Republican News · Thursday 11 October 2001

Heroic H-Block men undefeated - Hunger Strike ends

BOBBY SANDS, Francis Hughes, Raymond McCreesh, Patsy O'Hara, Joe McDonnell, Martin hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee and Mickey Devine are the martyrs of H-Block and the inspirers of fresh resistance to British rule in Ireland.

Their deaths have been recognised nationally and internationally as an assertion of their political motivation, as men laying down their lives that their fellow men, their comrades, should gain from their sacrifice and should be victorious out of their deaths.

These ten dead men and their comraes on the blanket protest have put a crack in British rule in Ireland and launched Ireland's struggle for freedom into era, out of which the success of our cause is assured.

Out of the ranks of the youth thousands have come forward to replace them, while across the world the struggle in Ireland is recognised as a national war of liberation waged by Volunteers soldiers of such a high calibre that they do not baulk from the enemy on the streets or when in the clutches of British brutality and under lock and key.

For 217 days, Irish political prisoners asserted their cause by the sacrifice of Hunger Strike and won respect and admiration from all quarters and a begrudging recognition from the enemy.

Five years ago, the British Government decided it would criminalise Irish republicans by forcing them to wear a convict's uniform and carry out prison work. For years men were beaten because they refused to conform to prison rules. Now, the British, in abolishing the prison uniform, have been forced to change their rules to conform to the reality that republicans are political prisoners.

Last Tuesday's announcement from direct Ruler Jim Prior on the reforms now being made available are not the five demands. But they have come about as a result of the Hunger Strike and the Blanket protest and not because the British Government are in any way committed to enlightened or liberal prison regimes in which they shroud their defeat.

d out of that defeat should they attempt to resurrect victory and the criminalisation policy by not satisfactorily resolving and elaborating on the issues of prison work, segregation and restoration of lost remission, then they are pushing for further confrontation in the H-Blocks. The Brits have never been able to, cannot now, and never will be able to criminalise the Irish republican cause of freedom. That policy was destroyed in its own perverseand violent attempts.

It was destroyed by Bobby, Francis, Raymond, Patsy, Joe, Martin, Kevin, Kieran, Thomas, and Mickey and we salute them and draw courage and will power such as those soldiers of the Irish people possessed.

Phoblacht, Saturday 10 October.