The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, has urged Belfast republicans to become actively involved and take ownership of the party's struggle for Irish freedom rather than leave it to Sinn Fein politicians and negotiators.
"If you want a local meeting, if you want a discussion group, then go ahead and do it. Don't wait for somebody else," he said. "You don't need permission to be free and you don't need permission to be a republican or a republican activist."
Addressing about 400 supporters on the Falls Road, Mr Adams called on those not already members of Sinn Fein to join so they could become involved in a more "structured and empowered" way. "Men and woman, as is your right, take ownership of this struggle," he said.
A number of demonstrations were organised by the party in the North over the weekend. On Saturday protests were held in Randalstown, Co Antrim, and Derry. Yesterday Belfast supporters marched from various locations in the city to the Divis Tower in west Belfast.
Mr Adams said the peace process was in a critical state and that anger still existed among republicans at the decision by the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, to suspend the Assembly and Executive at the behest of unionism.
"Once again we get a situation that Ireland votes and Britain vetoes," he said. "What Peter Mandelson has to learn is that you people will not and cannot be taken for granted. That is the message that has to be sent from here to Government Buildings in Dublin, to Washington and Downing Street."
The issue was not about decommissioning, insisted Mr Adams, but "about change, the necessity for change and the resistance to change". Unionists wished to stop or minimise change "or the more progressive elements want that change on its own terms. Those days are over."
Republicans wanted to stretch out a hand of friendship to unionism, but unionists had to accept that equality meant equality, he said. Change could be delayed but it could not be stopped unless republicans gave up.
According to Mr Adams, under "the old situation they didn't want to see any Catholics about the place. Now they are prepared to see some Catholics about the place but provided that you know your place and you keep to your place."
Responding to a shout of "the SDLP" from the crowd, Mr Adams added: "Somebody mentioned the SDLP. Let's send a message to them as well, that it's not good enough."
To shouts of defiance from the crowd he asked: "Are we going to stand by this summer and let Orange feet march down the Garvaghy Road or down the Lower Ormeau Road? Are we going to do something about it?"
He also called on republicans to make this year's commemoration of the 1916 Rising the largest ever. "Tell those that are trying to deny us our rightful place of a free Ireland that they are not going to win," he said.