why she and those thousands of others marched.
He was first arrested on a street in the town in December 1976, The RUC Special Branch held him for three days under Section 10.
They said he had left a hoax bomb ar a petrol station. He would not sign do it.
They sent for me then, which is not very usual, and the Special Branch gave me this ultimatum bit. They said, if you ask him to say he took the car it will be very easy for him, because he's just sixteen.
I said, 'I can't ask my son to sign for something which he obviously did not do.
The Special Branch man said, 'He's going to go away for a long time T said. "Better that than to sign a false statement.
He said. Well I'm going to charge him now, and he'll see no more Christmas trees I said, "That's all right.' It wasn't So they charged him and they took him away.
-ARGUMENT They charged him with member. ship anna Eireann and the bomb thing. The next week at the bail court twa policemen starled arguing aboul where he was arrested The judge took the ugly cirrhosis was probably playing him up. The judge said it was lus court and he wouldn't have arguments in it, and nir sixteen round here war turned. No trepo just burned. So one morning in April they came for him and they look Him hus depor He was in Crumlin Road Jail till he went for trial in Octoher for the first charges. I wass postal so he wouldn'1 recognise the court. He gol two live years to rus concurrent He went straight to H Block then. We saw bim the next morioe, and he said that was where he wanted to go, because he did not believe he was a criminal — and be is not a criminal.
Five weeks later he was brosight to recognise that court too.
He sid in court then had berten Socialist Challenge 7 September 1978 page 12 FIFTEEN THOUSAND people marched from Coalisland to Dungannon in the North of Ireland on Sunday 27 August. They were marking the tepth anniversary of the civil rights campaign. The theme of the march was one of solidarity with the 350 prisoners in the now world famous H Block, Long Kesh. Among those 15,000 was the author of this article, a mother of one of the H Block prisoners. Read the article and understand him for three dass solidly. He was badly beaten when I saw him in court He said at bis trial, 'I signed that statement because I couldn't take any more of your beatings, You are the brutalisers. Because we come from an area which is underprivileged, you say. that everything my people say are lies. "YOU men swcar to God you didn' beat us, har youare bie late Bol us. Ni comrader and I are not bars?
So the judge gave him 21 years altogether, I just couldn't cope with the thought of anyone being so cruci Because nine LIVF men were up the same day for murder, murder, possession of weapons, and between the whole lot of them they only got 59 years and he let one off He was already in away he went. Hut the Incoroorated Law Society asked the judge to amend the sentence, and he changed it to 14 years.
But the lIVe Meats consecutively, witich makes 19 years and now he'seighteen. He's been in H Block ten months now.
When we visited his yesterday, we had to wait a long time. That made me very nervous, because the last time i SEW DUD he Tooking. - his That time he was so undelerred. Far better he would die, he said. accepr mat be was a crunnist Eudo E ask him to stop his blanket protest.
Lasked hun what would habber if went the British Government would not There in coffins. We would wreck this He said, "We would place. They have beaten us and heaten us anu l doesn't matter 1o me ans more how much ther because I'm a soldier Republic and 1 will criminalised.
STARVING But he couldn't hardly because his voice was conc was obviously starving. He couldn' cal. I senuselest in some sweets and ho only ate two of them, He was white like a ghost.
Because of that 1 was really afraid yesserday. I waited for cwo hours, My friend was with me, She had never been to see anybody in there before, and she knew him from when lie was born.
doesn'taffect her.
said, "You've turned pure white.
"You've turned really white too.
GHOST attempted and cheered inarticulme, but to join the wonderful. of course. never was eloquent. H Block, and were going to write tiction.
Be said he was was really wretched than cuked with dirt LIKE PAWS got two hands like paws.
Jo, Jo, are you there: of the is beat And he says. "Yes, I'm here.
be And I says, "Who's that" And he I says, 'Yes, I'm here, Danny.
He i says, you?' Lsays, Yes, son, He says,"
And he you there?:
Were and up the Republic go down ro him
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he ga set hail about his business as sal. He vent