Don’t Look Away

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Sinn Féın leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill intend to travel to the USA for St Patrick’s Day, despite US support for Israel in its sustained attack on Gaza (Indo). The SDLP has said that it will not travel to the White House (Bel Tel). Sinn Féın say they will use the trip to promote business opportunities in Northern Ireland. The Taoıseach will also be in DC, while the Tánaıste will be in Vancouver (Breaking News).

These posters are in west and south Belfast, from https://socialistdemocracy.org/ and the Socialist Party (NI) (web).

“Tell your politicians… boycott the White House. We’re all running out of time to be on the right side of history. Don’t let genocide-mongerers be pandered to in your name.”

“Don’t look away. 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza. End the genocide.”

“Boycott genocide Joe. No greenwash at the White House. Leo/Mıcheál/Mary Lou stay away from St Patrick’s Day celebrations! Solidarity with Palestine.”

“Tell local politicians… Boycott the White House or… we will never forgive you. We will never vote without recalling which politicians partied with the gleeful killers of thousands of Palestinians. We will never forget. We will never let you forget.”

An additional poster can be seen in the Paddy Duffy Collection.

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Soso And Omar Ashour

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Siblings Soso and Omar Ashour were brought to a Gaza hospital in the first week of the Israeli attack. Artist Raed Yousef Qatanani (ig) took them as subjects (ig photo | ig video of the pair) for a painting which has in turn been reproduced on the International Wall in west Belfast as part of the Painting For Palestine project (Fb).

The next mural (to the right) can be seen in Out Of The Ashes Of 1948.

January 26th:

January 20th:

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Broken Family

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This mural is based on an original by Ahmad Shaweesh (ig) which shows a group of people, perhaps a family, in distress. The piece, both original and reproduction, is deliberately left unfinished, presumably to represent the unfinished lives of the Gaza dead.

The mural is on the International Wall, west Belfast, part of the Painting For Palestine project (Fb). The next mural, to the right, is of Soso And Omar Ashour.

The image above is from February 25th. Other in-progress images are as dated below.

February 22nd:

February 7th:

January 26th:

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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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Copyright © 2024 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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The International Court Of Justice

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In December, South Africa lodged an emergency application (pdf) at the International Court Of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, alleging that Israel had violated the 1948 convention on genocide (see also the WP page of human rights violations against Palestinians).

Two days of public hearings were held on January 11th and 12th and the ruling on the 26th directed Israel to take “all measures” to prevent any acts that could be considered genocidal, though it did not order a halt to Israel’s attack on Gaza (Al Jazeera | WP).

Sınn Féın moved in the Dáıl that Ireland join South Africa as a plaintiff in the full case, but the motion was defeated (Irish Times).

The image above shows, on the left, three children from Ireland, Palestine, and South Africa holding hands, and, on the right, dead Palestinian children flying to heaven over stripped and kneeling Palestinian prisoners. The flying children are based on an image by Taqdees Fatima (ig) and the kneeling prisoners on an image by Saïd Hassan (ig). The source for the three children is unknown.

The murals are on the International Wall, west Belfast, and part of the Painting For Palestine project (Fb). The next mural (to the right) can be seen in Let Your Hopes Bloom As the Cactus Blooms.

February 22nd:

[For in-progress images from February 18th, see the Paddy Duffy Collection.]

February 14th:

February 7th:

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Pride Of Ardoyne

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The Pride Of Ardoyne flute band memorial site was overhauled in November. The silhouetted bandsmen (seen in Pride Of Ardoyne) are gone and the cross and wooden plaque at the top (see Billy Hanna) have been joined by two large boards, naming “J. Bailey, W. Hanna, S. Rockett, B. McClure” and, (on the drum) “Charlie Dunn (1957-2021)”, along with 20 small plaques of these five plus 15 more who are an “absent member”, “absent friend”, and “loyal supporter”.

For Bailey, see On This Day. For Rockett, see Essence And Space. For McClure, see UPI. For Dunn, see the band’s Fb Page.

The image below is of a 50th anniversary Pride Of Ardoyne flag inside the door of Lainey’s craft shop on the Shankill Road.

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A Window To A Free Country

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A Palestinian boy sitting among rubble looks out through a window of bars to see doves flaying in front of a Palestinian flag.

Based on a original by artist Azhar Al Majed (ig).

On the International Wall, west Belfast, part of the Painting For Palestine project (Fb).

The image above is from February 25th. Other images are as dated below:

February 22nd:

February 14th:

February 7th:

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How Many Kids?

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This mural of (Israeli) soldiers standing over the bodies of dead children is based on an original by Saïd Hassan (ig).

On the International Wall, west Belfast, part of the Painting For Palestine project (Fb). The next mural (to the right) can be seen in The International Court Of Justice.

Previously, from 2015: Graffiti in Cliftonville: “Israel, USA – how many kids have you killed to-day[?]”

The image above is from February 11th. In-progress images are as dated below.

January 29th:

January 26th:

January 20th:

January 14th:

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A Name That Equals Any In History

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“In memory to all who fought and gave their lives.” This is the tribute to the Ulster Division at the Carrickfergus Rangers Supporters’ Club, citing the words of Wilfrid Spender “I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the First of July [1916], as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world.” (For more of Spender’s tribute to the 36th Division, see I Am Not An Ulsterman.)

For the names and information of the nine VC recipients, see Victoria Crosses or Repaying Their Memory.

Also from the Club: a gallery of Rangers’ Managers in We Welcome The Chase | commemorative murals to the three Scottish soldiers in Highland Fusiliers and to the UDR in Some Gave All | various others from the laneway and courtyard in We Don’t Do Walking Away, and from inside and from the side patio in The Rangers That I Love.

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Saoırse Go Deo

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The INLA (Irish National Liberation Army), together with the IRSP (Irish Republican Socialist Party), was founded in December, 1974, splitting from the Officials over their on-going ceasefire. It called a ceasefire in 1998 and ended its armed campaign in 2009. “Let the fight go on”, by other means.

The three INLA members who died in the 1981 hunger strike – Patsy O’Hara, Kevin Lynch, Mickey Devine – were all from Derry.

This graffiti is from Derry’s Bogside; The Runner is visible in the distance of the wide shot, immediately below. For the Saoradh board, see British Gaols In Ireland.

For other recent INLA boards, see: Arm Saoırse Náısıúnta Na hÉıreann | Neither King Nor NATO | INLA Roll Of Honour | Rook O’Prey (IPLO)

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