Article on Hungerstrike
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
" Yesterday I was sick again while the tube was still down. The doctor doing it would not take his hand away [rom my mouth and I thought that I was choking in my own vomit. It was homble. However when I related what happened to the Doctor he said and I quote, 'Yes, quite, don'tpuke and you won't choke. ' The very same thing happened today but I managed to shake my head [ree and puke into a basin. Marian Price wrote the above letter to totaHy naked in their ceHs in solitary the 1970s this has not changed. The her mother on New Year's Day 1974 confinement as a punishment for their nationalist population have seen their to describe the torture of force feeding refusal to wear prison uniform. The fathers and sons, their mothers and inflicted on her by prison employees on torture of force feeding lasted 166 days. daughters kidnapped and interned in the orders of the British government. Students of Irish history over the last concentration camps. Hundreds have Her eIder sister Dolours suffered in the 800 years have noted many constant been shot in their own streets by same way while they were held in trends in each epoch of Ireland's sub• British agents and their hired assassins. Brixton's men's prison. Their comrades jection. The most frequent is un• On 15th November 1973 nine young Hugh Feeney and Gerry KeHy in doubtedly the vicious treatment meted people from working class areas of Gartree and Wormwood Scrubs were out to the Irish by the British ruling Belfast were sentenced at Winchester equally brutally treated. The two boys, classes. Study of the present situation Crown Court to life imprisonment for as weH as being force fed, were kept in the Six Counties shows that even in 'conspiring to cause explosions' in 10 I Michael Gaughan Frank Stagg Gerald Kelly · London. (The trial had been shifted to 5. That they be exempted from discredit the fOUf.These included the Winchester, despite defence protests, to prison work. Vermeer art theft, the alleged finding guarantee a conviction). Eight of these The Prisoners Aid Committee has by the Army in the Six Counties of a prisoners: Dolours and Marian Price, consistently campaigned for political plan of Armagh prison which could not Gerry Kelly, Hugh Feeney, William status for all lrish prisoners subjected be revealed for 'security reasons' and Armstrong, Paul Holmes, Roy Walsh to a British political show trial and for idiotic efforts by the Horne Office to and Martin Brady immediately went the right of all prisoners who wish to do suggest that the girls were only dieting. on hunger strike in support of their so to serve their sentences in Ireland, The two boys were denied visits from demand to be given political status and especially if this will bring them closer their families except for two occasions, a transfer to the Six Counties. By the to their families. The demand for a one under the Tories and one under end ofNovember, four ofthem had transfer was not a precedent as the Labour. Visits by dignatories like Lord been tortured into giving up. The course of the campaign revealed that Longford and Lord Brockway were hunger strike by the four who were many transfers between Ireland and however a110wed for some reason. left, later joined by Frank Stagg, England had been ordered by the Even two Tory MPs who saw the girls, Michael Gaughan and briefly Paul British authorities since 1969, but Derek Coombs and Dr Stuttaford, Holmes lasted long enough to cause a mainly of soldiers or Loyalists. For the demanded that they should be moved sluggish stirring of conscience even in Joint Action Committee, waging a to Ireland and expressed concern at the the long redundant British liberal mind. campaign with the full support of the long term effects of force feeding. Michael Gaughan's murder by the prisoners' families, the daily courage Things were not a11going the govern• process of force feeding was the most of the prisoners was a great inspiration. ment's way. striking illustration that British brutality would not be confined to the Six Counties. The recent torture of Torture Labour men charged with causing explosions in Day in and day out the four, Dolours The Labour government of February Birmingham has underlined this fact. and Marian Price,Gerry Kelly and Hugh 1974 inherited the problem of the The long hunger strike also illustrated Feeney, suffered the humiliation of Tory Horne Secretary, Robert Carr. that the British government is quite being held down by prison warders, Those who naively expected Roy willing to resort to censorship and having their mouths wrenched open by Jenkins to be more 'liberal' than his manipulation of the press as weIl as of a wooden clamp, a plastic tube thrust predecessor were