Prisoner on hunger strike

Wolfe Tone

Co Louth man who was convicted of IRA membership is on hunger strike in Portlaoise Prison, the Special Criminal Court was told today.

Barry O'Brien (aged 38), a father of three from Mountainview Court, was convicted last December of membership of an illegal organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA on April 6, 2004.

The court had been due to sentence O'Brien today, but prosecuting counsel Mr Gerard Clarke SC told the court that he was not present in court.

Mr Clarke said that he had been furnished with a medical report that said that O'Brien was not fit to attend court.

"I am told he is apparently, on hunger strike," he added.

Mr Justice Paul Butler, presiding, remarked that at a recent court appearance O'Brien "looked very poorly".

The court remanded O’ Brien until February 15 for sentencing.

During a three-day trial last year, chief superintendent Patrick Magee said in evidence it was his "strong belief" that O'Brien was an IRA member.

Superintendent Magee also said he had known O'Brien for many years on a personal basis, and was very familiar with his activities "and of his involvement with the IRA".

Garda forensic witnesses told the court they were "satisfied" O'Brien's fingerprints were found on items seized from a car in Dublin in 2003, in which firearms were discovered.

The driver was subsequently convicted of IRA membership, while two other men arrested during the operation pleaded guilty to possession of firearms.

The court was also told that books of raffle tickets for “POWs”, walkie-talkies and €6,000 in cash was discovered when gardaí searched O'Brien's house in April 2004. O'Brien denied these were for IRA
fund-raising purposes.

Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/ira-man-on-hunger-strike-in-portlaoise-prison-491709.html#ixzz1Cl8lPWgW

Read this today..... Apparently the man in question is a right scumbag even among republican circles(he was thrown off of the republican wing by republicans, as far as I can tell for being a scumbag and a criminal in their eyes), but it got me thinking, what should be done with people on hunger strikes?

Its certainly an emotive issue.....

orourkeda

They should be handcuffed to the radiator in the kitchen. Their hunger strike wont last a day.

Alternatively, bombard them with extremely tasty foodstuffs.

Senna

Let him starve, its his choice.

Wolfe Tone

Senna wrote: »

Let him starve, its his choice.

Ah, is that a blanket statement for all hungerstikes or does it depend on their motives?

Senna

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Ah, is that a blanket statement for all hungerstikes or does it depend on their motives?

His motives? couldn't care less. Scumbag = let him starve

humberklog

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Ah, is that a blanket statement for all hungerstikes or does it depend on their motives?

Surely the only other route other than the hungerstriker's starvation is capitulation to the hungerstriker's demands?

starbelgrade

They should set up a little kitchenette outside his cell & have a top chef cook some cordon blue meals right beside the cell door window.

The smell of roast tenderloin in jus, fillet mignon steaks & creme brulee would soon have him change his mind.

LondonIrish90

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Ah, is that a blanket statement for all hungerstikes or does it depend on their motives?

regardless of motive, if a person on hunger strike is being offered food, there isnt much more you can do.

Rodin

Let him rot

No big loss

TeddyTedson

Surround him with fast food in a cell with nothing else and see if he can resist.
A social experiment if nothing else.

starbelgrade

Why is it called a hunger strike anyway?

It's not like they were working in the first place. Surely it should be called a hunger protest?

Einhard

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Ah, is that a blanket statement for all hungerstikes or does it depend on their motives?

To hunger strike is to attempt to blackmail the state.

No government worthy of that name should succumb to blackmail. Especially when the only person physically endangered through the act is the blackmailer himself.

Therefore, no government should negotiate with hunger strikers.

He has a choice. Eat or die.

Wolfe Tone

humberklog wrote: »

Surely the only other route other than the hungerstriker's starvation is capitulation to the hungerstriker's demands?

You could force-feed them, not a pleasant experience by all accounts, Gerry Kelly was force-fed when he was on hunger strike in the 70s for example.

Wolfe Tone

Einhard wrote: »

To hunger strike is to attempt to blackmail the state.

No government worthy of that name should succumb to blackmail. Especially when the only person physically endangered through the act is the blackmailer himself.

Therefore, no government should negotiate with hunger strikers.

He has a choice. Eat or die.

Does it not depend on the context? Say someone like Gandhi?

