Bobby Sands was a fighter for the independence of Northern Ireland. He joined the IRA, for whose activity he was convicted twice. Having been imprisoned, he was elected to Parliament from his constituency. In the struggle for his rights, Sands went on a hunger strike, as a result of which he died of exhaustion. For many, his act went unnoticed and incomprehensible due to the actions of the press. However, it had its consequences for further strengthening the role of the IRA in Parliament.
What is an IRA? What were the demands of protesting prisoners? The answers to these questions, as well as some information from the biography of Robert Sands, can be found in the article.
Biography
The full name of the Irish activist is Robert Gerard Sands. Born in Newtownabby, in a Catholic family 03/09/1954. At the age of six, he and his parents moved to Ratkul. The Sandsev family, besides Bobby, had a daughter, Bernadette. She also engaged in political activities.
Bobby Sands married Geraldine Noad, and 05/08/1973 their son Gerard was born. Eight years later, his youngest son Robert will be present at his father’s funeral.
Participation in an IRA
Bobby Sands became a member of the IRA when he was eighteen years old. Then he was first arrested. The reason for this was the four pistols found in his house. Bobby was sentenced to five years in prison.
In 1976, he was released from prison and continued his activities in the organization. He was suspected of carrying out explosions, but no evidence of participation was found. However, already in 1977, Sands was involved in a shootout. For this he was sentenced to imprisonment for fourteen years and transferred to Mayes prison.
At the same time, the government abolished its special status, as a result of which the IRA prisoners were equated with ordinary criminals. This was followed by actions called "blanket protest", "dirty protest." Bobby also took part in them. In addition, he wrote poems and articles.
IRA activities
The Iranian paramilitary organization aimed to achieve the independence of Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Its supporters believed that their state was subjected to military occupation. In its activities, the organization relied on the Catholic population.
Today it has its representatives in Parliament, which are represented in the form of the Sinn Fein party. It all began in 1919 with the uprising in Dublin and the activities of Patrick Pearce.
The Iranian army had its own style. 90 minutes before the explosion, their representatives announced their intention by phone to avoid human casualties, while demonstrating their strength. The main targets for them were representatives of the British troops, police, and courts.
Over time, the organization split. A “temporary” IRA was created, which included Robert Sands. The organization was accused of killing more than a thousand people, among whom were military personnel, as well as civilians. After conviction, the accused militants were imprisoned as political prisoners. Over time, this status was taken from them. This led to the protests of the convicts. One such way of expressing dissatisfaction was a hunger strike.
1981 protest
Frank Maguire, MP, died in the spring of 1981, so the election campaign began. As a result, Sands became the new Member of Parliament. He was also the youngest representative of the government. In turn, a ban followed: people who have been serving sentences for more than one year cannot take part in the elections.
Robert died sixty-six days after the hunger strike. The cause of death was complete exhaustion. More than one hundred thousand people gathered at his funeral, including the Irish Republican Army.
Primary requirements
While Sands became a member of the Government, a hunger strike was already in full swing. Activists put forward five demands. Although they all boiled down to returning the status of political prisoners to IRA representatives in prisons.
Rights sought by the starving:
- Do not walk in prison clothes.
- Do not participate in prison work.
- Freedom of communication among prisoners, organization of entertainment and educational events.
- The ability to receive once a week one letter, a parcel and receive one visitor.
- The possibility of obtaining a pardon.
The Irish Republican Army was objectionable to the UK government, so the reaction was not in favor of the protesters.
Margaret Thatcher's reaction
When the hunger strike took place (Bobby Sands was one of the main participants), the Prime Minister of Great Britain was Margaret Thatcher. She did not make concessions to the starving, did not grant the protesters the status of political prisoners. This led to the death of ten people.
However, the Government nevertheless gave up its positions in relation to the starving, although the newspapers did not report this. Two weeks after the start of the protest, prisoners were allowed to wear simple clothes, not to perform prison work, to gather for communication, and to receive education.
What ended the hunger strike
The protest ended on October 3, 1981. Bobby Sands was his first victim, but not his last.
List of deceased prisoners on hunger strike:
- Robert Sands went hungry for 66 days and died first;
- F. Hughes - 59 days;
- R. McCrish - 61 days;
- P. O'Hara - 61 days;
- D. McDonnell - 61 days;
- M. Kherson - 46 days;
- K. Lynch - 71 days;
- C. Doherty - 73 days;
- T. McAlvey - 62 days;
- M. Devine - 60 days.
A memorial was created in memory of the dead. It is located in Bogside in the form of the English letter "H". In this way, the descendants kept in mind the events in which Bobby Sands and "H. Blocks" (the unofficial name of the Mayes prison) appeared. It was in one of these blocks that protesters were serving their conclusion.
The hunger strike led to the fact that the policy of the Irish nationalists took a more radical orientation. It also marked the beginning of a process that enabled the Sinn Fein party to win the election.
Activist diary
Bobby Sands, whose quotes are important for representatives of the IRA, was an extraordinary person. While in prison, he wrote poems and articles. Starting a hunger strike, Sands kept a diary, the first entries of which are dated March 1 (Sunday). The Russian version of the translation of the first seventeen days from the diary has been posted on the Web.
The Hunger 2008
The 1981 Irish hunger strike was biased in the media at one time. British newspapers took the side of the Government and tried to ridicule the demands of the starving. The situation in the drama of director Steve McQueeny's Hunger, which was released in 2008, is considered differently. She received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
The picture reveals the last weeks of life of Robert, who was a member of the Parliament of Great Britain, a representative of the IRA. He was sentenced to fourteen years for participating in police shooting, more precisely for keeping a revolver.
The film shows prisoners from the IRA who have put forward demands that they return the status of political criminals. The protagonist decides to go against the system, therefore, declares a hunger strike. In two months, he turns from a man into a skeleton.
The director quite believably showed the life of prisoners. Everything is saturated with hopelessness without the slightest ray of hope. Not everyone will be able to see the film to the end, as well as understand the idea that the director wanted to convey. The film is capable of unsettling anyone.
The role of the protagonist was entrusted to Michael Fassbender. The actor was able to convey the experiences of the starving, to reveal the thoughts of the last six weeks of his life.