Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen’s (web | ig) second piece in Belfast is in Palestine Street in the Holylands of south Belfast, where he worked with Artists Against Genocide (ig) to produce a piece showing the strength of Palestinian women, carrying the land from which Palestinians have been evicted in the Nakba of 1948.
For the first piece, in Kent Street in the city centre, see Anatomy Of Oppression. A third piece was painted in Crocus Street, in west Belfast: see Life Finds A Way in the Paddy Duffy collection.
In May and June, Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen (web | ig) toured various cities in England and Scotland (Leeds, Glasgow, Bristol, Stroud, London) as part of the Bethlehem Cultural Festival, producing a wall-painting at each stop. Thereafter, he came to Belfast, where he painted three pieces, beginning with this small piece on the side of the Sunflower bar in Kent Street, showing a person with a head encased in concrete trying to hammer themselves free.
Jayden Braniff passed away in August in 2023 (Fb) from neuroblastoma. He was made an honorary member of the Pride Of Ballymacash (Lisburn) flute band (Fb). He is remembered by the Pride Of Ardoyne (Fb) and the Shankill Protestant Boys (Fb) in a tarp in Lawnbrook Avenue (upper Shankill, Belfast), next to the Walter Smith/Rangers tarp (one | two) and near his father’s house (Funeral Times).
One of Lidl’s slogans (and a “corporate responsibility objective” of the company) is to work “For a better tomorrow”. The electoral-style placard above urges “Don’t vote Lidl” and alleges that the company is “funding genocide for a bleaker tomorrow” and that its “policy is to fund apartheid, occupation, genocide” – perhaps through selling Israeli-made goods – particularly wipes made by Lupilu (ig video | Fb video | Fb | Change.org) – and through its parent company Schwarz’s acquisition of an Israeli cyber-security company.
The placard in the final image targets Home Bargains. According to the News Letter, it agreed to pull Israeli goods from its shelves back in October. BDS Belfast alleges that such goods can still be found (ig | Fb). These signs are on the Falls/Andersonstown Road where both HB (in the Kennedy Centre) and Lidl (next door) have stores. The Kennedy Centre Sainsbury’s has also been the target of protest (CYM).
The source of the placards is perhaps BDSBelfast (ig).
“Liberation isn’t on the ballot – spoil your vote” and “Reject war – reject Westminster – spoil your ballot”. According to the Marxist-Leninist ideology of CYM (Connolly Youth Movement), society should move from capitalism to socialism and it therefore “does not endorse any social democratic parties in Ireland” (item 2.5 of the constitution). A look at the list of candidates for the fast-approaching election on July 4th (BBC) shows that no Communist/Workers’ Party candidates are standing.
The posters are in North Street (above) and Royal Avenue (below).
“… to vote”, in the upcoming Westminster election. These posters are all over the Shankill in anticipation of the election on July 4th. They don’t recommend any particular party, but the free-floating Northern Ireland indicates that a unionist candidate is meant, which would mean Frank McCoubrey (DUP), Ben Sharkey (UUP) or Ann McClure in Belfast West and Phillip Brett (DUP) or David Clarke (TUV) in Belfast North, where no UUP candidate is standing (BBC).
The death-toll in Gaza now stands at more than 38,000 people, in addition to the 1,100 Israelis killed on October 7th (Al Jazeera). This graffiti singling out US President Joe Biden – and by extension America’s continued supply of weapons to Israel – is on the hoarding around the derelict Willowbank House, built in 1896 (Belfast Live).
“Israeli Genocide” (Israel represented by the Star Of David) – This Antrim Road (north Belfast) graffiti protests the on-going Israeli attacks on cities in the Gaza Strip. The death toll of Palestinians now stands at more than 37,000 people, with 60% of residences destroyed (Al Jazeera).
The image above shows the large IRPWA board (Republican Prisoners Still Exist!) being reinstated yesterday (June 21st) at the right-hand end of the International Wall on Divis Street. It was removed (on the 19th) in preparation for a new pro-Palestinian mural (BelTel); the IRPWA protested on-line (web) and it was reported that two men showed up at the house of the mural-painter and threatened to shoot him (BelTel); this led to calls from Sınn Féın for the threat to be withdrawn (Belfast Media). [Update, June 24th: the threat was withdrawn (Belfast Media)]
The IRPWA, reacting on the 20th to the publicity (web), set out its version of events and provided some information about the allocation of spots on the wall – including two anti-Agreement spots – on Divis Street (and also about Northumberland Street).
On Divis Street, the first political prisoner’s board towards the left-hand end of the wall goes back to the Castlerea Five (in 2000), followed by a painted mural in 2004 – Segregation For Irish POWs; at the right-hand end of the wall a Tommy Crossan board was mounted in 2001, though this spot has been used for other purposes at various times. (Complete histories of these spots, and the rest of the wall, can be found on the map.)
There was some tension over the anti-Agreement spots in 2016, when most of the wall was repainted for the 1916 centenary. There was a plan to include the spot on the right-hand end (see the final image of The World Did Gaze In Deep Amaze) but the IRPWA instead asserted its control of the spot and painted a Bilal Kayed mural; the 32CSM mural (in roughly the third spot from left) was covered over – for the launch only – by a version of the intended ‘Public Meeting’ mural that was instead painted on a sheet (see Shared Space). The image of Carson was also vandalised while it was being painted (see We Won’t Have Carson).
See also the recent history of the Kieran Nugent spot at the left-hand end of the wall: replaced by a mural about Catalan independence in 2015 – Votes About Votes – but Nugent (along with Maıréad Farrell) was included in the hunger-strikers mural further down the wall – I’ll Wear No Convict’s Uniform | Peace With Justice; then Nugent was Reinstated in the form of a painted board; then the ‘reinstated’ board was removed for the 1916 centenary painting – Young Ireland; a mural of Nugent was then repainted in 2017 – Kieran Nugent; a D company board honouring Nugent, Hughes, and McKee was mounted in 2019 – They Were Faithful And They Fought.
Extramural Activity 