Halt Plastic Bullet
Socialist Republic1981Internment, repression and the courtsPrisoners and the hunger strikesChurch, state and civil libertiesBritish troops and the occupationInternment, repression and the courtsPrisoners and the hunger strikesChurch, state and civil libertiesBritish troops and the occupation
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been fired; a further 955 were fired in April 198] (more than m the entire previous year). Eaght deaths from the 16,000 rounds gives 2 fatality rate of I per 2,000. This is nime times the rate for rubber bullets, which were with in 1975 for thei high casualty rate” ~ The casualty rate for plastic bullets is not surprising. Many of our readers have already had first-hand experieage of their indiscriminate use at H-Block demonstrations, particularly durimg the funeral of Joe MacDonnell. Not only have they been fired point blank into crowds, but the bullets themselves are doctored by the ‘protectors of life and property” who fix jagged pieces of metal or bottle tops onto them.
Even without these additions plastic bullets are deadly. USA army research has shown that any crowd control weapon based on blunt impact is in the ‘severe damage’ region if its impact energy exceeds 90 foot Ibs. Even at 50 yards the plastic bullet has 110 foot Ibs. energy. At five yards its impact is 210 foot Ibs. Sean Tumelty presently on a life support machine in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, is evidence of what this can do to a young man. The deaths of Julie Livingstone, Carol Ann Kelly, Roisin Stewart and Paul Whitters show its effect on Recently the Association for Legal Justice (ALJ) held an independent international tribunal in Belfast. Doctors and lawyers gave evidence to a panel made up of such people as Tim Shallice an English neuro psychologist and Dr. Antoine Lazarus from France. All were unanimous in their condemnation. Despite this and other denunciations by the Catholic hierarchy, the SDLP and anti H-block councillors Fergus O’Hare and Sean Flynn, the British Government, RUC and British Army are unmoved. Indeed the Church of Ireland Primate Dr. Armstrong has supported its use and backed RUC Chief Constable Jack Hermon who described it as a ‘humane weapon’.
The plastic bullet is being used by the RUC and the British Army as 2 punitive weapon against the nationalist communi old and young. It is deliberately and vindictively used to maim and kill as an attempt to intimidate and punish the nationalist community because of its continued support for the prison struggle. The determination of the British Government to defeat the struggle for political status has been