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[00:00:00]Once again, we have a hunger strike at the maze prison in the quest for what they call political status.

[00:00:07]There is no such thing as political murder, political bombing or political violence.

[00:00:13]There is only criminal murder, criminal bombing and criminal violence.

[00:00:19]>> We will not compromise on this. There will be no political status.

[00:00:26]On May 5th, 1981, a 27year-old prisoner named Bobby Sans died in a hospital bed inside the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland.

[00:00:36]He had gone without food for 66 days.

[00:00:40]His death shocked the world. Outside the prison walls, thousands gathered in protest. Riots broke out across Belfast.

[00:00:49]Around the world, newspapers carried a story on their front pages. Messages of support came from political leaders, activists, and ordinary people across Europe, the United States, and beyond.

[00:01:02]But Bobby Sans was not simply a prisoner on a hunger strike. To some, he was a terrorist and a criminal. To others, he was a political prisoner, a freedom fighter, and a symbol of resistance.

[00:01:17]His death became one of the defining moments of modern Irish history.

[00:01:25]The 1981 hunger strikes were more than a prison protest. They represented a battle over identity, political legitimacy, and the future of Northern Ireland.

[00:01:36]To understand why 10 men were willing to die, it is necessary to understand the conflict that shaped their world.

[00:01:43]The hunger strikes took place during a violent period in Irish and British history known as the Troubles. The troubles began in the late 1960s and lasted for nearly three decades. The conflict centered on Northern Ireland, which remained part of the UK after Ireland was partitioned in 1921.

[00:01:59]Northern Ireland was deeply divided.

[00:02:02]On one side were unionists and loyalists, most of whom were Protestant and wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of Britain. On the other side were nationalists and republicans, most of whom were Catholic and wanted Northern Ireland to reunify with the Republic of Ireland.

[00:02:18]Tensions grew because many Catholics face discrimination in housing, employment, and political representation.

[00:02:26]Inspired by civil rights movements around the world, Catholic communities organized peaceful marches demanding equal treatment. These protests were often met with violence.

[00:02:37]As conflict escalated, British troops were deployed to Northern Ireland in 1969.

[00:02:43]What began as civil unrest soon became an armed conflict. The Irish Republican Army or IRA emerged as one of the central groups fighting against British rule. The British government viewed the IRA as a terrorist organization.

[00:02:56]The IRA viewed itself as an army fighting a war for liberation.

[00:03:08]For years, imprisoned members of paramilitary organizations had been granted what was called special category status.

[00:03:15]This status recognized them as political prisoners rather than ordinary criminals.

[00:03:20]They did not have to wear prison uniforms, perform prison labor, or follow the same regulations as other inmates. But in 1976, the British government ended this status. This decision was part of a policy known as criminalization.

[00:03:34]The goal was simple, to present Republican violence as criminal activity rather than political resistance.

[00:03:40]British officials believed removing political prisoner status would weaken support for the IRA. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government wanted to make one thing clear. There would be no political recogn recognition for those convicted of violence.

[00:03:54]For Republican prisoners, this was unacceptable to them. Losing political status meant losing recognition for the cause they believed they were fighting for. The prison became a new battleground and the prisoners began to resist.

[00:04:07]The first form of resistance became known as the blanket protest. When newly convicted Republican prisoners were ordered to wear prison uniforms, they refused. Instead, they wrap themselves in prisonissued blankets. Their message was clear. If they were denied political status, they would reject the symbols of criminal imprisonment.

[00:04:27]The hunger strike began on March 1st, 1981. It was carefully organized. Rather than all prisoners refusing food at once, they joined one by one at staggering intervals.

[00:04:40]This ensured the protest would remain in public attention for as long as possible.

[00:04:45]Bobby's hands was first.

[00:04:48]The prisoners demanded five basic rights. The right not to wear prison uniforms. The right not to perform prison labor. The right to associate freely with other prisoners. The right to educational and recreational activities.

