Belfast west

Smash Fascism

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Here is a gallery of republican stickers on light poles – and one piece of graffiti – most from Lasaır Dhearg (web).

“Smash fascists, smash fascism.” For the Cliftonville murals in the background, see Red Army.
“Stop imperialist war planes.”
“The PSNI is not a normal police force.”
“Fascism unwelcome” – graffiti on Broadway
Maıréad Farrell “oppressed as a woman” – also used in Our Nation As A Whole; see also Just As Good As Others.
“Stormont can’t deliver.” with “Refugees Welcome“
“Solidarity will save them” – hunger strikers Sibel Balaç and Gökhan Yıldırım.
“Smash fascists, smash fascism.” Same sticker but in west Belfast.
“For a 32 county socialist republic” – with that other “red army” Marx, Engels, Lenin, Connolly,

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A Champion Gets Up

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“A champion shows who he is by what he does when he’s tested. When he gets up and says “I can still do it”, he’s “a champion.” In Irish mythology, the Tuatha invade Ireland and battle the Fır Bolg. They are successful but their king Nuadha loses his arm and with it his kingship of the Tuatha. He had it replaced with an arm made of silver and regained his position. He is used here as an inspiration for those struggling with mental health, who are encouraged to call Lifeline or Aware.

(A history of Nuadha in murals is included in the Visual History page on Jim Fitzpatrick.)

The modern-day hero accompanying Nuadha is boxer James “The Assassin” Tennyson, current Irish super-featherweight champion. There are also four mental health boards (shown below) around the corner from Urban Villages Colin Safer Streets Initiative with messages such as “Think, Talk, Feel – Positive”, “Everything that you are is enough”, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”,

Laurelglen Pharmacy, on the Stewartstown Road.

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The Rarer Action Is In Virtue

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“Our revenge will be the laughter of our children” – The words of Bobby Sands are illustrated on an electrical box on the Whiterock Road, Belfast, with silhouettes of children at play in nature.

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The Loyal Shankill

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Here are a few images from the Shankill in the days following the coronation of King Charles III. For the mural in the second image, see C Coy Street.

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Look For Me In Your Thoughts

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The Shankill Memorial Garden next to West Kirk Presbyterian is home to memorials to WWI (see Who Went To War And Never Returned) and the Shankill Bombing (see In The Shadow Of Death) . It has also become the site of many small memorials to local people, including volunteers in the UVF. For “S Company” see S Company, C Company.

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Neither King Nor Nato

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“Est 1913 Irish Citizen Army / Irish National Liberation Army Est. 1974”. The Irish Citizen Army was founded in Dublin in 1913 to protect striking workers from police violence. After taking part in the Easter Rising of 1916, however, the ICA did not participate in the War Of Independence and the Civil War. In 1974, some founding members considered reviving the “ICA” name to reflect the organisation’s “allegiance to the working class” while Costello (pictured on the right) suggested “National Liberation Army”, which was then amended to include “Irish” (History Ireland | WP | WP). MNI includes an “ICA-INLA” Starry Plough on the stairs into the New Lodge from 1989 (C00105).

The banner raised over the Liberty Hall headquarters of the ICA read “We serve neither king nor kaiser but Ireland” – the famous photograph is included in the post of the same name – but this has been updated. The Belfast version of the board, above, reads “nor Nato”, while a Derry version, below, reads “nor quisling”.

The Derry mural in the background is The Runner, part of The People’s Gallery.

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Ready To Rumble

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Art by Danny Rumbl (ig), HMConstance (ig), KMG (ig), Zippy (ig), Codo (ig), and various writers on the Cupar Way “peace” line, on top of pieces from last year by Bust, Lobster, and others – New Levels, Same Devils.

For a history of the wall, see State Art Vs Graffiti On The West Belfast “Peace” Line.

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They Hungered For Justice And Freedom

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Long-time Palestinian activist and former spokesperson for Islamic Jihad Khader Adnan died on May 2nd, at the age of 45, after 87 days on hunger strike in Ramla prison, in central Israel (Al Jazeera).

This was Adnan’s fifth time on hunger strike. In 2017, he spent 58 days on hunger strike and in 2015, 56 days. The strike in 2011-2012 lasted 66 days, during which time a mural was painted just to left of the mural shown here, featuring Adnan and Hanna Shalabi; they, along with many other prisoners, were on hunger strike to protest the “administrative detention” (imprisonment without trial) of more than 300 Palestinians – see Administrative Detention. Earlier, shorter, strikes took place in 2002 and in 2000, when he was imprisoned by the Palestinian National Authority for directing a protest against Lionel Jospin, then French Prime Minister (Gulf News).

According to Amnesty International, there are currently more than 1,000 Palestinians being held on ‘administrative detention’ (Amnesty).

As can be seen from the in-progress shots below, Rısteard Ó Murchú painted Latuff’s cartoon, with Latuff looking on.

Cartoons by Latuff himself, in Belfast: Pacifying The Six Counties and in Derry: Killing With Impunity.
Latuff-based murals: The Butcher’s Apron | Do Not Disturb | Hand Across The Yard. Poster: End Impunity

This mural takes the place of the No To PII mural on the “International Wall”, Divis Street – see the Visual History page for the wall.

Also included is a “March for Palestine – 75 Years Of Nakba” poster on the Saber Al-Ashkar mural.

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Beırıgí Bua

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“I measc laochra na nGael go raıbh sıad.” Profiles of Patricia Black, Frankie Ryan, Michael Ferguson, and Sean Keenan were added in late 2021 (video of launch) to the pair of existing monuments that memorialise them in Colin/Poleglass (for which see The Undauntable Thought on Peter’s site).

Black and Ryan were IRA volunteers killed by in a premature bomb explosion near London (An Phoblacht).

Michael Ferguson and Seán Keenan were activists and Sınn Féın councillors. Both died in 2006 of cancer (Irish Times | Bel Tel).

On Pantridge Road, which runs down to Michael Ferguson roundabout (An Phoblacht).

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Choose Life

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Voters go to the polls tomorrow in the loca government elections. Of the parties standing, the TUV, DUP, and – presumably this west Belfast household’s preference – Aontú are against the legal status of abortion in NI.

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