Hunger strikes of 1981
E18011
The Hunger Strikes of 1981 were a pivotal protest by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland, during which several died while refusing food to demand political status and which dramatically intensified international attention on the conflict.
Aliases (1)
Statements (70)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
event in The Troubles
→
hunger strike → political protest → protest → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Hunger strikes of 1981
→
surface form: "1981 Irish hunger strike"
1981 hunger strike → |
| cause |
criminalisation policy of the British government
→
withdrawal of political status for paramilitary prisoners → |
| commemoratedBy | annual commemorations by Irish republicans → |
| conflictContext |
The Troubles
→
surface form: "Northern Ireland conflict"
The Troubles → |
| country | United Kingdom → |
| demand |
political status for paramilitary prisoners
→
restoration of Special Category Status → right not to do prison work → right not to wear prison uniforms → right of free association with other prisoners → right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week → right to organize their own educational and recreational activities → |
| electoralImpact |
election of Bobby Sands as MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
→
election of Owen Carron as MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone → |
| endDate | 1981-10-03 → |
| legacy |
catalyst for Sinn Féin’s electoral rise in the 1980s
→
subject of numerous books, films and songs → symbol of Irish republican resistance → |
| location | Northern Ireland → |
| mainLocation |
HM Prison Maze
→
Long Kesh → HM Prison Maze →
surface form: "Maze Prison"
|
| mediaCoverage | extensive international media attention → |
| notableDeath |
Bobby Sands
→
Francis Hughes → Joe McDonnell → Kevin Lynch → Kieran Doherty → Martin Hurson → Michael Devine → Patsy O’Hara → Raymond McCreesh → Thomas McElwee → |
| notableParticipant |
Bobby Sands
→
Brendan McFarlane → Laurence McKeown → Richard O’Rawe → |
| numberOfDeaths | 10 → |
| opposedBy |
UK government
→
surface form: "British government"
Margaret Thatcher →
surface form: "UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher"
|
| opposedPolicy | British policy of criminalisation of paramilitary prisoners → |
| organizedBy |
Irish National Liberation Army prisoners
→
Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoners → |
| participant |
INLA prisoners
→
Irish republican prisoners → Provisional IRA prisoners → |
| partOf |
history of the Irish National Liberation Army
→
history of the Provisional Irish Republican Army → |
| politicalImpact |
boosted electoral strategy of Irish republican movement
→
increased support for Sinn Féin → intensified international attention on Northern Ireland conflict → radicalized segments of nationalist community in Northern Ireland → |
| precededBy |
1976 removal of Special Category Status
→
1980 hunger strike → blanket protest → dirty protest → |
| relatedTo |
British–Irish relations
→
surface form: "Anglo-Irish relations"
Anglo-Irish Agreement →
surface form: "Northern Ireland peace process"
|
| result |
no formal recognition of political status
→
partial concessions on prison conditions → |
| startDate | 1981-03-01 → |
| timePeriod |
20th century
→
Cold War era → |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form: "1981 Irish hunger strike"
this entity surface form: "1981 Irish hunger strike"
this entity surface form: "1981 Irish hunger strike"