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Old 05-06-2011, 04:40 AM   #1
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Default May 5, 1981

I am curious if anyone else marks this day in their head and remembers the events across the pond back in the 70's and 80's.

It is May 5th once again.

As a child, I remember the US media's portrayal of Bobby Sands and the political and personal events that surrounded Bobby Sands, his family, and Prime Minister Thatcher. To this day, I feel that I am still processing the events that took place during that time, and of course, Bobby Sands.

Some of my questions are general in nature-- for example, How really effective are hunger strikes? I was not then, nor am I in Ireland now... but golly gee, I would like to understand how his death impacted national policy beyond the obvious.

I do not have a personal opinion on the larger issues at hand because, living where I live, I feel that I do not have enough facts or experience to create an opinion. All the same, I remember the conversations that took place around Sands during that time and wondered if anyone else on this site had similar experiences or if they were somehow impacted by the events during that time.

~CF
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Old 05-07-2011, 02:43 AM   #2
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Although I grew up in a Roman Catholic family in Belfast, I was very young (not quite 6 years old) so my memories from the actual time are rather hazy and, being honest, my interpretation of them has been shaped by the events and my experiences in the intervening 30 years.


There was clearly a lot of anger at the time but my first specific memory relating to the hunger strikes was in the weeks after Sands' death when we attended a family holiday in County Donegal (just over the border in the Republic of Ireland) where I recall many protest marches and, from the perspective of a young child, many rather terrifying billboard posters. I didn't understand what they were or what they related to - I just sensed the anger and that's my recollection.


I'm sure it was the same in Belfast too but, back then, it wouldn't have seemed out of place or unusual for me as each trip into Belfast City Centre meant walking through an army checkpoint and being searched down (this happened to everyone btw, men, women and children), a lot of barbed wire and a strong military presence. It stuck out in County Donegal, for me, as Donegal had always been completely different ... remote, quiet, everyone friendly etc.


Many years later, I have mixed feelings about Sands and what he and the fellow hunger strikers represent. I am strongly Irish and unequivocally so but I am not an Irish republican. In fact, I have a revulsion to Irish republicanism, whether violent or non-violent in approach. My political views are at a polar opposite.


In addition, I have my own anger at much of the generalisations made by the world's media in relation to the deaths of Sands and the other hunger strikers. Yes, they died and, yes, they died for something that they believed in. However, they had that choice .... thousands of people died in the Northern Ireland conflict who were innocent victims - killed often at random because they were Protestant (killed by Irish republican paramilitaries whom Sands was one) or because they were Roman Catholic (killed by loyalist paramilitaries). These killings were not carried out in battles or wars, they were assassinations in cold blood against people who were unarmed and often in front of their family members (many people didn't open their doors at night for this very reason).


Therefore, whilst there is a part of me that has an admiration for Sands (I'm Irish so I understand and appreciate the blood sacrifice aspects) and the courage of his convictions, I detest the "hero" and iconic status that he has across much of the world when the real victims, those who didn't choose to die and didn't want to get caught up in this conflict, have been conveniently erased from history.
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Old 05-07-2011, 03:01 AM   #3
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Question I am learning here...


Please correct me if I am wrong. I was under the impression that Bobby Sands was arrested for having guns in his home, and being in the IRA. He was born Irish Catholic, and Republican, but changed his view.

And that there were only 5 demands of the starving prisoners:

1. not to have to wear prison uniforms;

2. not to have to perform prison work;

3. the right to socialize with other prisoners (were they in isolation?), and to organize educational and recreational pursuits;

4. the right to have 1 visit, 1 parcel letter, and 1 parcel per week;

5. full restoration of what was lost thru their protest.

Sands died 66 days after his starvation started. I am not sure of what impact this had on Europe or even in the States following his death.
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Old 05-07-2011, 05:33 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr. View Post
Please correct me if I am wrong. I was under the impression that Bobby Sands was arrested for having guns in his home, and being in the IRA. He was born Irish Catholic, and Republican, but changed his view.
He didn't change his views. Right until his death, he was a member of the IRA, a militant terrorist organisation that has butchered innocent men, women and children of all religions and none. He advocated "armed struggle" right until his death.

The IRA was, and is, an evil organisation. There can be no ambiguity about that.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr. View Post
And that there were only 5 demands of the starving prisoners:

1. not to have to wear prison uniforms;

2. not to have to perform prison work;

3. the right to socialize with other prisoners (were they in isolation?), and to organize educational and recreational pursuits;

4. the right to have 1 visit, 1 parcel letter, and 1 parcel per week;

5. full restoration of what was lost thru their protest.
The demands were effectively to put these prisoners onto a "prisoner of war" footing whereas, under Margaret Thatcher, they were being treated as "normal criminals". This was a deliberate policy of Thatcher i.e. to ensure that these terrorists were viewed as criminals and their behaviour was viewed as criminal activity. Importantly, this applied equally to the loyalist terrorists as to the republican terrorists and they are both sides of the same coin in my opinion.

Thatcher was absolutely right in this conviction although the way that it was managed largely backfired in the short-term in Northern Ireland.

That said, after the immediate anger dissapated, right until the IRA and loyalist ceasefires in 1994, the paramilitary supporting political parties continued to win very few votes from the electorate (in other words, they had little popular support from within the communities that they terrorised).



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Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr. View Post
Sands died 66 days after his starvation started. I am not sure of what impact this had on Europe or even in the States following his death.
I don't think his death will have had any impact on the States or any part of Europe outside of Northern Ireland. Ultimately, the impact of the hunger strikes was to further weaken the Union between Great Britian and Northern Ireland as Westminster didn't, and doesn't, want the hassle of trying to deal with the Northern Ireland troubles and does not want the fall-out on the international stage that this type of episode causes.
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Old 05-07-2011, 12:37 PM   #5
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Thank you for explaining this to me. I appreciate it.
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Old 05-24-2011, 12:01 AM   #6
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Post Mahalo

Thank you all for giving me additional matter to ponder on.

Often times it is difficult to look at events that you are not apart of but have impacted your thoughts and journey. I enjoy this site because it creates a space where I/we can slowly pick at things like this event. I esp. want to thank our voice from Ireland who gave us insight from someone who was actually in the country at the time and was impacted.

I think Sands and his particular narrative represents an ongoing topic, that C. also spoke on, regarding the use and effectiveness of hunger strikes. Well, something that we can revisit in other forums and threads-- but thank you all for allowing me a moment with Sands and his use of it.

Again, Mahalo--

~CF

PS
I'll write again in Sept. (Munich massacre) More of the same, and yet different.
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