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==Shooting incident== ==Shooting incident==
] ]
In 1971, aged 51, Groves, was standing at her living room window during British Army searches on her neighbours' houses. As a mark of defiance Groves turned on her record player and placed the ballad Four Green Fields on her record player and turned up the volume.<ref></ref><ref name="''They Shoot Children"> ''They Shoot Children'': The use of rubber and plastic bullets in the north of Ireland,Pg 25-26 Published by Information on Ireland, Ivor Place, London, 1982, ISBN 0950738123</ref> In 1971, aged 51, Groves, was standing at her living room window during British Army searches on her neighbours' houses. As a mark of defiance Groves turned on her record player and placed the ballad Four Green Fields on her record player and turned up the volume.<ref></ref><ref name="''They Shoot Children"> ''They Shoot Children'': The use of rubber and plastic bullets in the north of Ireland, Published by Information on Ireland, Ivor Place, London, 1982, ISBN 0950738123</ref>
{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: large;" | '''Numbers of rubber and plastic bullets fired in the North of Ireland 1970-1981'''
|-
! Rubber bullets
! Year
|-
| 238
| 1970
|-
| 16752
| 1971
|-
|23363
|1972
|-
|12724
|1973
|-
|2612
|1974
|-
|145
|1975
|-
!55,834
!Total
|-
!Plastic bullets
!Year
|-
|42
|1973
|-
|216
|1974
|-
|3,556
|1975
|-
|3,464
|1976
|-
|1,490
|1977
|-
|1,734
|1978
|-
|1,271
|1979
|-
|1,231
|1980
|-
|29,665
|1981
|-
!42,669
!Total
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: large;" | '''Total rubber and plastic bullets
98,503'''<ref>The Royal Ulster
Constabulary acquired plastic
bullets in 1978, but the figures
for 1978, 1979and 1980 refer
only to the number of plastic
bullets fired by the army. The
1981 figures include plastic
bullets fired by the RUC</ref> <ref name="''They Shoot Children"/>


⚫ As she turned back to the window, a British soldier, at a distance of about eight yards,<ref name="''They Shoot Children"/> shot a plastic bullet through the window hitting her in the face. As a result she lost her sight in both eyes. A doctor at the hospital who was removing Emma's eyes approached Mother Teresa of Calcutta to break the news to Groves that her eyesight was gone.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Years later, she received £35,000 compensation, which was seen at the time as a ''de facto,'' admission by the British Army,{{cn|Date=June 2007}}{{POV-statement}} although the soldier involved was never charged.<ref name="''They Shoot Children"/>
| colspan="2" style="font-size: smaller;" | {{{footnote|}}}
|}


