Why do we do it?

Brendan Hughes

Comrades!

WHY do we do it?  Why do we bomb, shoot, kill? I went to England recently; they pulled me in, the Special Branch.  I was not there to bomb, shoot or kill!  I was there to talk and listen to people!

I went on a protest march through London; nothing to do with the Irish situation.  I met people in London, very few of them spoke English.  But when they were told I was a friend of Bobby Sands, I saw their faces change ... I was at one with them, I was their friend, I was a comrade.

Their family, friends and comrades were dying on hunger strike.  To my shame, I did not know that 12 people have died on hunger strike including a woman - 50 people are on hunger strike at present.

Did you know that?

Twenty years ago I was on hunger strike, the whole world knew.  Over 50 people are on hunger strike right now for the same principle as we stood for and yet; the world does not know ... I did not know!

Sinn Fein's response to their cause - and this is a fact that broke my heart when I heard it - "We do not get involved in the internal politics of another country."

Bill Clinton was here last week.

Andrew King apart, no politician, no representative of any party asked the questions:

"Why do you bomb poor people?  "Why do you give money and guns to people to kill kids? Why do you support the fascist regimes of Israel and Turkey?  Why are people dying in Turkey?  Why don't you speak out?  Why don't our people speak out?"

People are dying in Turkey, kids are dying in Palestine, Mr Clinton is responsible. Soon it will be Mr Bush.  It will take more than a Mexican Wave to brush it under the carpet.

The people who are dying in Turkey are no different from the people who died in Ireland 20 years ago.

I call on all parties, and in particular Sinn Fein, to speak out for these hunger strikers, just as we called on the world to speak out for us.

Ten men dead was a crime against us!

It will be a crime and a shame perpetrated by us if we fail to speak out on Turkey.