Ulster Unionist Assembly member for East Antrim, Roy Beggs has refuted claims by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams in which he indicated that Margaret Thatcher was at fault for the deaths of the 10 hunger strikers in the 1980’s.
Roy Beggs said: “Gerry Adams was widely quoted (08/04/2013) as stating that Mrs Thatcher’s Irish policy failed miserably and that she would be remembered for her ‘shameful role’ during the epic hunger strikes of 1980 and 81. I would refute this statement which highlights another example of the Sinn Fein Provo mask temporarily slipping in public, for all to see.
“One of Adams closest colleagues during the time of the hunger strikes was Richard O’Rawe, who has publicly stated that ‘Adams, not Thatcher, was culpable for the last six hunger strike deaths’.
O’Rawe also said that Mrs Thatcher tried to persuade Mr Adams and his committee of political colleagues and advisors (Of which O’Rawe was one), to accept a set of proposals that she had sent them on 4th July 1981 and which they had rejected.
Mr O’Rawe states “At that point there had been 4 deaths in the blocks but Mr Adams and Co. spurned the British Prime Minister’s offer, the hunger strikes continued, and accordingly six hunger strikers lost their lives.”
O’Rawe states that the Government offer of 4 July 1981 “was rejected by the committee – against the wishes of the prison leadership, of which I was a part.”
O’Rawe went on to state that the hunger strikers were not even made aware of the British offer and hinted that Party Political posturing was behind Adams decision to ultimately reject the Thatcher offer.
In conclusion, Mr Beggs added
“Sinn Fein is trying to rewrite history once more by attacking Baroness Thatcher on her death and by continuing to deny the Sinn Fein leadership role in the deaths in the Maze.
We have lost a great Briton, perhaps only second to Winston Churchill in terms of Prime Ministerial legacy. Regardless of your political ideology, we should all recognise and respect the steely determination that the “Iron Lady” exhibited during her 11 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."