Bobby Sands Dies in a Hunger Strike
Bobby Sands was a prominent figure in the struggle for political recognition of Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners during the conflict in Northern Ireland. In 1981, he initiated a hunger strike to protest the British government's decision to revoke the "special category status" for IRA prisoners, which had previously allowed them to be treated as political prisoners rather than common criminals. Sands, who was serving a prison sentence for possession of a firearm, became a symbol of resistance and garnered significant public support, even being elected to the British Parliament while incarcerated. However, despite international appeals for mercy, including from the pope, the British government, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, maintained its stance against the hunger strikers' demands. Sands died on May 5, 1981, after 66 days without food, an event that resonated deeply within the nationalist community and sparked widespread protests. His death, along with that of other hunger strikers, intensified sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, leading to further unrest and casualties. Ultimately, after 172 days of strikes, the British government conceded to many of the prisoners' demands, yet the legacy of the hunger strikes continues to evoke strong emotions and differing perspectives in the ongoing discourse surrounding the Northern Ireland conflict.
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Bobby Sands Dies in a Hunger Strike
Bobby Sands Dies in a Hunger Strike
Bobby Sands was a suspected Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorist in British-occupied Northern Ireland during the early 1980s. Sentenced to a long prison term for possession of a revolver, he joined a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his detention. The British authorities refused to budge, and Sands died on May 5, 1981.
Sands and other IRA-connected prisoners were held in a large prison complex known as The Maze on the outskirts of Belfast. The Maze, a series of H-shaped buildings constructed on the grounds of the Long Kesh prison encampment, had opened in 1976, and with its opening came the abolition of the “special category status” once granted to IRA prisoners, who were now treated as common criminals. They wanted to be treated as political prisoners, and Sands, who became their leader, presented a list of demands to the authorities which included relief from prison work and the right to dress in civilian clothing and associate freely with other prisoners.
In order to pressure the British government by bringing public attention and sympathy to their cause, Sands and nearly two dozen other prisoners began a hunger strike. He was the first to start, refusing food beginning on March 1, 1981. Public sympathy for Sands in the pro-IRA regions of Northern Ireland ran high: in one district his name was even put on the ballot for a seat in Parliament. Although his ability to serve from prison was obviously questionable, he nevertheless won the election. However, the British government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher refused to give in to the hunger strikers' demands, maintaining that any act of violence was a crime, regardless of why it had been committed. Despite personal appeals from such international figures as the pope, neither side would make concessions. Sands died on May 5, 1981, after 66 days of self-starvation.
More than 100,000 people attended his funeral, and thousands more protested what they saw as yet another British atrocity in war-torn Northern Ireland. Other prisoners on hunger strike died after Sands, fueling the unrest in Northern Ireland. Dozens of Irish civilians and British soldiers were killed in riots and other sectarian violence. Eventually, James Prior, the northern secretary, quietly gave in to most of the prisoners' demands, and the hunger strike ended after 172 days.