Did the suffragettes go on hunger strike?
The Suffragette prisoners’ hunger strike protest remains one of the most poignant and disturbing aspects of the struggle for the vote. Suffragettes refused to eat and often drink while imprisoned, threatening to starve themselves to force a response from the authorities.
Why did the suffragettes go on a hunger strike?
In both Great Britain and North America, the immediate motivation for suffragists to embark on hunger strikes was the demand to be considered a political prisoner. Dunlop and other suffragists sought public sympathy when they refused to eat, playing on popular ideas that white female bodies were vulnerable and passive.
What was force-feeding suffragettes?
In September that year the government decided against early release of suffragettes who were refusing food and began the practice of force-feeding them, which involved strapping them down and forcing a tube through their nostril or down their throat and into their stomachs.
Did the suffragettes do more harm than good?
It can be seen that the suffragettes used extreme amount of violence to gain the public light, which at times seemed unnecessary. This eventually made the government build up resilience towards it. The more aggression they used against the politicians, the more testing it would be to gain the vote from them.
What do you need to know about the suffragette hunger strike?
Six things you should know about the Suffragette hunger strikes. The Suffragette hunger strike protest remains one of the most poignant and disturbing aspects of the struggle for Votes for Women. Suffragettes in British prisons refused to eat, and often to drink, threatening to starve themselves to force a response from the authorities.
When did Marion Wallace Dunlop go on hunger strike?
Suffragette hunger strikes, 100 years on. One hundred years ago, on 5 July 1909, the imprisoned suffragette Marion Wallace Dunlop, a sculptor and illustrator, went on hunger strike.
Why did Hugh Franklin go on a hunger strike?
Hugh Franklin served two more prison sentences for his pro-suffrage activities, continuing to go on hunger strike. He was temporarily released from prison under the ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act, and was able to escape Britain to the Continent. What was the ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act, you ask?
Why was forcible feeding introduced to the suffragette movement?
However, the government feared that the early release of such rebellious prisoners would make a mockery of the justice system and by the end of September forcible feeding was introduced, an operation justified as “ordinary hospital treatment” to save the women’s lives.