{"id":466942,"date":"2026-05-03T21:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T21:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/466942\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T21:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T21:22:11","slug":"sinn-fein-says-bobby-sands-statue-is-going-nowhere-at-anniversary-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/466942\/","title":{"rendered":"Sinn F\u00e9in says Bobby Sands statue \u2018is going nowhere\u2019 at anniversary event"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Bobby Sands statue that was erected without planning permission \u201cis going nowhere\u201d,<\/strong> a Sinn F\u00e9in MLA has said.<\/p>\n

The statue of the IRA hunger striker, who was 27 and an MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone when he died in 1981, was unveiled last year<\/strong> at the Republican Memorial Garden in Twinbrook, west Belfast.<\/p>\n

It then emerged that it had been erected without planning permission, although Belfast City Council had not previously taken any action.<\/p>\n

A DUP motion before the council on Thursday calling for the matter to be \u201creconsidered\u201d was passed, with support from other unionists and the Alliance Party.<\/p>\n

A Sinn F\u00e9in amendment seeking a review of the \u201ccurrent enforcement status of all such structures\u201d across the council area was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

SDLP councillors abstained from the vote, after which west Belfast councillor Paul Doherty resigned from the party, stating that the statue of the IRA hunger striker \u201cholds real significance\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, people gathered at the Sands statue to mark 45 years since the republican\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in MLA Danny Baker said the hunger strikers, 10 of whom died during the 1981 Maze Prison hunger strike, had inspired \u201cmany generations and many generations here to come\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Bobby Sands statue in Twinbrook, west Belfast, during the 45th anniversary of his death. Photo: Brian Lawless\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

He told the crowd: \u201cThe spirit of the prisoners (and) our communities can never be broken.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur opponents were shaken to their core last year and will continue to be because we are on a path, a path to Irish unity, based on equality and rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one very simple message I was asked to give today: the statue is going nowhere, not now and not ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in MLA Pat Sheehan told the crowd that Sands \u201cis an icon and legend for freedom-loving people throughout the world\u201d and that in recent weeks, his \u201cmemory and legacy have been attacked by those who have a selective memory\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said the emergence of the IRA was \u201ca direct response to the violent and repressive nature of the Orange State, layered upon 800 years of British colonial occupation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI say to unionists, save your lectures and your moralising for others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will commemorate our patriot dead in our own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

He compared unionists voting for a reassessment of the Sands statue to efforts by British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s to \u201ccriminalise\u201d Sands.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Man<\/p>\n

Ireland<\/p>\n

Man (20s) released without charge in relation to Offaly house fire<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cForty-five years later, today in 2026, those in unionism will also fail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis statue of Bobby Sands has pride of place and will have pride of place here in Twinbrook, in Bobby\u2019s home community for generations to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen all of us here today are dead and gone, and largely forgotten about, Bobby Sands will still be remembered. He and his comrades will remain a beacon of light for freedom-loving people everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Sheehan also said that unionism \u201cwants to turn back the clock\u201d and that \u201cwe are within touching distance of ending the injustice of partition and reuniting our country\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Bobby Sands statue that was erected without planning permission \u201cis going nowhere\u201d, a Sinn F\u00e9in MLA has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,13,14,6,11,12,15,16,5,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-466942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-featured-news","11":"tag-featurednews","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-latest-news","14":"tag-latestnews","15":"tag-main-news","16":"tag-mainnews","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-top-stories","19":"tag-topstories","20":"tag-world","21":"tag-world-news","22":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116512748221754936","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}