quickly disillusioned. independent professional bodies. For a down their throats into their stomachs. While Carr had admitted that force long while the Horne Office was nothing The thick mixture which was poured feeding was 'horrible', Jenkins sought but a mouthpiece for distorted propa• into the tube frequently made the to justify it purelyon medical grounds ganda which purported to be the sole prisoners vomit but even their own pretending that the prison doctors were source ofinformation on the condition vomit was poured back down their of the prisoners. The actual demands throats. Despite the virtual news black not in his employ. This w.asat...aJ!!ne from the hunKer strikers were: out in the British press, it was apparent whendoctorsa picketon the wasJ3rHtSllbeiIl&~dMedical \ 1. Areturn to Ireland to serve their byearly 1974 that the prisoners were Association jer its silence. \ \ sentences under the same special in poor physical condition. Claire Price Not u after force fee ding had '" \ category conditions as their comrades said the girls were 'unrecognisable'. It ended a the true politics of the jailed over there. was also clear that they were not going situa 'on come clear when Jenkins to give up or give in. The British inst cted his minions in the prison 2. Full political status while they m ical service not to force feed were in England, including the right to government had a tough problem on its wear their own clothes and receive hands. Force feeding had failed to end pr soners who were sane and the BMA unlimited letters. the hunger strike and was causing p sed aresolution saying that it was uB uneasiness in many circles not renowned to ch individual doctor to decide 0 3. An open visit every week. for their concern for the Belfast working the e ical issue of force feeding. T se 4. That they be all held togetheF in class. two sim events were a dear pr f one prison. Ridiculous efforts had been made to that until the ison doctor force Marion Price ·Hugh Feeny Dolours Price fed on the instruction of the Horne put out a false statement that Hugh weakened condition following a second Secretary. Feeney had ended his hunger strike hunger strike which was in prot'esteas . Throughout the spring and into the hoping to trick the others into giving humiliating treatment being meted out early summer Roy Jenkins continued to up. Gartree prison announced that he to him and his visitors at Long Lartin play dice with the lives of the prisoners; had eaten a meal which if in fact he prison. Arnazingly, despite the fact that gambling with their lives and health to bad eaten after 200 days without food he had ended his strike, that he was get the government off the hook. On would have killed him. They were seriously ill and that the Association 31 March the hunger strike spread to forced however to withdraw this lie. It for Legal Justice had announced the the Isle ofWight where Frank Stagg was the 1ast feeble gesture in the intention of having the issue of his and Michael Gaughan, joined for a short propaganda campaign by the Horne treatment heard before the European while by Paul Holmes who was later Office against the prisoners. A telephone Court, he was bruta11y force fed at persuaded by the other two to give up call between all four prisoners led to Wakefield because he refused to drink because of his poor health, began to them accepting the assurance of the milk. He was then physically assaulted refuse food. The brutality of the Horne Secretary that they would be to make him submit to a medical method of force feeding used on Stagg moved and that in the meantime they examination. and Gaughan illustrate quite clearly would be allowed to write as many that the prison regarded it as a punitive letters as they wanted and wear their own clothes. Victory rather than a medical procedure. The return of Dolours and Marian Prlce, The Horne Office had been beaten, Gerry Kelly and Hugh Feeney to prisons but going against vaunted British tenets in the Six Counties is the first clear cut Murder of 'fair play' they still had a few dirty victory for lrish political prisoners held tricks up their sleeves. In the course of Michael Gaughan was finally murdered in Britain and they had the support not a statement in the Commons, Jenkins on 3 June after 66 days on hunger only of other lrish prisoners but also of said that they would be sent horne strike. The Labour Horne Office had many English prisoners in their battle 'subject to security conditions'. The moved hirn from one prison to another with the British government-a battle prisoners were told by the mediators on the Isle of Wight but had not agreed which they fought and won with only to his being moved to a prison in the Six that this had been said for political one weapon, their bodies.