TeddyTedson

Give a man a fish, you feed him once.
Teach a man how to fish...you...you won't teach the man again.

humberklog

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Does it not depend on the context? Say someone like Gandhi?

Gandhi O Brien?

Einhard

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Does it not depend on the context? Say someone like Gandhi?

Context can play a part, but doesn't really come into it in liberal democracies, governed by the rule of law.

Hunger strikes are not an effective tool in truly oppressive countries, for the simple fact that the regime doesn't care whether you live or die, and likely or not, would kill you themselves.

RobHill

Einhard wrote: »

He has a choice. Eat or die.

Cake or Death!

StupidLikeAFox

starbelgrade wrote: »

They should set up a little kitchenette outside his cell & have a top chef cook some cordon blue meals right beside the cell door window.

The smell of roast tenderloin in jus, fillet mignon steaks & creme brulee would soon have him change his mind.

I would prob go on hunger strike for that too

TeddyTedson

RobHill wrote: »

Cake or Death!

Cake

macquarie

He must be starvin..

Sergeant

It's not an emotive issue for me. I couldn't give a fúck.

mickydoomsux

Meh.

Let the waste of space die. It'll save us money in the long term. Not the states job to babysit him and forcefeed him like a fussy child.

Hunger striking is an insult to starving people everywhere. Let him die and give his meals to the homeless.

Let him die or hook him up to an IV

david75

He's trying to wrap the green flag around himself and evoke Bobby Sands and those lads who actually did starve themselves to death for a higher aim. Theirs was a truly noble cause, to point out British maltreatment of Catholics in Prisons in NI and in NI generally. That worked 'cos it got the worlds media onto it. This is just a knob jockey. Leave him to it. He won't go all the way.

sensibleken

Why is he especially a scumbag? What is he protesting about?

Totaly depends on context. I think hunger striking is always more admirable than taking someone elses life but unfortunetely they are not always mutually exclusive. Ghandi and the sufreagettes are examples of how it can be used to great effect for honourable causes

Guy:Incognito

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Read this today..... Apparently the man in question is a right scumbag even among republican circles(he was thrown off of the republican wing by republicans, as far as I can tell for being a scumbag and a criminal in their eyes), but it got me thinking, what should be done with people on hunger strikes?

Its certainly an emotive issue.....

Are these the same guys that you say should be treated like all other prisoners? Their own wing and choosing who gets to be on it eh? I hope your not going to tell us about any other privelidges they get over the normal prisoners they should be treated the same as.

flyton5

They should just put some KFC "chicken dippas" in front of him. Ali G didn't last 10mins...

dolphin city

never mind the chicken dippa's - that stuff'll kill im.

Look, if he's gonna eat a meal, he'll eat an IRISH meal, so I vote for throwin him in a bit of irish stew or a bit a bacon and cabbage.

AnonoBoy

Maybe he's just a really really fussy eater?

Alter-Ego

Bet he's sneaking pop tarts and doritos in.

Anyway, take him out back and shoot him. Waste of space scum.

KeithAFC

Buy him a book on the history of the British empire, that will finish him off.

Riddle101

Einhard wrote: »

Context can play a part, but doesn't really come into it in liberal democracies, governed by the rule of law.

Hunger strikes are not an effective tool in truly oppressive countries, for the simple fact that the regime doesn't care whether you live or die, and likely or not, would kill you themselves.

That all depends. While a hunger strike might not be effective against regimes in oppresive countries, they can certainly work on a motivational level in the public's eye. Take the case during of the three hunger strikers(Can't remember their names) after the 1916 Rising, who went on hunger to get political status. One of them died from being forcefed, and the public was very sympathetic to their cause, it certainly changed a lot of peoples opinions, and might even have encouraged people to join the Irish Volunteers as well.

However this is different. If the guy he dies it's not really a loss. But I'm sure there will proberly be a lot of complaints made about how the authorities dealt with the situation from some people.

Fratton Fred

Where's Maggie when you need her?

MaybeLogic

sensibleken wrote: »

Why is he especially a scumbag? What is he protesting about?

He's such a scumbag, the other scumbags don't want anything to do with him.

He puts the scum in to scumbags.

Seriously though, I'm from the same town, and this guy is a genuinely rotten apple.

