John Hume
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John Hume was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with David Trimble, for his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Full name: John Hume
Born: 18 January 1937, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Died: 3 August 2020, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Date awarded: 16 October 1998
Civil rights advocate and European Parliament member
During Easter of 1998, the largest political parties in Northern Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement. The man regarded as chief architect of the peace accord was John Hume, Catholic leader of the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party. Hume, a teacher, joined the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. As a member of the European Parliament and the British House of Commons, he supported expanded self-rule and a more democratic distribution of power in Northern Ireland. He also worked actively to improve contacts between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and between London and Dublin. In particular, he sought to convince IRA leader Gerry Adams that continued armed conflict was futile. In this way, Hume laid a solid foundation for the historical peace accord.
"... the new Europe has evolved and is still evolving, based on agreement and respect for difference. That is precisely what we are now committed to doing in Northern Ireland."
- John Hume, Nobel Prize lecture, 10 December 1998.
| IRA Irish Republican Army. Founded in 1919. Played a decisive role in the war of liberation against Great Britain. Its goal is to unify Ireland. Starting in 1970, the IRA committed acts of terrorism and assassination in Northern Ireland and England. In 2000 the IRA agreed to abandon its armed struggle. |
| The European Parliament The EU’s elected legislative assembly. Seat in Strasbourg. The parliament had 736 representatives in 2011. Representatives are directly elected in the member countries in proportion to the size of the population. |
| Civil rights Equal rights for all citizens of a nation. Based on the US Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789. |
"Hume acted as a bridge-builder between the extremes and moved the talks forward."
- The Norwegian journalist Christian Borch, November 1998.
Preparations for the Good Friday Agreement
Hume considered it crucial to involve all parties in peace negotiations. He played a key role in achieving Irish participation in the government of Northern Ireland, and he did not hesitate to contact Gerry Adams, leader of the political wing of the IRA, to convince him that continued armed conflict was pointless. When the IRA declared a ceasefire in 1989, it cleared the path of one significant obstacle to new negotiations.
| Good Friday Agreement Agreement between the Irish and British governments on a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Entered into on Good Friday (12 April 1998). Approved by public referendums in Ireland and Northern Ireland the same year. |
John Hume’s European vision
John Hume’s political experience from the European Parliament was a key driving force in his campaign for peace. As he stated in his Nobel Prize lecture: “The peoples of Europe created institutions which respected their diversity – a Council of Ministers, the European Commission and the European Parliament – but allowed them to work together in their common and substantial economic interest. They spilt their sweat and not their blood and by doing so broke down the barriers of distrust of centuries and the new Europe has evolved and is still evolving, based on agreement and respect for difference.”
"Especially during periods of escalating violence, Hume has had to swallow sometimes very harsh criticism, from within his own ranks as well as from others, for his gentle approach to the hard-liners. But with his personal integrity, Hume has stood firm, and his policy has won through."
- Francis Sejersted, Presentation speech, 10 December 1998.
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He was a leader of the non-violent Civil Rights Movement in 1968 to 1969 having established a record of community leadership through his founding role in Derry Credit Union, Derry Housing Association and his organisation of the “University for Derry” campaign” ...
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