London-/Derry

Stand Up And Speak Out

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Here is a survey of the republican boards along Central Drive, Creggan. Above, “Victory to Hamas” graffiti has been added to emic’s Younger Days street art. The piece immediately below was seen in Victory To The PFLP, and the anti-extradition piece was seen previously in the 2022 post covering Central Drive. The other pieces – “Stop crown force harassment”, the 1981 hunger strike board, the “struggle for equality and social justice” board, and the IRPWA board, are all new.

“Bear witness to both right and wrong, stand up and speak out.” is from day two (March 2nd) of Bobby Sands’s hunger strike diary (Sands Trust).

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Saoırse Don Phalaıstín

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Here is another INLA/IRSP/RSYM pro-Palestine mural from Derry (see يومنا قادم). “PFLP” stands for “Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine” (WP). A very similar PFLP-INLA board was seen in west Belfast: Peoples United. There was PFLP graffiti in Creggan: Victory To The PFLP.

The first two are from William Street and the Bogside; the small INLA nail-up in the final image is in Creggan.

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Eye To The Telescope

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Life Hack (Xitter) is a youth project in Creggan, Derry, based in the Ráth Mór centre on Bligh’s Lane. In addition to this long telescoping eye around the Westway Roundabout (with Peaball (ig)), its members were also involved in painting the pillars at the lower entrance to Bishop’s Field/Gort An Easpaıg – see the final image, below.

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Black Shamrock

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The black shamrock is a symbol of Irish neutrality dating back to 2006 (Irish Times | Pensive Quill). In the light of the attack on Gaza it is being used by the IPSC and other pro-Palestinian causes as a symbol of solidarity. This shamrock, on Free Derry Corner, has been augmented with two small Palestinian flags, one with a dove and the word “peace” (shown below).

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Copyright © 2024 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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Solidarity, Not Charity

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An Cró Mór [the great enclosure] neighbourhood centre (Fb) in Cromore Gardens, Creggan, Derry, is home to the Creggan Community Collection and the Solidarity, Not Charity podcast (youtube channel).

“Mní wičóni” is Lakota for “water is life”.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Creggan Is My Home

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“Since 1947, Creggan is my home.” The murals of local sporting heroes on the Creggan shops/Sıopaí An Chreagáın have been replaced by a series of flowers and some local musical heroes: above, ‘Teenage dreams so hard to beat’ is the opening line of the Undertones’ ‘Teenage Kicks’ (also seen in Belfast); below is the title of Dana’s Eurovision-winning song: ‘All Kinds Of Everything’ (youtube).

The murals were created by Peaball (ig) and children from Holy Child PS (across the street) during the 2023 Derry Féıle project ‘Graffiti On The Wall’, which also produced Friz’s Derry Dryad and emic’s Younger Days (see Summer’s Blood) (Derry Journal).

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Victory To The PFLP

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“Victory to the PFLP.” “PFLP” is the Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine, a revolutionary (where Fatah is democratic) left-wing militant group within the PLO. It dates back to 1967 and known for skyjackings in 1969 and 1970 led by Leila Khaled (see the entry on the mural featuring Khaled in Hugo St) and for suicide bombings during the Second Intifada (BBC | WP).

The PFLP emblem also appears in murals from Éırígí (Resistance Is Not Terrorism | Solidarity With Palestine) and RNU (Peoples United).

The posters read: “Republican solidarity with Palestine! التضامن الجمهوري مع فلسطين www.irpwa.irish” and “Stand with Palestine. End Israeli apartheid. End the siege of Gaza.” Both posters have also been murals: for the prisoners joining hands (which is a Carlos Latuff (ig) design) see Hands Across The Yard; for the protester tying her keffiyeh, see #Gaza.

Central Drive, Creggan, Derry.

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Copyright © 2024 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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Don Phobaıl Uılıg

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90% of Meenan Square was bought by Apex Housing for redevelopment with funds from the Executive Office (EO Press Release | Derry Now) in April 2023. 11 million pounds of T:BUC’s 45 million has been put towards the project (Derry Journal). Demolition took place in August, 2021, but it remains a waste-ground. In the meantime, Saoradh (web) and the IRPWA (web) have commandeered the hoarding for two tarps protesting “British Crown forces’ sectarian targeting of republican families” and “sectarian political policing”.

For T:BUC see Belfast Melt.

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Resistance

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“Since 1948”. This is an interesting board in a comic-book/graphic-novel or movie-poster style with a montage of striking imagery and patterning crammed together, revealed by pseudo-tears, and overlaid lettering in multiple fonts and colours.

The imagery and references are threatening: included are air-jacker Leila Khaled and a rioter with a catapult (who completes the slogan “from the river to the sea … Palestine will be free!”; the lower part of the face of the main figure (and of the face in the bottom-right corner) is covered; we also see “Rebel With[out] A Cause” the 1955 film. in the top left “Struggle Continues – Since 1948” in the style of a fashion emblem, and in the bottom right, “1948” in the style of a mid-century house-number font or perhaps the 1984 film version (with John Hurt and Richard Burton) of Orwell’s 1984.

The other piece – a large bird in the colours of Palestine – is a poster by Videndomen (PPA).

Glen Road, Derry.

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In Yer Bubble

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This Glen Road, Derry, streetart was painted by Peaball (ig) (with Glen Development Initiative) in September, 2021, and reflects the duality of experiences in living through the covid pandemic.

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