Editing Real Irish Republican Army (section)

==Structure and status==
The RIRA has a command structure similar to the Provisional IRA, with a seven-member Army Council consisting of a chief of staff, quartermaster general, director of training, director of operations, director of finance, director of publicity, and adjutant general.<ref name="Mooney" />{{rp|40–45}} The rank-and-file members operate in [[active service unit]]s of [[Clandestine cell system#Provisional Irish Republican Army|covert cell]]s to prevent the organisation from being compromised by informers. In June 2005, the organisation was believed to have a maximum of about 150 members, according to a statement by the [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform]], [[Michael McDowell (politician)|Michael McDowell]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Parliamentary Debates (Official Report – Unrevised) Dáil Éireann Thursday, 23 June 2005 – Page 1 |url=http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20050623.xml&Page=1&Ex=1487#N1487 |publisher=Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas |date=23 June 2005 |access-date=3 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060227022226/http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20050623.xml&Page=1&Ex=1487 |archive-date=27 February 2006 }}</ref>

The RIRA also has political wings: the [[32 County Sovereignty Movement]] (formerly the 32 County Sovereignty Committee), led by Francis Mackey,<ref>{{cite news |last=Watt |first=Nicholas |date=16 April 2001 |title=Bombers widen the republican divide |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/apr/16/northernireland.devolution |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=4 May 2007}}</ref> and unregistered political party [[Saoradh]], led by Brian Kenna.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishnews.com/news/politicalnews/2016/09/26/news/new-revolutionary-republican-party-saoradh-launched-708613/|title=New 'revolutionary' republican party Saoradh launched|date=26 September 2016}}</ref>

The RIRA is distinct from the [[Continuity Irish Republican Army|Continuity IRA]], another Provisional IRA splinter group founded in 1986, although the two groups have been known to co-operate at a local level.<ref name="IMC8">{{cite web|last=Independent Monitoring Commission |title=Eighth report of the Independent Monitoring Commission |page=13 |date=1 February 2006 |publisher=The Stationery Office |url=http://www.nio.gov.uk/eighth_report_of_the_independent_monitoring_commission.pdf |access-date=13 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214083850/http://www.nio.gov.uk/eighth_report_of_the_independent_monitoring_commission.pdf |archive-date=14 December 2010 }}</ref> The Provisional IRA has been hostile to the RIRA and issued threats to RIRA members, and in October 2000 was alleged to be responsible for the fatal shooting of Belfast RIRA member Joe O'Connor according to O'Connor's family and 32 County Sovereignty Movement member [[Marian Price]].<ref name="English" />{{rp|320–321}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Mullin |first=John |author-link=John Mullin (journalist) |date=19 October 2000 |title=Shots fired at funeral of Real IRA man |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/oct/19/northernireland.johnmullin |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=3 May 2007}}</ref>

Organisations called "Irish Republican Army" are illegal in both UK law<ref>{{cite act |title=Terrorism Act 2000 |date=2000-07-20 |reporter=UK Public General Acts |volume=2000 c. 11 |chapter=Schedule 2: Proscribed Organisations |at=sec. [Section |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/11 |chapter-url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121085241/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 |archive-date=2013-01-21 |url-status=live}} </ref> and Irish law;<ref name="dail2004060100245"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1939/sro/162/made/en/print|title=S.I. No. 162/1939 – Unlawful Organisation (Suppression) Order, 1939.|work=[[Irish Statute Book]]|access-date=15 March 2016}} under section 18 of the [[Offences against the State Act 1939]]</ref> both proscriptions have been held to apply to the RIRA as to other groups of the name.<ref name="dail2004060100245">{{cite web|url=http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail2004060100245|title=Written Answers – Proscribed Organisations.|date=1 June 2004|work=Dáil Éireann debates|access-date=15 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Judicial%20Decisions/PublishedByYear/Documents/2004/2004%20NICA%2023/j_j_KERC5003.htm |title=The Queen v Z. |date=30 June 2004 |publisher=Courts Service of Northern Ireland |pages=[2004] NICA 23 |access-date=15 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316001710/https://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Judicial%20Decisions/PublishedByYear/Documents/2004/2004%20NICA%2023/j_j_KERC5003.htm |archive-date=16 March 2016 }}</ref> Membership in the organisation is punishable by a sentence of up to ten years' imprisonment under UK law.<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |title=Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo021030/debtext/21030-08.htm |house=House of Commons |date=30 October 2002 |column=889 |speaker=[[Douglas Hogg]] |position=[[Member of parliament#United Kingdom|Member of Parliament]] for [[Sleaford and North Hykeham (UK Parliament constituency)|Sleaford and North Hykeham]] }} {{Cite web |url=https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo021030/debtext/21030-08.htm |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 30 Oct 2002 (Pt 8) |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-date=17 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317094228/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo021030/debtext/21030-08.htm |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> On May 16, 2001, the United States government designated the RIRA (and its aliases) as a "[[United States State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations|Foreign Terrorist Organization]]" (FTO)<!--this is an American designation and thus ought to be in American English-->.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wired.com/2001/05/real-ira-gets-terrorist-listing/|title=Real IRA Gets Terrorist Listing|agency=Reuters|date=1 May 2001|magazine=Wired|access-date=20 March 2019}}</ref> This makes it illegal for Americans to [[Providing material support for terrorism|provide material support]] to the RIRA, requires American financial institutions to freeze the group's assets, and denies suspected RIRA members visas into the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = US brands Real IRA 'terrorists' | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1333145.stm |website= BBC | date = 16 May 2001 | access-date = 5 May 2007}}</ref>