Catalogue Number
NMLH.1994.168.216
Object Name
Poster
Title
Plastic Bullets Kill poster
Place
London; Ireland
People
Carol Ann Kelly
Events
The troubles
Date
1981
Description
A3 white and green screen-printed poster. Top of the poster in large green text it says "PLASTIC BULLETS KILL." Underneath this there is a green printed figure of someone in the army/someone holding a gun. Next to this there is a large circle with a young girl's face inside, she is smiling. This is a green print, which looks photograph like. Beside this it says "Carol Ann Kelly Age 12. Killed 22/5/81 in N. Ireland. One of many. The bottom of the poster says "BAN THEM NOW!" "Young Communist League 16 st John Street EC1." Next to this there is a green star with a map figure of Britain inside, with green text around the star saying "Young Communist League, It's our future." The bottom of the poster says "IRELAND - A POLITICAL SOLUTION IS NEEDED."
This poster is referring to the Irish troubles and the use of plastic bullets. The troubles were a conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from 1960-1998. The conflict began the late 1960s and is deemed to have ended with the Good Friday
Agreement of 1998.The poster refers to a girl called Carol Ann Kelly, a Catholic girl, who was killed by the British army by a plastic bullet. The conflict was mainly political, religious and nationalistic. A key issue was the status of Northern Ireland- Unionists and loyalists wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom - they were mostly protestant. Irish nationalists and republicans, who were mostly Irish Catholics, wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland. British troops were deployed in 1969 after riots. The main participants in the troubles were republicans such as the IRA (Irish republican army) and the INLA (Irish National Liberation army), there were also British state security forces such as the British army. The IRA carried out guerrilla campaigns against British forces. The United Campaign against Plastic Bullets in 1984, ignited by the killing of John Downes - this was started by Emma Groves who was blinded after being
struck by a rubber bullet in 1971. The greatest number of plastic bullets fired was between May and August 1981, the same year as the hunger strikes took place, in which Bobby Sands died. Many victims of the use of rubber bullets were children, including Carol Ann Kelly, who the poster is referring to. The bullets were manufactured by an American company. This poster is a key part of people's history, Northern Irish history and British history and highlights the pain, loss, and death inflicted by the British army, violence, and the use of plastic bullets. This poster is calling for a political solution for Ireland. This poster is in good condition, and is an object highlight.
