H Block: new hunger strike starts soon Kesh and Armagh hunger-striking once more.
the sequence december deemen From the Irish political prisoners in Long 'WE, the Republican political prisoners in the H Blocks of Long Kesh and Armagh prison, having waited patiently for seven weeks for evidence that the British government was prepared to resolve the prison crisis and having given them every available opportunity to do so, declare our intention of 'On 18 and 19 December the hunger strikes in the H Blocks and Armagh prison were ended.
'When this happened we were expecting that within a few days all protests could begin to be de-escalated and that the first hurdle, the blanket men receiving their own clothes, could be got over in described by Atkins 'Obstacle after obstacle was placed in our way but we felt morally bound to explore every avenue before giving into exasperation and anger. The men their own clothes. into fouled cells, to the toilet. pettiness of the British administration was well demonstrated on 25 January when the prison governor acting under orders refused a number of "These 20 men had taken part in successful wing-shifts from dirty to clean cells and had begun slopping out, then washed, shaved and had their hair cut before applying for their own clothes.
'It is a fact that ordinary prisoners in conforming blocks are generally wearing their own clothes unchallenged, and we were angered that the Brits were more intent upon humiliating us once again than on settling the prison crisis. Thus on 27 January, over 90 prisoners in the H Blocks smashed up the cells as an expression of their anger.
'However, in turn, ihe screws assaulted large numbers of men, moved them from the clean cells and overnight denied them blankets and mattresses, drinking water, and access from these people since.
ding of the last hunger-strike gain for us?
which is far worse today than it ever was? Blocks and in Armagh jail. of our cause.
'Our last hunger-strikers were morally blackmailed by a number of people and politicians who called upon them to end the fast and allow the resolution of the protest. The hunger-strikes endea seven weeks ago and in the absence of any move. ment from the British we have not seen or heard It needs to be asked openly of the Irish Bishops, of Cardinal O Fiaich and of politicians like John Hume, what did your recommending en'Where is the peace in the prisons which like a promise was held before dying men's eyes? And who but the Brits are responsible for our state the blanket men, and we the women political prisoners in Armagh, have had enough of British deceit and of broken promises. Hungerstrikes to the death if necessary will begin commencing from I March 1981, the fifth anniversary of the withdrawal of political status in the H 'We are demanding to be treated as political prisoners which everyone recognises we are.
We call upon all those who supported us during the last hunger-strike to again rally to our cause and we call upon those who sat on the fence to now see the intransigence of the British and the justness