⚫ As she turned back to the window, a British soldier, at a distance of about eight yards,<ref name="''They Shoot Children"/> shot a plastic bullet through the window hitting her in the face. As a result she lost her sight in both eyes. A doctor at the hospital who was removing Emma's eyes approached Mother Teresa of Calcutta to break the news to Groves that her eyesight was gone.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Years later, she received £35,000 compensation, which was seen at the time as a ''de facto,'' admission by the British Army although the soldier involved was never charged.<ref name="''They Shoot Children"/>
==Campaign to ban "Plastic bullets"== ==Campaign to ban "Plastic bullets"==
Despite her injuries, Emma campaigned for thirty years for the banning of plastic bullets. Groves and Clara Reilly founded the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets after the killing of John Downes in August 1984. The aim of the organisation was to bring together the families bereaved or injured by rubber and plastic bullets. They also compiled information on the statistics relating to usage of plastic bullets in Northern Ireland. Despite her injuries, Emma campaigned for thirty years for the banning of plastic bullets. Groves and Clara Reilly founded the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets after the killing of John Downes in August 1984. The aim of the organisation was to bring together the families bereaved or injured by rubber and plastic bullets. They also compiled information on the statistics relating to usage of plastic bullets in Northern Ireland.
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==Additional Reading==
*Carol Ackroyd, Karen Margolis, Jonathan Rosenhead and Tim Shallice, ''The Technology of Political Control'', second edition, London: Pluto Press 1980.
*David Beresford, "Plastic bullets inflame hate in Belfast", ''The Guardian'', 13 August1981.
*Fr ] and Fr Raymond Murray, ''Rubber and Plastic Bullets Kill and Maim'', 1981
*Derek Humphry, "Parents will sue over boy’s death", ''The Sunday Times'', 5 October 1975.
*Philip Jacobson, 'When "minimum force" kills', ''The Sunday Times'', 17 May 1981.
*John McGuffin and Diarmaid MacDermott, 'Plastic Death', ''The Sunday Tribune Magazine'', vol.1 no.10, 23 August 1981.
*Jonathan Rosenhead and Dr Peter J Smith, 'Ulster riot control: a warning', ''New Scientist and Science Journal'', 12 August 1971.
*Jonathan Rosenhead, 'Rubber bullets and riot control', ''New Scientist'', 14 June 1973.
*Jonathan Rosenhead, 'A new look at “less lethal” weapons', ''New Scientist'', 16 December1976.
*Jonathan Rosenhead and Tim Shallice, 'A blunt weapon', ''New Scientist'', 30 March 1978.
*Jonathan Rosenhead, 'Derry’s blunt trauma', ''Science for People'', no.49, Summer 1981.
*Jonathan Rosenhead, 'Plastic bullets: the "harmless" killers', The Leveller, 26 June 9 July 1981.
*Jonathan Rosenhead, 'The technology of riot control', ''New Scientist'', 23 July 1981.
*Jonathan Rosenhead, letter, ''The Guardian'', 20 August l981.
*Dr Tim Shallice, 'The harmless bullet that kills', ''New Statesman'', 14 August1981.
*Paul Sieghart, ‘Harmless weapons -a threat to liberty?, New Scientist, 30 March 1978.
*Simon Winchester, ''In Holy Terror: reporting the Ulster troubles'', London: Faber 1974.
*Steve Wright, 'Your unfriendly neighbourhood bobby', ''The Guardian'', 16 July 1981.
*Michael Yardley, 'What shall we do with the drunken soldier?', ''New Statesman'', 2 October 1981.


==References== ==References==

Revision as of 00:23, 23 June 2007

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File:Civil Order poster 1981.JPG
Poster produced in West Belfast 1981

Emma Groves (1920 - 2 April 2007) was a mother of 11 children, who was blinded after being struck by a rubber bullet in the face at 9am on 4 November 1971. After she was blinded she then became a leading campaigner for the banning the use of plastic bullets and was a co-founder of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets.

Shooting incident

Emma Groves after being shoot in the face with a rubber Bullet
Emma Groves after being shoot in the face with a rubber Bullet

In 1971, aged 51, Groves, was standing at her living room window during British Army searches on her neighbours' houses. As a mark of defiance Groves turned on her record player and placed the ballad Four Green Fields on her record player and turned up the volume.

As she turned back to the window, a British soldier, at a distance of about eight yards, shot a plastic bullet through the window hitting her in the face. As a result she lost her sight in both eyes. A doctor at the hospital who was removing Emma's eyes approached Mother Teresa of Calcutta to break the news to Groves that her eyesight was gone. Years later, she received £35,000 compensation, which was seen at the time as a de facto, admission by the British Army, although the soldier involved was never charged.

Campaign to ban "Plastic bullets"

Despite her injuries, Emma campaigned for thirty years for the banning of plastic bullets. Groves and Clara Reilly founded the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets after the killing of John Downes in August 1984. The aim of the organisation was to bring together the families bereaved or injured by rubber and plastic bullets. They also compiled information on the statistics relating to usage of plastic bullets in Northern Ireland.


References

  1. Damian McCarney. ""West Belfast's First Lady"". Andersonstown News. Retrieved 4 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. Emma Groves
  3. Congressional Briefing Paper, April 1993 - The Use of Plastic Bullets in Northern Ireland
  4. ^ They Shoot Children: The use of rubber and plastic bullets in the north of Ireland, Published by Information on Ireland, Ivor Place, London, 1982, ISBN 0950738123
  5. Blinded plastic bullet campaigner dies
  6. STATE VIOLENCE - Northern Ireland 1969-1997
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