The old shop-window sign of the Irish experience in England “No blacks, no Irish, [no dogs]” is repurposed and reclaimed positively by the RNU in the Colin area, with the rainbow flag, Irish tricolour, and Nelson Mandela (alongside James Connolly) below the skyline of Belfast. For the original, see previously Oppose Racism | No Dogs, No POWs
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Protesters from Donegal were (again) in Dublin on Friday (Journal.ie), pressing their claims for “100% redress – no less” for the cost of repairing houses that were built from faulty concrete blocks that are now cracked and crumbling because of an excessive amount of mica (17% as opposed to the prescribed limit of 1%). Leinster home-owners experiencing similar problems with pyrite were awarded 100% redress but the current scheme for the 5,000+ mica-affected homes in Donegal and Mayo offers only 90% of the cost of repairs (Irish Times) – hence the slogan “parity with pyrite”. Some homes, in Mayo, are currently affected by pyrite (Irish Times).
The stickers shown here are asking for support from Dublin residents. (Previously: support on Free Derry Corner.) They were presumably mounted by Paddy Diver, who is driving traffic to the Mica Action Group.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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It is now more than a year since teenager Noah Donohoe was found dead in a north Belfast storm drain and the controversy and mystery over his death continues. Police were recently investigating an alleged confession by a prisoner and Noah’s mother Fiona has said that she was told by police of a witness statement that the UDA were called in to dispose of the body (Irish News). She has started a petition calling for Chief Constable Simon Byrne’s resignation. The walls of Belfast have been painted to reflect the persistent dissatisfaction with the investigation. The three shown here are on the Whiterock, Lake Glen, and Springfield roads. For some more examples, see sbear101 on Twitter.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The height of anti-BLM sentiment came last year (2020) when the statue of Winston Churchill in London’s Parliament Square was vandalised and boarded up for protection, lest it suffer the same fate as the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol (iNews | NYTimes) met at the hands of protestors marching in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA (for CNR support for see An Injustice To One Is An Injustice To All | You Cannot Put A Knee Upon The Neck Of An Idea | Here To Stay | Black Lives Matter). The graffiti in the Woodvale (below) is from 2021, however. The graffiti above is in the Highfield area.
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Gerry Adams’s quip about the IRA after the ceasefire (in August, 1995) has become a slogan used for women’s struggle (International Women’s Day), sectarianism (Hasn’t Gone Away), British rule (They Haven’t Gone Away, You Know), coronavirus (It Hasn’t Gone Away, You Know) and now the “4000 families waiting” for social housing as lots in the city centre and north Belfast are turned by “private developers” into “student accommodation”. “Preparing immigrant ships. No not this time. We need houses, no relocation. North Belfast families will stay in north Belfast. We will not be shipped out.”
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Copyright © 2021 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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“This home supports a pay rise for NHS heroes”. Nurses in Northern Ireland are waiting for a pay proposal from minister Robin Swann (BBC | Nursing Times). The rise for NHS staff in Scotland is 4% and in England and Wales 3%, up from a previously announced 1% (BBC). The doorway is in Tower Street, in east Belfast.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Young people from Greater Shankill Alternatives” try to stamp out racism with a mural on the side of the Spectrum Centre on the Shankill Road. “Loyalist or racist – you can’t be both.”
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Hallion is back with more exhortations to the people of east Belfast to exercise caution during the pandemic.
Last year’s Covid pandemic warnings from Hallion: Wash Your Hawnds | It Hasn’t Gone Away
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X08550 Newtownards Rd
A loan of 1,000 pounds from the Ulster Bank will be changed interest at 24.9%, while the rate for 10,000 pounds is 3.4% (Loan Calculator). Commentary on the price of money in the old Beresford Street, just off the Shankill (next to Mussen Cortège).
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“#ItsOKToTalk” “This art project was completed as part of Alternative – Safer Areas For Everyone (SAFE) project. The young people involved identified mental health as the theme for their art project and incorporated positive mental health messages & support numbers to highlight the issue. The group also identified the “Steps” area as the location for the art work, to help brighten up the area which had become unsightly, neglected and a focus for anti-social behaviour. This project also engaged with the residents through door to door surveys, provided information leaflets on support services and organised community clean ups to help improve community pride & spirit in the area. Special thanks to Jamie, Dylan, Kyle, Corey and Mason who showed positive leadership in their community, to street artist Emic & Sam from Signlink for the art work & graphics and to the local residents and young people who were involved in the clean ups. SAFE Shankill is supported by the The Executive Office through Communities In Transition programme.”
For the steps, see previously: Steps To Mental Health
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Extramural Activity 