Emergency Bulletin

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4_L TRELAND

BEHIND THE

HUNGER STRIKERS

NOW ESSENTIAL

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PRODUCED BY PEOPLES’ DEMOCRACY.

i ———— se CULES Ge Got Sess SS eee ne — a = IN. Pes Pel ais 8 po ale “Hesponsita Lty. for the death of Bobby Sands M,P, rests entirely with the British Government. The cruel intransigence of Thatcher and Atkins, their rejection of national and international opinion represents a calculated insult to the whole of the Irish people and demonstrates the racist ccntempt in which the British ruling class holds;the people o1 this country.

In extending our. sorrowing condolence to the family and comrades of Bobby Sands, Peoples Democracy wishes to assure them of the fact that. they do not mourn alone: the-pople of Irelard and all those who, have known oppresion by an imperial power are with them in this dark hour.

L “Bobby Sands ik not the first martyr of the Irish struggle for freedom and national independence,. His death, like those that went before him, does not humiliate or cower the resistance as ovr penis hope. but rather inspires us ‘all to greater efforts to bring to a sie ase end the struggle for the five just demands of the political prisoners.

In the, immediate days. ahead we must. turn our efforts towards saving the Vives of the other hunger strikers who are continuing with courage the fight for the five demands. |Thefe is not a single responsible voice in Ireland that denies the justice of these demands. ‘The unity ok the Irish, people which we began to build during the last few months must now be completed, Fianna Fail and the SDLP must bony to the demands of the nationalist people of Ireland. The British.ambassador in Dublin must be sent home, AY] talks. with the British government must be ended. All representatives ¢ the nationalist people must. withdraw from British government institutions, Britains murder of Bobby Sands represents a declaration of wat against the Irish -people, We mist respond to, this in a united and disciplined manner, Our strategy must be that pf. mass peaceful protests and, most Spee ENN» industrial actdon against British firms and products. , Britain will increasingly he seen as the teal criminal, We «hall have political status for our'political prisoners. WE shal! smash the H-Blocks, Victory to the Munger Strikers! . B R | 1s 1S 4 (> “BE the parliamentary Labour party the sn 2 32 eee SA ee Capitalist press ranted and raved about Sir. : : his "extreme socialism". Foot however, & ADROU k's S ae a | E ' “| has proved himself a staunch supporter LEA Bee ..; : “of imperialist oppression in Ireland, \ while being ready to denounce fépression ‘ew of the reactions to the death of -in El Salvador, the Soviet Union and jobby Sands can bave been as scandalous | elsewhere, s ‘that ofthe leader of the British | abour party, Michael Foot, At Westmin- Foot's snivelling support for Thatcher | ‘ter on Tuesday be gave full support to | was matched only by the silence of the | he intransigent position of the Tory Govt,. (Labour left. It was left to right-wing | ‘epeating almost word for word the argue- - Labour M.P, Patrick Duffy to place resents put. forward by Paisley on BBC i nth iE ponsi bility for Bobby Sands death squarely aTlier in the morning. on the shoulders of Thatcher's Govt, The .

hen Foot ‘was elected to the leadership peri sish left must make the breaking of this

ee 3 | IMPERIALISM, MURDERS BoRBY SANDS _ The election of Bobby Sands as member of Parliament for Fermanagh/South Tyrone on the H=-Block/Armagh political prisoner ticket was an important victory for the second hunger strike campaign, Against al] the ptedictions of the press and T.V., despite the unprecedently vicious campaign of the SDLP urging anti-unionists to vote “for Harry West, despite the arrogant protestations of Maggie Thatcher about the impossibility of the 5 demands ever Leing granted, Bobby Sands victory at the polls was an unmistakable sign that the campaign for political status was supported by the majority of the Irish people, In these few days after April 9th, when thé Tories dropped their attempts to unseat Sands as M.P., victory seemed within our ‘Brasp. * ; How is it possible now that Bobby Sands is dead?) How dig it happen that the movement could not prevent his death?

‘this say about the possibility of saving ‘the lives of the other 3 himger strikers and winning the 5 demands?

