1 March 2001 Edition
Back issue: FORCE THATCHER TO TURN AGAIN!
BOBBY SANDS , the 27-year-old republican, until recently OC of the H-Block Blanket men, is to lead the hunger strike for political status, which begins this Sunday 1 March in long Kesh Prison Camp, on the fifth anniversary of the withdrawal of political status.
If the life of Bobby Sands and the lives of those of his comrades joining him in the hunger strike, are to be saved, the British Government must be forced to swollow hard on all of its deceit and on all of its intransigence, and to reverse its refusal to restore political status.
It can be done. Already, in the past ten days, British premier Margaret Thatcher, whose arrogant boast in her rigid pursuit of tory economic policies was: ``This lady is not for turning,'' ha been humbled and humiliated by the organised strength of tens of thousands of coalminers in Britain, and forced to make a public u-turn, in acceding to their demands to stop pit closures.
Massive mobilisations, co-ordinated protests, and growing confidence in our, and the hunger strikers', ability to win are the key ingredients which will shatter Thatcher's stone-walled heart again and force another u-turn, this time in her inhuman H-Block policy.
And the first oppurtunity to flex that undoubted nationalist muscle is in Belfast this Sunday 1 March, where a massive demonstration of tens of thousands of resolute and determined nationalist people on the march will provide the first much-needed impetus to the campaign.
either stand with the prisoners or stand against them; there is no middle ground. Those who last time called on the prisoners to end their hunger strike to allow a just resolution of the crisis have been swept away on the tide of their own insincerity and the British refusal to implement the 18 December settlement. Where are their voices now?
The H-Block blanket men and women in Armagh Jail have said that only the mass of the nationalist people organised in their support, are sure guarentee of victory.
Demonstrate, unequivocally, that support in Belfast on 1 March! Save the lives of Bobby Sands and his comrades! force Thatcher to turn again.
Last nine Christmases in jail
Bobby Sands was born in Belfast on 9 March 1954. On his 27th birthday, on Monday week, he will have been nine days on hunger strike in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh.
Bobby joined the Republican Movement when he was in his mid-teens, and he was arrested in Lisburn and charged with possessing four hand guns.
He refused to recognise the court, and although the guns were in very poor condition he was sentenced in early 1973 to five years imprisonment which he served as a political prisoner in the cages of Long Kesh.
After his release in April 1976 bobby continued as an active republican and was re-arrested six months later in October after an IRA commercial bombing attack on the Balmoral furnishing Company.
Bobby played a major part in formulating and leading republican resistance to crimilisation within the Blocks, and recently conducted negotiations with the prison governor, Stanley Hilditch, in attempting to to resolve the prison crisis, which foundered when the British administration adopted an inflexible attitude.
In total, Bobby has now spent nearly eight years, including nine Christmases, behind bars.
If the life of Bobby Sands and the lives of those of his comrades joining him in the hunger strike, are to be saved, the British Government must be forced to swollow hard on all of its deceit and on all of its intransigence, and to reverse its refusal to restore political status.
It can be done. Already, in the past ten days, British premier Margaret Thatcher, whose arrogant boast in her rigid pursuit of tory economic policies was: ``This lady is not for turning,'' ha been humbled and humiliated by the organised strength of tens of thousands of coalminers in Britain, and forced to make a public u-turn, in acceding to their demands to stop pit closures.
Massive mobilisations, co-ordinated protests, and growing confidence in our, and the hunger strikers', ability to win are the key ingredients which will shatter Thatcher's stone-walled heart again and force another u-turn, this time in her inhuman H-Block policy.
And the first oppurtunity to flex that undoubted nationalist muscle is in Belfast this Sunday 1 March, where a massive demonstration of tens of thousands of resolute and determined nationalist people on the march will provide the first much-needed impetus to the campaign.
either stand with the prisoners or stand against them; there is no middle ground. Those who last time called on the prisoners to end their hunger strike to allow a just resolution of the crisis have been swept away on the tide of their own insincerity and the British refusal to implement the 18 December settlement. Where are their voices now?
The H-Block blanket men and women in Armagh Jail have said that only the mass of the nationalist people organised in their support, are sure guarentee of victory.
Demonstrate, unequivocally, that support in Belfast on 1 March! Save the lives of Bobby Sands and his comrades! force Thatcher to turn again.
Last nine Christmases in jail
Bobby Sands was born in Belfast on 9 March 1954. On his 27th birthday, on Monday week, he will have been nine days on hunger strike in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh.
Bobby joined the Republican Movement when he was in his mid-teens, and he was arrested in Lisburn and charged with possessing four hand guns.
He refused to recognise the court, and although the guns were in very poor condition he was sentenced in early 1973 to five years imprisonment which he served as a political prisoner in the cages of Long Kesh.
After his release in April 1976 bobby continued as an active republican and was re-arrested six months later in October after an IRA commercial bombing attack on the Balmoral furnishing Company.
Bobby played a major part in formulating and leading republican resistance to crimilisation within the Blocks, and recently conducted negotiations with the prison governor, Stanley Hilditch, in attempting to to resolve the prison crisis, which foundered when the British administration adopted an inflexible attitude.
In total, Bobby has now spent nearly eight years, including nine Christmases, behind bars.