What was the purpose of the 'dirty protests'?

Special category for prisoners convicted in the non jury Diplock courts was removed and the prisoners were required to comply with the same rules as what were nicknamed ODCs (Ordinary Decent Criminals) as regards the wearing of prison garb.
The prisoners refused to wear the prison clothing and wrapped themselves in blankets. They were not allowed out in the blankets so they started throwing the waste out the cell windows. When the windows and doors were blocked they started spreading it on the wall. There could have been a solution except Maggie Thatcher saw it as a struggle between criminals and state.
In the Republic the government took the attitude that they could wear what they wanted, they were still locked up.