Dolphins Barn residents tonight joined with eirigi activists and fellow Republicans in marking the thirty second anniversary of the ending of the 1981 Hunger Strike.The momentous prison protest began in March of 1981 in a defiant response to the Thatcher Tory Governments policy of criminalising the prisoners and the Republican Movements struggle for a thirty two county Socialist Republic. The protest lasted for six months and support for the hunger strikers brought tens of thousands onto the streets and into Polling Stations on both sides of the border and it ended in victory when the British Government conceded to the prisoners demands but at the price of the lives of ten of the political prisoners.This selfless sacrafice must never be forgotten and that is why eirigi South Inner City have hosted this vigil for the past four years. Speaking at the vigil eirigi 2014 Local Election Candidate Damien Farrell said "It is right and proper that all Republicans continue to remember the 1981 Hunger Strike and those who sacraficed their young lives to oppose the criminalisation of the struggle in which their participation led to their incarceration.The British Government under Margaret Thatcher set out to break the strength of a growing campaign for self determination by achieving a thirty two county Socialist Republic by attacking the movement at what it believed to be the weakest point,incarcerated political prisoners.By implementing the policy of criminalisation the Brits embarked on a fight they did not expect as Republicans with no other means left to fight with pitted their bodies in defiance against the might of an Empire and won." Farrell went on to say "This spirit shown by these men and women is the example that modern day Republicans need to abide by.The selflessness,the bravery and the commitment is what is needed today to fight the current phase of criminalising Republicans." eirigi South Inner City would like to thank the many local people for coming out in adverse weather conditions to support the vigil and to those who travelled from Coolock,Tallaght,Ballyfermott and as far away as South East Leinster.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 03:45:27 +0000