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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

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.

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 Denis Faul 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

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. 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
6. Blinded plastic bullet campaigner dies
7. STATE VIOLENCE - Northern Ireland 1969-1997

• People from Belfast
• Human rights activists
• 1920 births
• 2007 deaths