Tag Archives: Hunger Strike

This morning.

Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

Anti Imperialist Action writes:

To mark the 40th Anniversary of the launch of the 1980 Hunger strike, Anti Imperialist Action renamed Merrion Road in Dublin that houses the Brit Imperialist Embassy, as Bóthar Breandan MacAodha/ Brendan Hughes Road.

Road signs were erected to cover the current signs at the junction of the road that houses the Brit Embassy, at the Embassy itself and on the Bus Stops close by to honour the courage and sacrifice of the Republican Soliders in the H-Block who commenced a Hungerstrike Against British attempts to criminalise the Republican Struggle 40 years Ago this week.

Brendan Hughes the O/C of the Republican POWs and a deeply committed Socialist Republican led the strike against the Brits and it is fitting to rename the road that houses the epi-centre of Brit Imperialism in the Free State in honour of his heroic action and life long fight for Irish National Liberation and Socialist Revolution.

Anti Imperialist Action

This afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Climate Change activist Patricia Devlin (holding a photo with her grandchildren) begins a hunger strike outside the gates of Dail Eireann to highlight ‘Government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency’ as part of another week-long series of ‘global action’ events  by Extinction Rebellion.

Sam Boal/Rollingnews

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Globe House, Sligo

Amjad Rosstami is a 44-year-old Iranian Kurdish man who came to Ireland several months ago seeking asylum.

He reportedly came to Ireland via Britain where he was for four years.

After Ireland’s Department of Justice refused his application for refugee protection, Amjad faced a deportation order – to send him back to the UK – prompting him to go on hunger strike.

He is now on the 35th day of his hunger strike.

Ahmad Kamal, from Sudan, is Amjad’s roommate at Globe House where there were 195 asylum seekers living at the end of 2015. Ahmad has been in the direct provision system for 11 years.

Last Saturday, Ahmad spoke at Saturday’s rally in Dublin, calling for an end to the direct provision system and spoke of Amjad’s situation.

This morning, on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke show, journalist Brian O’Connell broadcast an interview he carried out with Ahmad in Sligo last night.

“We share a room, he’s on hunger strike for 34 days. The first days were very horrible days – he was dying because [he was taking] no water, no food and his body not used to it. And then [after several days] when he started drinking [water], he seemed to be a little bit okay. Just, he’s so weak  and he lost a lot of weight.

“He used to be very healthy, muscle man, now he’s very weak. He’s looking like he’s dying. He’s not moving out of the room, he just keeps lying in the bed because he has no energy to move. He’s sugar is low, his blood pressure is low and he’s, he’s too weak.”

“He wants Ireland to look after his case. He’s like lost for four years in the UK. The UK, they refused him so he decided to come to Ireland. He thought that this is his last chance. Die or Ireland will look after him.”

“He’s in danger. Iran want him, he’s wanted there and if he’s sent back, he will be killed there.”

“He’s a very quiet man, he’s very gentle. He doesn’t talk much. I really worry about my friend, he’s getting weaker and weaker every day. A couple of days [ago] he stopped drinking water and now he’s on hunger strike without water…”

Mr O’Connell explained that, at around 9pm last night, Amjad was complaining of severe stomach pains, an ambulance was called and he was transferred to Sligo General Hospital.

He said it’s unclear whether Amjad remains in the hospital or if he has been discharged.

Mr O’Connell also reported:

“There was a dramatic development in the case this morning. A Government source has confirmed that the deportation order has now been lifted and when I put it to them that the protest is continuing unless written confirmation is given, I’m told this will happen in the next few days – that he will be brought back into the asylum process on the basis that he stops his protest.

“Now, it’s unclear at the moment whether that will be enough to end the hunger strike, as he said he would only end the strike if he was officially interviewed by Department of Justice officials but it is a significant development. The deportation order which had been hanging over him has been lifted.

