international

Tamil Eelam

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“Eelam” is the ancient Tamil name for Sri Lanka and “Tamil Eelam” is the name of a proposed Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka (shown on the right of the mural) that the Tigers were fighting for. After 26 years of war, the Tamil Tigers were defeated in 2009 but independence (from the majority Sinhalese) is “inevitable” according to this new mural. For an account of commemorations in both Belfast and Derry, see this TamilNet article.

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X04221 X04220 northumberland st tıocfaıdh ár lá

Free Marwan Barghouti

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Palestinian leader and secretary-general of Fatah during the 90s, Marwan Barghouti joined the Second Intifada (2000) and was arrested by Israeli forces in 2002 and sentenced to five life sentences for attacks by al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Barghouti laid out the rationale for the current hunger strike of 1,000 prisoners in a New York Times op-ed. He was reportedly caught eating in May.

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X04149 IRPWA havana st solidarity with palestine free the hunger strikers

Free Gaza

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A clash of priorities in Lower Garfield Street: “Free Gaza” – “Free your own country first #LegaliseSameSexMarriage”

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The Sun Of Your Bravery Laid Siege To Death

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“Hasta siempre, Comandante” is a 1956 song celebrating the life of Che Guevara, with Fidel Castro appearing in the final verse to join the Cuban people in saying “Hasta siempre, Comandante” to Che as he departs Cuba for the Simba Rebellion in Congo. The slogan is here applied to Fidel himself on the occasion of his death in November 2016 at the age of 90.

Here is French singer Nathalie Cardone’s version on the song, which reached #2 in France and #1 in Belgium in 1997:

The Castro mural is next to one for fellow Marxist Salvadore Allende of Chile: see La Historia Es Nuestra.

See also Hasta La Victoria Siempre.

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X03997 1926-2016

Hasta La Victoria Siempre

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“¡Hasta la victoria siempre!” (“Ever onward to victory!”) was a saying of Che Guevara’s. It is used in this mural as a valediction to Che comrade and long-time Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who died at the end of November (2016). The portrait of Castro is perhaps this Korda image of Castro entering Havana after the deposition of Batista in 1959.

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X03998 Beechmount Ave

Free Them All

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The solidarity mural for the outlawed Basque Askatasuna (Freedom) party at the junction of the Falls and Glen Road has been repainted and extended with the Irish and Basque flags on one side and various calls for justice on the other: “Scaoıltear saor uılıg ıad – Free them all”, “Over 350 political prisoners in Spanish and French jails.” “Tugtar abhaıle  na cımı Bascacha”, “End dispersal of Basque prisoners now”.

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Water Is A Right!

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A proposed pipeline between North Dakota and southern Illinois would go under the Missouri river on the Standing Rock Reservation of the Sioux tribe, who have filed suit against the (US) Corps Of Engineers. Protests against the pipeline hit the mainstream news on September 3rd when security personnel used dogs to drive off protesters. The éirígí sheet shown above is hanging on the fencing below Divis tower.

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X03934 july 1873 sioux nation liberty equality community save our natural resources ireland

March For Justice

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03608-2016-07-03-search-for-justice-boycott

Here are two images of the remnants of a poster left over from January’s Bloody Sunday March, one from Creggan with a “Boycott Israeli goods” stencil, the second from the Bogside.

The artist is given as “CH”.

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Bilal Kayed

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03797 2016-08-23 Bilal Kayed+

“RNU stands with hunger striker Bilal Kayed”. For more information on this Palestinian prisoner who recently ended his hunger strike, see Administrative Detention. Update: released 2016-12-12.

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X03797 beechmount ave

It Is Better For Men To Fight And Die

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03723 2016-08-06 Casement1+

Shown above is the first of three new boards at Casement Park in west Belfast, named for Roger Casement. Working for the British Colonial Services, Roger Casement wrote extensive reports on the abuse of indigenous people in Congo Free State (1904) and in Peru (1910).

In Congo Free State, King Leopold II of Belgium was using a private force to suppress the locals while extracting rubber; Casement’s report (archive.org) led to the Belgian government taking over Leopold’s operation and creating the Belgian Congo.

In Peru, Casement investigated abuses against the Putumayo indians at the hands of the Peruvian Amazon Company. As a result of his report, the PAC gradually lost business and folded. (WP) Casement was knighted in 1911 for his human rights work, though this title would be stripped shortly before his execution.

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X03723 Andersonstown Rd