The Prevention of Terrorism Act came into force in 29 November 1974, eight days after pub bombings in Birmingham killed 21 people and over 182 injured (see below). The Act introduced new powers with the aim of preventing bombings, like those in Birmingham, happening again. The Home Secretary at the time was Roy Jenkins.
The Act can be divided into THREE parts:
The following data was collected by the Irish in Britain Representation Group during 1984/5 and a Fact Sheet was created to raise awareness about PTA and its impact on the Irish Community:
"Between 29 November 1974 and the end of 1984, 5896 people were arrested under the PTA but less than 2.5% (147) were ever charged (and less than 50% of those received a prison sentence). Apart from a small percentage, all of those arrested were Irish."
On the evening of 21 November 1974 two bombs exploded in Birmingham pubs leaving 21 dead and over 182 injured. The bombings were claimed to be an act of revenge for James McDaid, an IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) volunteer who died while planting a bomb outside the local telephone exchange in Coventry. Shortly before the blasts five Irish men that included John Walker, Patrick Hill, Robert Hunter, Noel McIlkenny, and William Power boarded a train from New Street station near to location of the pubs. They were going to the funeral of McDaid in Belfast but were stopped at the Heysham ferry.
None were members of the IRA, but on 15 August 1975 these five men, alongside Hugh Callaghan, were jailed for life at Lancaster Crown Court having been found Guilty of the Birmingham Bombings.
The men - who became known as the Birmingham Six - maintained their innocence and insisted police had coerced them into signing false confessions through severe physical and psychological abuse. After 16 years in prison, and a lengthy campaign, their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory, and quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1991.
Alongside the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the fallout from these bombings saw anti-Irish sentiment impact a population of over 100,000 Irish in Birmingham. Irish homes, pubs, businesses and community centres were attacked, and people ostracised from public places, with individuals experiencing verbal and physical abuse.
The Guildford pub bombings took place on the 5th October 1974, killing five people. A month later, another bomb was thrown into a public house in Woolwich, killing two people. In the aftermath of these attacks, eight people were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and four people were charged- Paul Hill, Paddy Armstrong, Gerry Conlon, and Carole Richardson. They were subsequently convicted and became known as the Guildford Four.
These bombings were later claimed by members of the IRA who were arrested after the Balcombe Street raid. This new information was presented by lawyers for the Guildford Four at an appeal, but the judges presiding refused to overturn the convictions. Relatives ran campaigns in support of the Four, including the Relatives Campaign for the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven, and the Free the Guildford Four Campaign, which included public meetings, petitions, and letter writing campaigns.
The Four were eventually released in 1989, and received financial compensation for their fifteen years of wrongful imprisonment.
The Archive of the Irish in Britain was founded in 1984 by the Irish in Britain History Group (IBHG), and was acquired by the The Irish Studies Centre at the Polytechnic of North London (a predecessor institution to London Metropolitan University) in 1989.
Our main collections that relate to this subject include:
The Prevention of Terrorism Act (AIB/PTA) archive comprises press cuttings, leaflets, flyers for events, reports and publications about the Prevention for Terrorism Act, as well as the Campaign for its repeal. It also contains reports, minutes and correspondence relating to resolution passed by local government, more specifically Camden and Brent councils, against the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The Birmingham Six (AIB/BS) archive comprises material about the campaign for their release, such as leaflets, petitions, newsletters, press cuttings, publications and other campaign materials. Some of this originates from the Birmingham Campaign for the Birmingham Six, but material from Dublin-based organisations and campaigns in other parts of the UK has also been included.
The Guildford Four (AIB/GF) archive comprises leaflets, press cuttings, notes and publications, mostly relating to the Free the Guildford Four Campaign and coverage of their eventual release in 1989. It also contains references to the trial of the Balcombe Street Gang, including a speech given by Joe O'Connell. The bulk of the material dates from the late 1980s.
Alongside these collections, there is supplementary material in other collections like the London Irish Women's Centre (AIB/LIWC), the Labour and Ireland Magazine (AIB/LI), the Irish in Britain Representation Group (AIB/IBRG) and copies of Irish Post (AIB/IP) we hold.
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