Bobby Sands, the instigator of the Irish hunger strike of 1981: biography

Bobby Sands was the fighter for the independence of Northern Ireland. He joined the IRA, for whose activities he was convicted twice. Being imprisoned, he was elected to Parliament from his district. In the struggle for his rights, Sands started a hunger strike, as a result of which he died from exhaustion. For many, his action went unnoticed and misunderstood because of the press. However, it had its consequences for further strengthening the role of the IRA in Parliament.

What is the IRA? What were the requirements of the protesting prisoners? Answers to these questions, as well as some information from the biography of Robert Sands can be found in the article.

Biography

Full name of the Irish activist Robert Gerard Sands. Born in Newtownabbi, in a Catholic family on March 9, 1954. At six he moved with his parents to Ratkul. In the family, Sandsev, except for Bobby, had a daughter, Bernadette. She also engaged in political activities.

Bobby Sands married Geraldine Noad, and on 08/05/1973 their son Gerard appeared. Eight years later, his youngest son Robert will attend his father's funeral.

Participation in the IRA

Bobby Sands became a member of the IRA when he was eighteen years old. At the same time he was first arrested. The reason for this served as found in his house four pistols. Bobby was sentenced to five years in prison.

In 1976, he left prison and continued his work in the organization. He was suspected of committing explosions, but found no evidence of involvement. However, already in 1977, Sands was involved in a shootout. For this, he was sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment and transferred to Maze Prison.

At the same time, the government abolished a special status, as a result of which the IRA were equated to ordinary criminals. This was followed by shares, called "blanket protest", "dirty protest." Bobby took part in them. In addition, he wrote poetry 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 the Parliament, which are represented in the form of the party Shinn Fein. And it all began in 1919 with the uprising in Dublin and the activities of Patrick Pearce.

The Iranian army had its own handwriting. 90 minutes before the explosion, their representatives reported their intention by phone to avoid human casualties, while demonstrating their strength. The main targets for them were representatives of British troops, police, ships.

Over time, the organization split. There was created a "temporary" IRA, which included Robert Sands. The organization was accused of murdering more than a thousand people, including servicemen, as well as civilians. Accused militants were sent to prisons as political prisoners after being convicted. Over time, this status was taken from them. This led to the protests of the convicts. A hunger strike was one such way of expressing discontent.

Protest of 1981

In the spring of 1981, a member of Parliament, Frank Maguire, died, so the election campaign began. As a result, Sands became a new member of Parliament. He was also the youngest representative of the government. In turn, the ban was followed: people who serve a sentence of more than one year can not take part in elections.

Robert died sixty-six days after the hunger strike. The cause of death was complete exhaustion. At his funeral, more than one hundred thousand people gathered, including the Irish Republican Army.

Primary requirements

While Sands became a member of the Government, the hunger strike was already in full swing. The activists put forward five demands. Although they all boiled down to returning the representatives of the IRA in prisons the status of political prisoners.

The rights that hunger strikers sought:

1. Do not walk in prison clothes.
2. Do not participate in prison work.
3. Freedom of communication among prisoners, the organization of entertainment and educational events.
4. Possibility to receive once a week one letter, parcel and receive one visitor.
5. Possibility of obtaining pardon.

The Irish Republican Army was objectionable to the Government of Great Britain, so the reaction was not in favor of the protesters.

The reaction of Margaret Thatcher

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 resulted in the death of ten people.

However, the Government still surrendered its positions towards the hungry, although the newspapers did not report this. Two weeks after the protest began, the prisoners were allowed to wear simple clothes, do not perform prison work, gather for communication, receive education.

What ended the hunger strike

The protest ended on 03/10/1981. Bobby Sands became his first victim, but not the last.

List of deceased prisoners who participated in the hunger strike:

• Robert Sands starved for 66 days and died first;
• F. Hughes - 59 days;
• R. McCreesh - 61 days;
• P. O'Hara - 61 days;
• D. McDonnell - 61 days;
• M. Kherson - 46 days;
• K. Lynch - 71 days;
• K. Doherty - 73 days;
• T. McAlwy - 62 days;
• M. Devine - 60 days.

A memorial was created in memory of the deceased. It is located in Bogsaid in the form of the English letter "H". Thus, the descendants kept in memory the events in which Bobby Sands and the "HB Blocks" (the informal name of the Maze prison) figured. It was in one of these blocks that the protesters served their sentence.

The hunger strike led to the fact that the policy of the Irish nationalists took a more radical direction. It was also the beginning of a process that enabled the party of Sinn Fein to win the election.

Diary of the activist

Bobby Sands, whose quotes are important to the representatives of the IRA, was an extraordinary man. While in prison, he wrote poetry and articles. After starting the hunger strike, Sands kept a diary, the first records of which date back to March 1 (Sunday). The Russian version of the translation of the first seventeen days from the diary is posted on the web.

The film "The Famine" 2008

The Irish hunger strike of 1981 was at one time biased in the media. The British newspapers took the side of the Government and tried to ridicule the demands of the hungry. The situation in the drama directed by Steve McQuinney "The Hunger", released on the screens in 2008, is differently considered. She won 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, the representative of the IRA. He was sentenced to fourteen years for participating in shooting at the police, more precisely for keeping a revolver.

The film shows prisoners from the IRA who have made demands for the return of the status of political criminals. The protagonist decides to go against the system, so announces a hunger strike. For two months he turns from a man into a skeleton.

The director quite plausibly showed the lives of prisoners. Everything is saturated with despair without the slightest ray of hope. Not everyone can see the film to the end, as well as understand the idea that the director wanted to convey. The film is able to knock anyone out of the rut.

The role of the protagonist was entrusted to Michael Fassbender. The actor was able to convey the experiences of the hungry, to reveal the thoughts of the last six weeks of his life.