State Violence by Raymond Murray Page A

off. Only after a few hours that I began to think more about it. In the beginning it didn’t seem loud but after a while seemed the only thing that mattered, nothing seemed to matter only the noise. After a while your hands and arms were numb. I imagined I was on a round wall, kept thinking it was a massive big pillar, kept thinking there was a roundness on the wall. After, I don’t know how long, I think I fainted, was lifted up again. They got my arms and wound them round.
    From I went in till the time I was taken away for the Removal Order I thought it was a few days. I was against the wall all that time except for the short interrogations. At the time the first interrogation came it just seemed an endless time against the wall. I know I had collapsed a few times. If you made any movement, if your hand crumbled, they would bang your hand against the wall, give you the odd dig in the ribs to remember you to stand right. One time I did fall I was left there for a good while but I am not sure if this was after the Removal Order or before it.

First Interrogation
    Brought out for the first interrogation, I was lying on the ground. They trailed me along the ground by the collar of the overall. I know I was trailed off something, like a short stage, a few feet high or more, two of them trailing me, kicked and punched, seemed a long distance. All darkness. Brought into a room. I was sat on the floor. On the first occasion the hood wasn’t removed, but after that at the other interrogations the hood was rolled up but only up to my nose.
    The first interrogation was very short. A voice just said, ‘You wanted to see me’. I never answered. The voice said again, ‘Have you anything to say?’ I answered, ‘No’. Same voice said, ‘Take him away’. I was brought back again, but more roughly this time and pushed up against the wall. And so on.

Second Interrogation
    Interrogation again in similar fashion. Seemed a good number of hours to me between this and the other one. Sitting on the floor again. After about half a minute sat up on a chair. Something similar. Heard only one voice. I was being held in the chair and the voice was coming from the front of me. All darkness under the hood.

Detention Order
    Back again against the wall. Seemed another long time. I fell another few times. Next taken away in a jeep. I felt other people in the jeep. I knew Brian Turley was in it. He was shouting for air; he couldn’t breathe. I was lying on top of him and somebody was lying on top of me. At one stage I saw underneath the hood – I could see black trousers and black boots of police. We were handcuffed in the jeep. My skin was caught in the handcuffs. An English voice said, ‘Look at the bastard’s hands’. I was thumped on the hand with a baton where the skin was caught. I had a scar there for a long time after it. Lot of kicks on the journey, lying in a heap on the floor, just kicking free-for-all. This was the most kickings I got.
    Then into a helicopter and about half-an-hour in it. Then brought out. Taken on foot for a good distance. Held by the neck and arms. Run over tin and grass. Brought into a building, down steps, hood was taken off my head. There was somebody in front of me in a black uniform. That was the first time the hood was taken off me. The man in the black uniform was standing beside a table. He just held this paper up. I said, ‘I can’t see’. Everything was just a haze. I could only see the white paper and that was that. He didn’t say anything. I couldn’t see anybody else. Hadn’t time to see them, all so quick. The hood was put on again. The piece of paper was put into the pocket of the overalls. Then the same journey back again.
    I was wondering the whole way back what was going to happen. I had hoped at this stage that I might be going to jail. When I got back and was put against the wall again then I was really bad. Then started