As to why he's protesting, I'm not sure, but, I'd imagine it's to do with being found guilty of membership, with a relative lack of evidence.

sensibleken

MaybeLogic wrote: »

He's such a scumbag, the other scumbags don't want anything to do with him.

He puts the scum in to scumbags.

Seriously though, I'm from the same town, and this guy is a genuinely rotten apple.

As to why he's protesting, I'm not sure, but, I'd imagine it's to do with being found guilty of membership, with a relative lack of evidence.

what did he do? rape a bonobo, huarang an episcopalian, steal a kiss?

MaybeLogic

sensibleken wrote: »

what did he do? rape a bonobo, huarang an episcopalian, steal a kiss?

What did he do, apart from what he was found guilty with?

PeteEd

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Read this today..... Apparently the man in question is a right scumbag even among republican circles(he was thrown off of the republican wing by republicans, as far as I can tell for being a scumbag and a criminal in their eyes), but it got me thinking, what should be done with people on hunger strikes?

Its certainly an emotive issue.....

Move him to Maghaberry and beat the sh1te out of him while he is starving

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056151907

sensibleken

MaybeLogic wrote: »

What did he do, apart from what he was found guilty with?

yes. he was found guilty of being in the RA, fair enough instant scum status. but this guy aparantly has some extra scumy mystique that led him to a life of exile and (presumably) bad emo poetry

MaybeLogic

sensibleken wrote: »

yes. he was found guilty of being in the RA, fair enough instant scum status. but this guy aparantly has some extra scumy mystique that led him to a life of exile and (presumably) bad emo poetry

The poetry was bad enough, but it was the scummy flower arranging that really brought him down in my eyes.

Rawhead

I know how they used to deal with the "dirty protesters"

A man will stay in a cell covered in his own sh1te for years.

A man will stay in a cell covered in someone else's sh1te for 5 minutes.

They would just swap the prisoners around in each others cells, broke them every time.

The reality is that there is bugger all you can do against a determined hunger striker, the only thing the state has to give them is fresh water and salt.

The state has not conceded yet on a hunger strike and we are fcuked if they decide to start. You will have kiddy fiddlers going on hunger strike for access to pics of kids.

krudler

Hunger strikes are sooo 70's, facebook campaigns are where the protest power lies these days.

Red Hand

I don't care what you say but the Bobby Sands weight loss diet is great for shifting those pounds.

Dr. Jonathan Crane

Let him starve.

Sounds like more trouble than he's worth.

Dyr

Ah yes, the Irish judicial system, the opinion of a copper is considered real evidence. 'tis a great little country altogether.

Wolfe Tone

MaybeLogic wrote: »

He's such a scumbag, the other scumbags don't want anything to do with him.

He puts the scum in to scumbags.

Seriously though, I'm from the same town, and this guy is a genuinely rotten apple.

As to why he's protesting, I'm not sure, but, I'd imagine it's to do with being found guilty of membership, with a relative lack of evidence.

Apparently he is striking in order to get back onto the republican landing! Thats a rumor at this stage though.

Ebbs

Eh.. I think the lad has his history a tad bit wrong.

The orginal hunger strikers went on strike so that they would be recognised as political prisioners, and maybe not beaten/humiated as much as they were. In my eyes, a just cause.

He however is saying he is not taking part in IRA funding, hence is just a normal criminal. And not worthy of special treatment.

So whats the aim of his hunger strike? Surely eaiser ways to kill oneself.

Sean Quagmire

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Give a man a fish, you feed him once.
Teach a man how to fish...you...you won't teach the man again.

There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me...a fool can't get fooled again.

Bottle_of_Smoke

david75 wrote: »

He's trying to wrap the green flag around himself and evoke Bobby Sands and those lads who actually did starve themselves to death for a higher aim. Theirs was a truly noble cause, to point out British maltreatment of Catholics in Prisons in NI and in NI generally. That worked 'cos it got the worlds media onto it. This is just a knob jockey. Leave him to it. He won't go all the way.

Why have people started thinking that was a goal of Sinn Fein and the IRA?

Members of those organisations generally won't even utter the words "Northern Ireland" and instead say "the north", "the six counties" etc

SF and IRA was never about civil rights, it was about the reunificiation of Ireland and the prisoners were protesting over not being recognised as prisoners of war.

RobHill

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Cake

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

Tenuous link but funny nonetheless