“But I guess many people at the vigil last night were asking: how was it that somebody could have been allowed spend 35 days on hunger strike before any significant progress was made?“

Previously: ‘Something Should Have Been Done For Her As A Matter Of Urgency’

YebHe’s the Filipino climate commissioner, above, who announced he was going on hunger strike nine days ago, at the UN negotiations in Warsaw, saying he wouldn’t eat “until a meaningful outcome is in sight”.

Well.

Maeve McLynn writes:

“He’s still fasting and the international support for him has really taken off. Yeb started a petition with Avaaz calling for all countries to face up to climate change and really work to tackle it. He will personally hand the petition over to the COP Presidency before the end of the negotiations (tomorrow).”

You can sign the petition here.

At the time of posting, it’s just over 289,000 short of one million.

Previously: Climate Change Hunger Striker

Thanks Maeve

9030595690305958Tony Rochford, from Trim Co Meath with supporters outside the Dail yesterday afternoon.

Mr Rochford is on hunger strike to protest  the property tax. He is being charged €495 charged on his home – a figure he says is based on the €430,000 he paid for the property in 2008 and not on current valuation.

But it is the least of his worries.

As he explained on day 10 of the strike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_HoxfLM9lA

(Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland)

Capture22

Richard O’Rawe, was IRA public relations officer in the H Block during the Hunger strike.

Writing on Ed Moloney’s blog ‘The Broken Elbow’, O’Rawe this week says he believes Gerry Adams not Margaret Thatcher must carry blame for most of the deaths during the hunger strike.

According to O’Rawe:

An offer was made to a committee headed up by Gerry Adams which would have gone some way to meet the prisoners’ demands i.e., prisoners could wear their own clothes, prison work would be “educationally based” and [they] would be segregated from loyalist prisoners in Long Kesh.

Danny Morrison delivered the British offer to the prisoners’ O/C (Officer Commanding) Bik McFarlane on July 6, 1981.

McFarlane, in turn notified O’Rawe, who said there was enough in the offer to end the hunger strike.

Within 24 hours, a ‘comm’ was received from Gerry Adams saying the offer was not acceptable and did not validate the deaths of the four hunger strikers.

A further six men died before the strike ended on October 3.

O’Rawe asserts that Adams and his committee should accept culpability in the deaths of those men and should be honest in their account of the strike.

Meanwhile, Gerry Adams in today’s Impartial Reporter says he was “very philosophical” about Mrs Thatcher’s death and could “forgive” her.

“It isn’t up to me to forgive her for what she did to the prisoners; that’s up to them and their families. I can forgive her, because I think we have to be about forgiveness. I can forgive her for anything that was done to me under her rule and I don’t have any problem with that – I actually believe in forgiveness. I just know as an individual; hatred or failure to forgive is most corrosive to the person involved as opposed to the perpetrator who mightn’t even be conscious of what you are thinking about him or her.”

 

‘Adams, Not Thatcher, Culpable For Last Six Hunger Strike Deaths’, Says Former IRA Prison Leader (The Broken Elbow)

Gerry Adams: I can forgive Thatcher (The Impartial Reporter)

The Palestinian Hunger Strike and Prisoners Solidarity Vigil – in support of Hassan Safadi, Akram Rikhawi and Samer al-Baraq – at the Spire on O’Connell Street, Dublin last night.  The three are Palestinian political prisoners who are now on hunger strike. One of them – Akram Rikhawi – is in imminent danger of death according to human rights organisations.

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

 

On that sentence.

From Rev David Syms, of ‘Six Principles’ Baptist Church, Baltimore, Co Cork.

“…We then see Paul Begley [Garlic importation tax evader] being sent to prison for a tax offence while paying back the money, leaving a wife and children to be alone for six years while he serves his outrageous sentence .

…I made a commitment to go on hunger strike from next Tuesday in protest against the injustice of sentencing in this country. I only hope that being a person who is not very strong willed I can do this for a reasonable length of time. I hope my faith can get me through.”

 

Irish Times letters