1981 Hunger Strike

The 1981 hunger strike was led by Bobby Sands in an attempt to get him and other imprisoned Irish Republicans recognized by British officials as prisoners of war. The protest involved the men refusing to eat any food and smearing the walls of their prison cell with feces and urine. They demanded that they should not have to wear uniforms, perform prison work, free association, right to one visit, one letter, and one parcel per week, and full restoration of remission lost through the protest. The protests ended when Bobby Sands along with several other republican prisoners died of starvation while others were received medical treatment as endorsed by their families. These protests would lead Sinn Fein to become a much more popular political group in Ireland.