The Irish Political Hostages Campaign that its demand for the return to the North of Ireland of the hungerstriking Irish prisoners will be won soon, Eamonn McCann said at an IPHC press conference last Monday.
The press conference was called to launch'a new pamphlet (Red Books, 10p) published by the IPHC entitled The Case of the Irish Political Hostages".
McCann stressed that there would be no let up in the campaign, and Harold Wilson had unexpected Viitors Last Sunday afternoon when 70 members of the IPHC, suppotted by Sinn Fein and IMG, called at his private house in Westminster. The visit followed a raily in Hyde Park, to launch Phase 3 of the campaign initiated by the IPHC in October.
Phase 1 consisted of a scries of meetings, rallies and demonstrations. Phase 2 involved getting prominent figures in political, legal, medical, theatrical and sporting circles to support the campaign, by means of individual petitioning. This was completed with 21 interventions at election rallies on the question of the hunger strikers. The highlight of this dressed by Willam Whitelaw was disrupted, This incident was featured on television, and was the lead story in the Times the following day.
The last phase, which many believe could shortly lead to victory, will invoive maintaining the weekly pickets of the Home Office and Brixton Prison, simulteneously with a campaign of harassment acainst the Labour Party 'left' until they support the demand for the return of the nunger-strikers, ROSEMARY SULLIVAN
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