A BELFAST civil rights campaigner has told of his meeting with Bernie Sanders that led to the US presidential hopeful challenging Margaret Thatcher about the treatment of IRA hunger strikers.
Archived documents reveal Mr Sanders wrote to the British prime minister in July 1981 and urged her to end the "abuse" of prisoners in the Maze.
The Vermont senator, who is threatening Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House, wrote: "We are deeply disturbed by your government's unwillingness to stop the abuse, humiliation and degrading treatment of Irish prisoners now on hunger strikes in Northern Ireland.
"We ask you to end your intransigent policy towards the prisoners before the reputation of the English people for fair play and simple decency is damaged."
Mr Sanders (74) wrote his letter two months after the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands.
He made his plea while serving as mayor of Burlington, the Vermont town where he forged his political reputation.
His letter was sent just two days after its council was addressed by Fergus O'Hare, a civil rights activist who became a Belfast councillor some months earlier after defeating SDLP stalwart Gerry Fitt.
Mr O'Hare told The Irish News yesterday that he had no idea until now – almost 35 years later – that Mr Sanders had sent the letter.
The former councillor, now aged in his sixties, recalled how his speech on the condition of the H-Block prisoners was deemed controversial among Burlington aldermen.
"I just recall the event and his [Mr Sanders] chairing of the meeting. After I spoke things got quite heated and he had to deal with that situation, so I left him to deal with that," Mr O'Hare said.
"It's good to know he did actually decide to write a letter after that. I wasn't informed that he had written a letter because I was on a speaking tour there so I moved on to another venue.
"It's quite interesting to see that he has moved on to become a presidential candidate."
Mr Sanders was quoted in local press at the time saying: "I am delighted to have a member of the Belfast City Council coming here."
And according to contemporary newspaper reports, another prominent supporter of Mr O'Hare's right to address the council was Jane O'Meara Driscoll – the future Mrs Sanders.
"A decision was taken and they agreed that I would be allowed to speak at the council but they would declare themselves not in session," Mr O'Hare recalled.
"At the end of my address there was quite a lot of people who were quite stirred. There was quite a lot of disagreement, but there was also a lot of support among sections of the councillors.
"After I left there seems to have been a heated exchange among the councillors – and there were reports that there was some scuffling."
