Adams urged to resign from Sands trust

A former republican hunger striker has called on Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams to step down from the Bobby Sands Trust in light of recent allegations surrounding his suspected paedophile brother.

West Belfast man Gerard Hodgins spent 20 days on hunger strike in 1981 before the protest finally came to an end following the deaths of 10 men.

Gerry Adams is a long-standing member of the trust which was set up in 1981 after the death of Bobby Sands, the first of the hunger strikers to die.

The trust holds the copyright to all of Sands’s writings. While the Sands family originally endorsed the trust, they have since asked for it to be wound up.

In a letter, Mr Hcdgins says the Sinn Fein president should step down from the trust in light of the allegations against his brother.

“Bobby Sands was a man of principle, a man of honour, a man of courage and a man of unblemished character,” he writes.

“Much has come to light about the high level of penetration of the Provisional leadership by British intelligence agencies.”

He said the latest episode on the “true face behind the Provisional leadership mask” was a very disturbing one, given that it concerns the abuse of a child and the “manipulation of that heinous crime” by the police, intelligence agencies and the Sinn Fein leadership, who all had their own agendas.

“I believe further association with a discredited Provisional leadership besmirches and dishonours the sacrifices Bobby and the other men of ‘81 made in the name of freedom”.

The following is the full text of the letter:

Ten years ago the family of Bobby Sands asked Gerry Adams and Danny Morrison to wind up The Bobby Sands Trust; their reasons for this included they don’t believe The Bobby Sands Trust is all Gerry and Danny claim it to be.

Bobby Sands was a man of principle, a man of honour, a man of courage and a man of unblemished character. He has inspired thousands throughout the globe in their struggles for social justice and remains a beacon of hope for the oppressed, the imprisoned and the socially conscious.

In the intervening years since Bobby’s family asked Adams and Morrison to wind up the organisation they run using Bobby’s name, much has come to light about the high level of penetration of the Provisional leadership by British intelligence agencies: so much so in fact it is difficult not to juxtapose this information alongside the new found ostentatious wealth of the Provisional leadership and not conclude there is truth in there!

The latest episode on the true face behind the Provisional leadership mask is a very disturbing one, given that it concerns the rape and abuse of children and the manipulation of that heinous crime by the Police, intelligence agencies and the Provisional leadership: nobody cared for the victim, all had their own agendas.

Whether Gerry Adams remains or goes as the leader of Sinn Fein is an irrelevance to me and I wouldn’t comment on it other than to say Gerry is probably the most morally apt person to lead an organisation which appears, in its upper echelons at least, to be a depository for informers, paedophiles and God knows what else.

I would call on him to resign immediately though from The Bobby Sands Trust as I believe further association with a discredited Provisional leadership besmirches and dishonours the sacrifces Bobby and the other men of ‘81 made in the name of freedom. One of Bobby’s most famous quotes is: our revenge will be the laughter of our children!

Gerry Adams is not a man who can continue this charade that he and he alone speaks for Bobby, the hunger strikers, the Blanketmen and women. Not in my name Gerry, most definitely not in my name!

Urgent Appeal