‘It is bécause this must now be our main concern that we have to look carefully at -the weaknesses’ ‘of the two campaigns so that mistakes.are not repeated and the important. lessons are learnt,.

‘One of the most important lessons of the ‘' struggle around the 5 demands is what Maggie Thatcher represents, It is not any ‘Govt, that can'withstand the pressure directed at it by the Hunger strike camp- 'aign. It built massive mobilisations ‘North and South = the biggest seen in ‘Ireland since the early ‘70s, Internation- ‘ally there was. pressure from; the U.S.A., _ France, Portugal, Norway, Greece, Malta.

In Ireland limited expressions of concern ‘from the major: Nationalist parties were given point by resolutions of support and Strike action from Trades unionists throughout the .32..countiesi:” A--=++ 44-22 And what does | Govt. and the itical status which we tust hunger strike crisis, hunger-strike campaign, Se te

HAPPENS

But this is no ordinary British Government.

It is one of the most vicious right-wing Tory regimes ever seen in that country, It is a Govt, that plans to isolate, crim- ‘inalise and defeat the anti-imperialist movement and in so doing humiliate the _ Irish people as a whole - a determination matched only by their determination to attack the British working class. In Britain as well as Ireland unemployment, cutbacks, poverty and misery have now become the order of the day, A defeat on the Irish question would throw the whole strategy of the Govt. into question and mark a major crisis for imperialism internationally, The extremely reactionary nature of this central importance of polis then the first lesson firmly grasp. This itself points to the second lesson, There is.

absolutely no point in placing reliance | on patties like Fainna Fail and the SDLP ‘to uphold the democratic rights of the f “| Irish people, Junior partners) in imperialist exploitation is the gamé which these parties play. Unfortunately, far too many peole still have confidence in their ability to find a solution to the We have not. succecded in compelling these parties to throw their weight behind the forces 6f the This is why the demands;

WITHDRAW FROM THE COUNCILS

END THE HAUGHEY - THATCHER TALKS

EXPEL THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR

are. crucial now in the fight to build a movement thah can save the lives of Francie Hughes, Ray NcCreesh and Patsy O'Hara, The other lesson we must learn is the central importance of industrial action by the organised working class. We have made trementious progress in building Trade union action often with few resources.

~The whole force-cf, che campaign directed at workers can ensure victory for us.

ANSWERIN

THE SLANDER

Robby Sands died a lone prisoner in a prison cell after-66 daye of torture.

Three times each day the British left feod at his bedside'even: after the point where !

his body wouls have been able to absorb food, Even bis last days were mad? wunendurable by sanctimonious representatives of Church and state telling him that he, and not the massive state fotces arrayed against him, was responsible for the violems, These lies have been repeated and used to justify his murder, They need to he answered, Firstly Thatcher's inane statement that ‘a €Yime is e crime’, The answer to that is quite simple. In the North of Ireland ‘criminality’ depends on whether yeu are a pto-imperialist cr an anti-imperialist, The R.U.C. have defined support for H-Block and Armagh as a crime and will : attack any supporters who’ date to enter Belfast City centre. Meanwhile Paisley can attack Dublin councillors while they stand aside. Any defence ttovement by C.cdolics is automaticeliv attacked while Lic UDA, otfganise without restriction, Bobby gets 14 years fur posession of gun while Loyalists walk free or get suspended sentences. The British aimy ran murder youths in Derry y-ihout even the pretence of anverquiry. It's this unbridled imperialist violence that Thatcher and Foot are bypocrtically defending.

The second line of defence is that Bobby committed suicide anid that therefore the British had no responsibility for his death. Bobby Sands never wanted te die, He was however willing to die rather than bow the knee to British oppression, Yor tive years he tried every other course open to him befote reserting to the final tactic of the hunger strike. Massive numbers of Irish people demonstrated in his defence and a majority of the Fermanagh -South Tyrone electorate voted their support for ois demands, When the British decided to defy.all this they were deciding to c murder Bobby Sands, The truth is that the hunger strike is enshrined in history as the final weapon of the oppressed and exploited. it is a Final appeai co all those who are also oppressed to unit~.and to organise in the defence of the pvtisoners, This is. “he choice that faces all sections of Irish society, Are they on the side of the epptessed or on thé side of the oppressors: The SDLP and Fainna Fail must come off the fence, The lives of the other hunger strikers can be saved, but we must let the Itish people know who are their allies and who are their enemies in this struggle.

