IRA hunger strikers were not criminals

THE opinions put forward by Tom Carew (Irish Examiner letters, May 11) about the 1981 hunger strikers were not only offensive and disrespectful, they were also littered with that tiresome kind of neo-unionism that is so prevalent in our contemporary print media.

I have no problem with Mr Carew remembering other victims of the Troubles, but why does he have to denigrate the 10 dead hunger strikers in order to do this? To label them serial killers and serious criminals is a pathetically lame attempt to portray the prisoners in a way that the British establishment and Margaret Thatcher failed to do. Can Mr Carew point to any criminal or serial killer who has received 30,000 votes in a general election?

How would Peter Sutcliffe and Ian Brady fare if they put their names forward? How many career criminals have starved themselves to death for a political ideal?

The hunger strikers were political prisoners during a political conflict which (unlike Mr Carew’s version) had victims on both sides. His criticism of these dead men should be treated with the contempt it deserves.

Gordon Kennedy

97 Botanic Road

Glasnevin

Dublin 9