Irish ex-Political Prisoner speaks in Turkey


THE PANEL AFTER THE PREMIERE OF THE MOVIE 'SILENT DEATH'
Bilgi University / Istanbul Kustepe Campus June 17, 2001

Jim McVeigh:
I will not talk about myself much. All those who know about the Irish would already know that this is very difficult for me. It is the 20th anniversary of the Hunger Strike resistance in Ireland. I remember very well the day when Bobby Sands died. A British soldier had shot him in the leg. Bobby Sands died on the 66th day of hunger strike. One of the most important things about the hunger strike in Ireland, which effected me very much was that all those people were very ordinary and good people. They were neither monsters, nor psychopaths and nor criminals. They were real people who have real families, wives and children. When hunger strikes turned into sorrow, the same sorrow was felt also by the families. When we talk about the hunger strikers in Ireland or in Turkey, we also have to talk about their families and their grief. I have to tell you that they are always in my mind.

Twenty years ago the British government tried to criminalise our struggle. In 1976 they opened a new prison called the H blocks. The H blocks were very modern, very clean, newly painted and had many facilities. The British government invited important figures and politicians to the H blocks and tried to show how a good prison this was. But in reality these prisons were seen as death traps in Ireland. No matter how hygienically these prisons were better than the old ones, the isolation of prisoners was in excess. Before the construction of these prisons, the prisoners were allowed to see each other and organise their own lives.

This isolation, this feeling of loneliness is a horrid thing. You do not need to be imprisoned. All of us have moments of feeling lonely. If you take this feeling of loneliness and multiply it by hundreds and thousands, you can realise how we felt. I am trying to say that this is much worse than a physical pain. Because the human soul is very fragile and once it is broken, it is very difficult to mend it. The human soul is in need of communication, conversation, poetry and music and solidarity.

If there is one thing to learn from our struggle and the struggles in other parts of the world, it is that the human spirit cannot be destroyed easily, and especially it is very difficult to destroy the spirit of freedom. This spirit continues to live in every race and nation.

Yesterday we met with the people who are on death fast. Some of them were young women. Some others were older women and men. The name of the last woman we met was Sevgi Erdogan. If I am not wrong Sevgi has been on Death Fast for 235days. She had a photo right next to her bed, this was her photo taken when she was younger. She was an ordinary woman who was full of life and smiling. When we went to talk to her she was lying on her bed. She was very thin, so thin that we were afraid that she would break. We were all very nervous. We were worrying that we would make her tired and waste her time. But she invited us and spoke to us. She wanted us to sit beside her. She posed for the cameras. While taking pictures she tried to smile, with her smile she was trying to make us comfortable. I was very moved by this experience. I remembered my comrades and our own experiences. Most of all her courage and spirit affected me. I do not know how many more days she will live. Maybe a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks but at present she has fully dedicated herself to the Death Fast.

We need to remember one thing: that all these people who are on Death Fast are ordinary people, they are in fact not extraordinary people. This was same in Ireland. The thing, which makes them heroes in my eyes, is to know that they are real and ordinary people. This is very important for me. They are not choosing to die, they do not want to die but they prefer to die for a great cause. It is not necessary to support the political programs of the organisations of these prisoners. You do not have to agree with their method or accept their ideologies, but you can still support them. All these people, who are on the way to die while we are watching this film, are the real people of the cause. They are brave people and deserve our support. We say in Ireland, it is not necessary to do great things in order to do something.

I guess you will be happy that my speech will end soon. Since I have been here I noticed a great silence in the city. During the premiere of Huseyin's film, I have said that this film can do things to break the silence. I believe that if everyone who watched the film did something, this silence will be broken. In fact I would like to congratulate those who came here today. People do not need to be afraid in the face of death. You need to speak out without any fear. Talk to your friends, your work mates, and do not be afraid. Do not be afraid to talk. Encourage others to watch this film. If they cannot go to cinema to watch it, let them watch it in their home. Try to make people see this film. There are many things to be done. Write letters to the families and phone the numbers of these people. Give your support. I think this is a very important beginning.

I would like to say one thing to the families of those who are on death fast. This is not very political. Between 1972-77 my mother visited many prisons and saw what the people had been going through. And naturally she saw what other mothers had been going through. And I know what the families are feeling, I understand their grief. I thank them for their courage and dedication for the cause. Three years ago there were hundreds of political prisoners in Ireland. Four to five years ago, I also was in prison and I thought that I would never be free. Today there are ten political prisoners in Ireland. The decision and action of ordinary people created this scene. Not the great movements but little actions and decisions have provided this. Just by sending letters, establishing a way of communication and giving support many things could be done. With a little help, great results can be got. Thank you very much.

Full panel discussion, with other European ex-political prisoners, can be accessed here