[00:05:02]And the restoration of remission, meaning reduce sentences for good behavior.

[00:05:09]Conditions quickly worsened.

[00:05:12]Prison officers often use force to remove prisoners from their cells for washing or bathroom visits.

[00:05:20]In response, prisoners escalated their protest. This became known as the dirty protest.

[00:05:27]Prisoners refused to leave their cells without access to pro proper sanitation.

[00:05:31]They smeared human waste on the walls and poured urine under cell doors.

[00:05:38]The conditions inside the maze prison became horrific. Cells were cold, filthy, and overcrowded.

[00:05:45]Yet, the prisoners continued.

[00:05:48]They believed suffering was necessary to expose what they saw as British oppression.

[00:05:54]After years of protest without meaningful concession, they turned to the most extreme form of resistance available, the hunger strike.

[00:06:06]At its core, the hunger strike was about recognition. The prisoners wanted acknowledgement that they were political actors, not common criminals. As days passed, Bobby Sans's health deteriorated rapidly.

[00:06:18]But during the strike, something remarkable happened. He was elected to the British Parliament as the member of Parliament for Ferman and South Tyrone.

[00:06:27]His election sent a powerful message.

[00:06:30]Thousands of voters had supported a man dying in prison. It proved the hunger strike had become more than a prison protest. It was now an international political crisis.

[00:06:40]Despite growing pressure, Margaret Thatcher refused to negotiate. She famously declared, "Crime is crime is crime. It's not political."

[00:06:50]For Thatcher, conceding would legitimize political violence. For the prisoners, refusing to concede meant death.

[00:07:01]On May 5th, 1981, Bobby Sans died. He had survived 66 days without food. His funeral drew more than 100,000 mourners.

[00:07:14]He was first to die. Nine more men followed.

[00:07:17]Francis Hughes, Raymond McCree, Paty O'Hara, Joe McDonald, Martin Herson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas Mckelwi, and Michael Deine.

[00:07:47]Each death intensified public outrage.

[00:07:50]Mass demonstrations erupted across Ireland. International protests took place in cities including New York, Paris, and Rome.

[00:07:59]The Vatican expressed concern.

[00:08:02]Political leaders condemned the British government's refusal to compromise.

[00:08:06]To supporters, these men were martyrs, but to opponents, they were extremists who had chosen death.

[00:08:13]The world watched as Northern Ireland's conflict became impossible to ignore.

[00:08:27]Although the hunger strike ended in October 1981 without immediate victory, its long-term impact was enormous. The strike transformed Irish Republican politics, convinced many leaders that political participation could be as powerful as armed struggle.

[00:08:42]>> [snorts] >> This shift became known as the ballot box and armalite strategy. Combining electoral politics with militant resistance. Shinfane, the political wing associated with republicanism, gained major public support. Leaders like Jerry Adams would build on this momentum.

[00:08:57]Over time, this political strategy helped pave the way for negotiations that eventually contributed to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

[00:09:04]Hunger strikes also had global significance.

[00:09:07]They became a powerful example of resistance through self-sacrifice.

[00:09:11]Activists around the world studied them as examples of how imprisonment and protest can shape political movements.

[00:09:19]The events raised a lasting questions about state power, political violence, and the limits of protest.

[00:09:27]The 1981 hunger strikes remain one of the most emotional and controversial chapters in Irish history. For some, they represent courage and resistance.

[00:09:36]For others, they represent tragedy born from political extremism.

[00:09:40]But regardless of perspective, their impact cannot be denied. 10 men died demanding recognition for what they believed was a political struggle. Their deaths changed public opinion, reshaped Irish Republicanism, and altered the course of Northern Ireland's future.

[00:09:56]Bobby's hands once wrote, "Our revenge will be the laughter of our children."

[00:10:02]Over 40 years later, the memory of the hunger strikes continues to shape conversations about justice, identity, and freedom in Ireland and around the world.