European and Modern Western History
When Bernadette Devlin Fought For Her Soul: The Life Of An Irish Revolutionary Aisha Munir
It grew to several hundred strong but was met with strong opposition, with Unionists throwing stones and glass bottles. When this happened in Derry, Devlin stood up and declared the city ‘the capital of injustice.’ After the march, she finally declared herself a socialist. Her outspokenness during the marches and protests led her to become a well-known figure and in April 1969, she was voted in as the Member of Parliament for Mid-Ulster at the age of 21, the youngest MP ever elected until 2015. Referring to both working-class Catholics and Protestants, she took aim at the so-called democracy in the Tory government and the Unionists, declaring in her maiden speech: “There is no place for us in the society of landlords because we are the ‘havenots’ and they are the ‘haves’... we were beaten into the Catholic area because it was in the interests of the Unionist Party to establish that we were nothing more than a Catholic uprising.” Her speech was praised as courageous, outstanding, and fiery. Though overall, she found Westminster to be a sham, with peoBernadette Devlin wrote this as part of the foreword for her ple who didn’t care to change what they knew was happening: autobiography, published when she was just 21 in 1969. The “[There are] no politics outside the Chamber. [Tory and Labour ‘movement’ she re- “In this movement which is still struggling to free our people from the members] both go to the fers to is the civil rights bonds of economic slavery, I am only one amongst hundreds of my same club and the same parmovement she was part generation. We were born into an unjust system; we are not prepared ties with the same friends.” of in the North of Ireto grow old in it.” land in the 60s and 70s. The Battle of the Bogside, Devlin was born in 1947 to a working-class Catholic family in 12-14th August 1969, showed the world the violence the Cookstown, Tyrone. Tyrone was a predominantly Catholic coun- Catholic community were facing. A photo captured of Devlin ty, but Cookstown was mixed. She described the tension be- shows her masked, standing next to Paddy Coyle, the 13-yeartween Republicans, who believe in a united Ireland, and Union- old who was the subject of the famous “Petrol Bomber” mural. ists, who support British involvement to create a ‘unified’ state. August 22 1969 saw her begin her tour of America. The Growing up, she got her “political feelings” from her father Black Power movement had already influenced the civand a “martyr complex” from her Christian mother, and in an- il rights movement in Ireland. Devlin criticised Irish-Amerswer to how she became a socialist, life made her one. She did icans who opposed the struggle for African-American rights not name herself a socialist until later in life. At Queen’s uni- in the U.S. but supported the fight for civil rights in Ireland. versity, searching for an ideology to help her codify the environment she was raised in, she was disappointed to find many She returned to Ireland disillusioned by Irish-Ameriof the student political parties were involved in high-brow ca but her relationship with the Black Panther Party reintellectual discussion, irrelevant to society as she knew it. mained strong. The key to New York City, which she’d been gifted, was, on her behalf, presented to the Black For her, the history of religious conflict had now shifted into Panthers. In 1971, she would visit Angela Davis in prison something more political. Yes, those who owned the houses in who would, in turn, support Devlin’s daughter in the 90’s. places like Derry were Protestant, but politics meant they got more votes due to their position as landlords. Even the so-called Devlin was also present during Bloody Sunday, where Protestant state touted by the Unionist Party was reserved only thirteen people were killed. She narrated hearing the for the Protestant rich. The people, instead of being united first shot fired from her left side – the place where, latagainst their awful conditions, were divided over religious issues. er, the Saville inquiry stated the British paratroopers were stood – and described the traumatic aftermath. Her demands became simply “jobs and houses for everyone.” Devlin rejected the binaries imposed on Ireland As she was still an MP, she was rushed to Parliament as an emer- Catholic/Protestant or republican/unionist - instead of gency debate was called. Ordinarily, the MP who has an immeanalysing it from a socialist perspective. Devlin under- diate interest in the matter should be the first to speak. But she stood where previous Irish socialists had gone wrong and was repeatedly denied her ‘right’ to speak and when the Home she was not prepared to make the same mistakes. Secretary – who she dubs “The Liar” - claimed the paratroopers She ended up creating her own student group. The story fired in self-defence, she crossed the room and slapped him. goes that John. D. Murphy took the group’s poster to print and, realising they had no name, styled them “People’s De- Today, Devlin works with the organisation she helped found: mocracy”. On New Year’s Day 1969, PD began a four-day civil STEP, a community development scheme in Tyrone. She rights march - the “Long March of January” - from Belfast to has survived being shot 14 times in assassination attempts Derry, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “March on Selma”. and continues to seek justice and work towards her goals.
22