Here are images from Foyleside of more murals and graffiti in Derry supporting Palestine, Gaza, and Hamas. See also the entries from Derry’s Free Derry Corner and Bogside, and Free Palestine in Belfast.
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The “occupied Palestinian territories” include the West Bank (including East or Arab Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, which, although governed by Palestinians since 2005, is still considered occupied due to Israel’s blockade and control of Gaza’s borders and seas (UN).
This new mural on Ascaill Ard Na bhFeá/Beechmount Avenue/RPG Avenue in Belfast is prompted by the current attacks on, and siege of, Gaza by Israel in response to the attacks by Hamas that left more than 1,300 Israelis dead (Jerusalem Post). The mural perhaps uses the same stencil as in Springhill in 2014, reproducing a Carlos Latuff (Xitter) cartoon.
See also three posts from Derry: Free Palestine | Victory To Gaza | Ireland Supports Palestinian Resistance
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By Wednesday night, the death toll in the “Israel-Hamas War” stood at 1,200 Israelis and 1,100 Palestinians (WP). Israel has been bombing Gaza for the last four days by rocket and from the air and is gathering forces on the border for a possible land invasion (Guardian). Support among Irish republicans is in favour of the Palestinians. In addition to the changes to Free Derry Corner, these “Victory to Hamas” (between Operation Motorman and The Runner) and “Victory to Gaza” graffiti have been painted in the Bogside, Derry.
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A rally at Free Derry Corner took place on Tuesday evening to express solidarity with the Palestinians (Derry Now). The wall has been decorated with support for Palestinians. On the left a boy in a tricoloured t-shirt waves a Palestinian flag although at his feet are the words of Bobby Sands: “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children”. On the right, a lark in barbed wire (symbol of political prisoners) sports the colours of Palestine, above “RSYM” [Republican Socialist Youth Movement (Fb)]. The text in the centre draws an analogy between Palestine and Ukraine: “Ukraine vs Russia = Self-defense. Palestine vs. Israel = Terrorism??”
More solidarity rallies are planned in towns around Ireland throughout the week (IPSC) including a white-line picket in Derry on Saturday.
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On Saturday morning at about 6:30 local time, Hamas launched thousands of rockets against Israeli targets and then followed this up by breaking out of Gaza by land, air, and sea, and attacking two-dozen or more locations, killing about 700 (including 270 at a music festival near Re’im) and abducting about 100 people. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu declared, “We are at war” and retaliatory air-strikes against Gaza killed more than 400 people. (WP | BBC | France 24 | WaPo)
Gael Force Art took to Slıabh Dubh (Visual History) to place a large Palestinian flag on the mountain (seen in The United Nations and UN 194), and posted a statement in support of the Palestinians on Facebook.
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“Solidarity with the French riots against racism & police – justice for Nahel!” 17 year-old Nahel Merzouk was shot and killed on June 27th by a motor-cycle policeman in Nanterre, France. The scope of use of firearms by police was expanded in 2017 to include dangerous drivers who refused to stop; Merzouk was at the wheel of a Mercedes that had twice failed to stop and (according to police) was putting others in danger. Police specifically alleged that the car, after the second stop, was driving towards the officer; video evidence later disproved this. This cover-up, combined with long-running discontent over the use of deadly force by police, led to six nights of rioting in which two people were killed, more than 3,000 people arrested, and 800 police injured. (BBC includes video | Independent | WP)
Divis Street, Belfast
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“Ireland – Palestine – one struggle!” Carlos Latuff’s Belfast piece with Rısteard Ó Murchú about Palestinian hunger-striker Khader Adnan was featured yesterday in They Hungered For Justice And Freedom. Here is the piece Latuff did on Free Derry Corner with local artist Razer (Fb), showing Irish and Palestinian hands together throwing a Molotov cocktail.
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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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“India, Jamaica, Palestine, Aden, Malaysia, Kenya, Derry, Ballymurphy, Shankill, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq … England’s bloody empire.”
A new UK monarch, Charles III, formerly the Prince Of Wales, will be crowned today (see May The King Live Forever). Charles has been colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment since 1977 (BBC). He is shown above with General Mike Jackson – see From The Top Down | Jail Jackson.
The list of areas listed above as sites of British Army atrocities includes the (Protestant) Shankill in Belfast where, on the same night of September 1972, two local men – Richie McKinney and Robert Johnston – were shot and killed by the parachute regiment (Eamon McCann | Irish News | AP video of the public protests and UDA statement on the killings).
The killings resurfaced recently when flyers in support of the regiment’s “Soldier F” – accused in connection with Bloody Sunday in Derry in January that same year – that had been posted on the Shankill were torn down – see Stop The Witch Hunt.
In the middle image: an “anti-monarchy rally” organised by the 1916 Societies (Fb) takes place at noon in Lifford. “We serve neither king nor kaiser but Ireland.“
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There has been graffiti art of the side wall of what was Vogue Hair & Beauty and is currently the Kurdish barbers since 2008 (see Visual History 11) but in 2018 the wall was claimed by Saoradh (web) with a mural depicting the Palestinian flag (see From The River To The Sea – it has recently been repainted) and a changing message to the right-hand side – currently a pair of IRPWA “No extradition’ boards.
See also the old Linden Street, where Resistance Is Not Terrorism took over from a TMN homage to Bodé (but was itself later replaced by a tribute to Norah McCabe).
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Extramural Activity 