Use Social Media To Remember Bobby Sands On Tuesday, May 5th
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 will mark the 39th anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands. His death, and the death of nine more hunger-strikers in the months that followed, marked the culmination of an epic prison battle between Irish republicanism and the British state - a battle which saw the British state try, and fail, to criminalise the struggle for Irish freedom.
For the last twelve years Éirígí has held a black flag vigil on May 5th on O’Connell Street Bridge in Dublin to honour Sands and his nine comrades. Unfortunately the vigil cannot go ahead this year due to the Covid-19 crisis.
For the first time since 2009, there will be no Éirígí black flag vigil on O’Connell Bridge
Instead, we are encouraging people to change their social media profile picture to a photograph of Bobby Sands for twenty-four hours on May 5th.
With this simple act we can help to keep alive the memory of Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Patsy O’Hara, Raymond McCreesh, Joe McDonnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee and Mickey Devine.
The heroic sacrifice continues to inspire republicans to this day. The cause for which they died - an all-Ireland socialist republic - has yet to be achieved. On Tuesday let’s all remember our dead. And on Wednesday let’s get back to fighting like hell for the living.
