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On this day in 1954, Irish socialist and freedom fighter, Bobby Sands, was born.

Sands sacrificed his life in the struggle for Irish independence from Britain. While in jail, he led a 66-day-long hunger strike that resulted in his death.

At the age of 18, Sands joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army. He admired left-wing and radical writers, from Irish socialists like James Connolly to champions of African liberation like Frantz Fanon.

He was arrested multiple times and eventually sentenced to 14 years in prison for firearms possession. He was incarcerated in the notorious Maze Prison, dubbed "H-Block," infamous for its brutal treatment of prisoners and routine torture.

Sands led the prisoners' struggle to be recognized as what they were: political prisoners, not criminals. They wanted their struggle for Irish freedom to be recognized and their status as prisoners of war acknowledged. This culminated in the hunger strike that Sands and nine other prisoners became known around the world for. Forty-one days into the strike, Sands was elected with more than 30,000 votes as a Member of Parliament for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, increasing international attention to his and his comrades' cause.

Despite international pressure and pleas from various political figures, including the Pope, Sands died on May 5, 1981, after 66 days on a hunger strike, aged just 27 years old. His death sparked a wave of protests and riots across Northern Ireland, and to this day, he is remembered as a hero by Irish freedom fighters. His famous saying, "Our revenge will be the laughter of our children," continues to inspire the oppressed around the world.


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