Bobby Sands was arrested after a gun battle with the RUC after the bombing of Balmoral in retaliation for the McGurk's Bar bombing one week earlier, which had killed 15 Catholic civilians.
In March 1978 some prisoners refused to leave their cells to shower or use the lavatory because of attacks by prison officers, and were provided with wash-hand basins in their cells. The prisoners requested showers installed in their cells, and when this request was turned down they refused to use the wash-hand basins.
At the end of April 1978 a fight occurred between a prisoner and a prison officer in H-Block 6. The prisoner was taken away to
solitary confinement, and news spread across the wing that the prisoner had been badly beaten. The prisoners responded by throwing out the furniture in their cells, and the prison authorities responded by removing the remaining furniture from the cells leaving the prisoners in cells with just blankets and mattresses.
The prisoners responded by refusing to leave their cells, and as a result the prison officers were unable to clear them. This resulted in the blanket protest escalating into the dirty protest, as the prisoners could not leave their cells to "
slop out" and started smearing excrement on the walls of their cells.
After the introduction of internment in 1971, Long Kesh—later known as HM Prison Maze—was run like a prisoner of war camp. Internees lived in dormitories and disciplined themselves with military-style command structures, and held lectures on politics. Special Category, or political, status meant prisoners were treated similarly to prisoners of war; for example, not having to wear prison uniforms or do prison work.
In 1976, as part of its policy of "criminalisation", the Thatcher's government brought an end to Special Category Status for newly convicted paramilitary prisoners.
This 'criminalisation' attempted to deny exactly what was going on in the North - a war. That's why they call it the 'Troubles' - they couldn't face the fact that they were facing a war in their 'colony'.
The hunger strike centred on five demands:
1.
the right not to wear a prison uniform;
2.
the right not to do prison work;
3.
the right of free association with other prisoners, and to organise educational and recreational pursuits;
4.
the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week;
5.
full restoration of remission lost through the protest.
is a hero and role model for people like you is, as I said, a disgrace.