THE Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) is to contest the Assembly elections for the the first time in its history, selecting a candidate to stand in West Belfast.
Founded in 1974, the party is the de facto political wing of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) with which it jointly operates under the banner of the Republican Socialist Movement (RSM).
In a statement, the party announced that its Mid Falls representative, Dan Murphy, would stand in May's Assembly election.
"We look forward to this challenge on this historic day for the Irish Republican Socialist Movement," it said.
Mr Murphy is perhaps best known for his involvement with the Beechmount Residents' Collective.
In a video announcing his candidacy, Beechmount man Murphy said he comes from a "proud republican family", but stated that "community struggles extend much further than the colour of a flag".
“Housing, poverty, degradation – these are just some of the issues we face on a day and daily basis,” he said.
He said his party "won't be confined nor corrupted by the boundaries of mainstream constitutional politics".
“Our aim is to simply use any electoral institution to your advantage."
Mr Murphy said his party is contesting the election to "fight for housing, to fight against poverty and to fight for a 32 county socialist republic."
“It’s time that West Belfast had a fighting republican socialist representative, now is our time," he added.
The upcoming Assembly elections is not the IRSP's first foray into electoral politics, but the party has historically been critical of both Stormont and the Good Friday Agreement.
In 1981, the party had two members elected to Belfast City Council following a joint campaign with People's Democracy.
The IRSP put forward five candidates in the local elections in 2011, with its candidate Paul Gallagher narrowly missing out on a seat in Strabane.
Mr Gallagher was elected to Derry and Strabane Council in 2014 while standing as an independent, and maintains links to the IRSP. However, it is unclear if the IRSP will select him as a candidate for May's election.
The IRSP's decision to stand in the Assembly elections comes at a time when the INLA has drawn criticism for recent shows of strength in both Belfast and Derry.
Despite the INLA's armed activities, the IRSP has previously signalled its intention to move the Republican Socialist Movement away from violence in recent times.
In 2017, the party launched a policy document on a United Ireland and the EU, which was described as "an effective and viable alternative to armed actions in modern times".
The PSNI continues to identify the INLA as a target of its Paramilitary Crime Taskforce operations. However, the IRSP has persistently moved to deny the Republican Socialist Movement's involvement in criminality, accusing the PSNI of "political policing".
