There are men and women in Ireland and Northern Ireland who have left their mark on Irish history. Bobby Sands (1954-1981), a young Northern Irish republican, was one of them.
Even today, he remains a symbol of the republican struggle in Northern Ireland. A committed member of the IRA, he is known for having defied Margaret Tatcher and the London government by organizing a collective hunger strike while imprisoned at Long Kesh in Lisburn…
His demands were clear: he called on London to grant political prisoner status to imprisoned IRA members… A request that went unanswered… and led to the death of several strikers, including Bobby himself…
A look back at a scandal that left an indelible mark on Northern Ireland and international opinion… at the height of the Troubles.
Bobby Sand was born in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, in 1954. His childhood was spent in a climate of constant conflict between Republican Catholics and Loyalist Protestants. He evolves in a context of perpetual violence, and quickly takes a stand.
He joined theIRA at the age of 18 (in 1972) and was arrested for the first time between 1972 and 1976, during which time he was imprisoned.
After his release from prison, Bobby Sands did not change his political ideologies one bit. He therefore decided to get more involved in the IRA’s actions, becoming one of the movement’s main activist leaders.
However, he was soon arrested in 1977 for possession of a firearm and bombing.
Although the charge of bombing was quickly dismissed by the court in charge of his case, he was nevertheless sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for carrying a prohibited weapon in Maze prison (also known as Longh Kesh).
Interior of Maze Prison – neverending september – cc
In this penitentiary, Sands continues the struggle in more pacifist ways…
He then began writing politically committed texts, as well as a few poems. Numerous texts of his own were published throughout his imprisonment in the
An Phoblacht
the IRA’s official newspaper.
But prison life at Maze is particularly difficult, and tensions between prisoners and warders are palpable.
Right from the start, prisoners tried to assert their rights with the “Blanket Protest (1976-1981)” and the “Dirty Protest (1978-1981)”. This is a protest technique in which prisoners refuse to wear prison uniforms and live naked, wrapped in nothing but a blanket. In addition to this refusal to wear the uniform, there was a veritable war on hygiene, with prisoners refusing to wash, urinating and defecating everywhere to keep the prison in a deplorable sanitary state.
Bobby Sands also takes part in this struggle, but seems to want to go further to make his voice heard.
Margaret Thatcher – Public domain
Aware of the powerful media leverage that a hunger strike could provide, Bobby Sands decided to implement a new strategy.
He went on hunger strike on March 1, 1980, to raise public awareness of the IRA’s actions and the London government’s attitude towards Northern Ireland. Bobby Sands is not alone in this endeavor: he is accompanied by other members of the IRA, firmly determined to go all the way to make their voices heard…
During the strike, however, the death of a Republican MP from Fermanagh and South Tyrone aroused a great deal of interest, and Bobby Sands couldn’t resist running for the job. The Catholics then proposed Sands as a candidate, and he was finally nominated on April 9, 1981, where he won over Harry West.
Faced with this unexpected victory, the London government decided to counter Bobby Sands by passing an electoral law designed to prohibit prisoners from playing any political role or standing for election while incarcerated (known as the Representation of the Peole Act).
Despite losing his seat as a Member of Parliament, Bobby Sands decided to continue his hunger strike and protest. The pain was intense, and the Northern Irishman was soon bedridden in the prison infirmary. Doctors visit him regularly, urging him to eat… to no avail.
The first symptoms then appear: weight loss, dizziness, muscle wasting, generalized pain, visual problems, mental confusion, difficulty breathing… The suffering is total… and Margaret Thatcher’s silence deafening.
The international press then began to report on the subject, and the whole world discovered the story of Bobby Sands and his other acolytes, all ready to die in the name of their struggle for Northern Ireland.
The international community soon became alarmed by the situation. Demonstrations took place, calling on Margaret Thatcher to take a step towards these hunger strikers…
But nothing helped.
After 65 days on hunger strike, Bobby Sands breathed his last on May 5 1981… closely followed by other acolytes.
The news of his death hit the headlines, causing a huge outcry in Northern Ireland and the rest of the world. In this struggle, Bobby Sands and his companions became veritable martyrs, contributing to Thatcher’s indignation and unpopularity…
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