sloane was accused by O’Neill of being an undercover. Contemporaries, like Temple, also believe that the INSLF was infiltrated a year earlier by an individual named Dick Jackson, although this has not been corroborated.
A more detailed account of the interaction between Special Branch and the INSLF can be found here: Special Branch and the Irish National Liberation Solidarity Front.
Based in and around north London, the INSLF began by organising protests and events focusing on Irish solidarity. For this purpose, it started to publish the Irish Liberation Press, which soon became the main focus of the group, with members tasked with the sale and distribution of the paper. In London, members focused on selling the paper in Irish pubs, which was supplemented by sales trips to cities with sizeable Irish populations, such as Birmingham and Coventry.
On one occasion, a small group from the INSLF went to the Republic of Ireland and to north London, where the INSLF began by organising protests and events that focused on Northern Ireland to sell papers, which they did with the permission of the Provisional IRA through O’Neill’s contacts.
A split and subsequent change of focus of the INSLF occurred in mid-1971, following suspicions that Davoren was moving the organisation away from an exclusively Irish focus, leading to some members leaving the organisation. Renaming itself the Revolutionary Communist League, the remainder of the group continued to be dominated by Davoren and replaced the Irish Liberation Press with the Voice of the People.
Sources
Transcript of Dr Norman Temple from UCPI Tranche 1 (Phase 2) Evidence Hearings, Day 4, 26 April 2021
Dónal O'Driscoll. Special Branch and the Irish National Liberation Solidarity Front.