* a BS Scenes DESVEbhy secre CHA LLENG En Paddy Devlin, a PSENt TS lor for he Sake sonstewn atea of Belfast and Gerry Fitt*s chiof henchman, pickea the 63rd day of Bo bby Sant s hunger sttike to denounce ‘intimidation’, We didn't mean British intimidation De the Hunger strike campaign.

He meant that the campaign was intimidating him by asking him to witharaw: from the council un:il the prisoner's struggle was resolved: a ar ee Ee {in a reply John McAnulty, P.D. candidate in the area, peinted out that the campaign's activity was perfectly legitimate and thet Devlin had lost all touch with the political apinions of bis constituents. He noted that Devlin had-net condenmed the arrest of himself and seven other H-Block/Armagh militants on the Belfast May Day march - an example of real intimictation by the RUC... He want \ on to challange Devlin to a debate, | So far we have had no reply. Perhaps Paddy has learnt wisdom from his old pal Gerry Fitt, who is now lying low after his earlier attacks on the prisoners. P.D. is standing candidates against both Fitt and Devlin to expos: their [=< socialisp and throw their attack: on the prisorers back in their teeth.

We again tenéw our call to all councillors and candidates to inuicate their intention of withdrawing from the council.

HOW WE CAN WIN

The question facing us 211 is ‘Whay do we do now?" The immediate priori -ty is to publicly show our sorrow at the death of Bobby Sands and. our solidarity with the remaining, three Hunger Strikers. Black flanges should be flown and we can wear black armbands on Thursday, the National day of Mourning. On the streets, local H. Block Ctte -€sS can organise road blockings and mass pickets on barracks. These activities should be charectarised by discipline and unity and can be used to involve as many people as possible in active opposition to the British. ; There. is. the- probability of R.U.C.

and army raids on the districts to round up local activists. We can prevent this by barricading off side streets and‘ensuring that personnel are there to defend them at a11 tim -€8. This wiil not only provide eff -~ective protection for campaign activists but give an alternative activity for our Youth to involve themselves in, as opposed to thepre ‘sent unco-ordinated rioting. In the past, bin-lid bashing has proved a food militant responseto incursions of any "fret ‘asreas" that we set up.

Throughout this campaign we have pressurised the Trade Union Movement and the &.D.L.P. to take a nositive stand on the 5Demands,. We must now demand that the unions implement th -eir national policy which declares support for the prisoners. We must demand that our local councillors come off the councils till the Pol ~itical Status issue is resolved, ‘Pressure can be stepped up»through picketing union offices and S.D.L.P, Head Quarters, Ona wider plane the electors of Fermanaeh/S.Tyronc should organise 4 mags petition calling for another by-election for Bobby Sands seat and tnen stand another Hunge: Striker which will afford us the opportunity

REPUBLIC

to consolidate the original victory and further isolate the &.D.L.P.

leadership and discredit the British and Irish governments. Alvext¢y ,appeals to the internation -1]1 labour movement to take industr -~ial action against Bsitish concerns and have met with 2 good response.

This :c¢tion coupled with similer .

moves in Ireland could present the British with serious problems, 4 crucial battle will be to end the Anglo/Irish talks and FreeState collaboration on the Border, In this Charles Haughy had the power to save Bobby Sands. but refused to use it, An all-Ireland demonstration can be orpanised to march on Dublin with the demand that the Fianna Fail govt either take decisive action on the Hunger Strike or resign! The questi -on has «9 be put to every Irish eitizen,"Do you support the Prisoners .

_or the Britiza povernmcnt", We can win this campaign. We can —.

save the lives of the three remaini ~ng Hunger Strikers. We must prove both to ourselves as well as to the British that we are not beaten and are prepared to firht on tili we win.

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