Arts Council NI defends £5k for book about hunger striker

Unionists have denounced the publication as “republican propaganda” and said it glamorises terrorism.

Published by O’Brien Press in Dublin, ‘Bobby Sands: Freedom Fighter’ is a comic strip style ‘graphic novel’ that depicts Sands as a heroic, muscular figure who endured beatings and torture by the police and authorities in the Maze prison.

The back cover of the book sets the scene in Northern Ireland at the time as a “war” and describes it as “a story of endurance, loyalty and commitment to a cause”.

It says: “Several years of protest culminate in the hunger strikes – a devastating 53 days during which hunger striker Bobby Sands, while suffering terribly, is elected MP to the British Parliament and holds the attention of the world …”

A spokesman for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said: “A total of £12,488 was awarded to O’Brien press to support their work as a publisher. O’Brien Press is Ireland’s leading independent publisher, with a diverse publishing programme including award-winning and acclaimed fiction (both for adults and children), graphic novel, history, biography, politics and more. The Bobby Sands book, a full colour graphic novel by Gerry Hunt, is by an author and illustrator who has a significant track record in the genre of graphic novels and has written other historical graphic novels.”

The spokesman added: “A total of £5,116 was awarded to O’Brien Press towards the Bobby Sands book. It was a strong application from O’Brien Press which satisfied all of our criteria: one of Ireland’s leading publishers and a writer/illustrator with a strong track record.”

“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland supports a number of publishers who distribute works by Northern Irish writers and work of cultural value to Northern Ireland. We do not interfere with editorial content nor do we draw a line regarding content chosen by publishers which may attract controversy.”

Public funding for the book, which costs £12.08, has angered Stormont culture, arts and leisure committee chairman Nelson McCausland who described it as “pure propaganda” which followed a “Sinn Fein narrative”.

The DUP MLA told the BBC’s Talkback programme on Wednesday the book’s claims of widespread discrimination, and justification for terrorism, had no context.

“What [the publishers] omit to say is that he belonged to a terrorist organisation which was responsible for many murders and so much destruction,” he said.

Mr McCausland added: “Most people, looking back on all the deaths and the tragedy and the turmoil and the heartache and the pain, will say enough is enough, this country needs to move on and one way to help in that is to get our younger generation to focus on more positive things.”

Victims campaigner Willie Frazer said: “Again the Arts Council has added insult to injury by funding a book on a well known republican terrorist. The title of this book calls him a freedom fighter. A number of years ago as a victims organisation we compiled a booklet titled ‘The Ten Criminals: the forgotten truth of the Hunger-Strikes’. Community Relations and the Arts Council refused to give us any funding to publish it, even though every word in it was well documented facts and told the full story of what these individuals were involved in.”

However, Michael O’Brien of O’Brien Press said the book covers an “important period in recent history”.

“Sands was a significant political figure, and his election to the British parliament is testament to this,” he said.

Mr O’Brien added: “The graphic novel has long been recognised as a unique art form – a fundamental and highly regarded form of expression in countries like France and Japan. O’Brien Press published its first graphic novel in 2009, the landmark Blood Upon the Rose by Gerry Hunt, to great acclaim.

“We followed up on this success with a range of historical graphic novels covering important periods and figures in Irish history and mythology. Bobby Sands is the latest addition to our growing list.”