This is the new Vanguard Bears (web) board at the Ulster Rangers Supporters’ Club on the Shankill Road. It replaces the board that celebrated the 55th championships of Rangers and Linfield. In the close-up above of the left-hand side, below King Charles III and formed into the numeral 66, are the names of the fans who were crushed to death as they left Ibrox after the Old Firm derby on January 2nd, 1971 (WP).
There used to be a Vanguard Bears board in Sugarfield Street, on the other side of the Shankill Road – see The Boys In Blue – and another is still in place in Barrington Street (Sandy Row) – see Follow, Follow.
“No sovereignty = no control”. Great Britain and the European Union combine to push Ireland through the grinder for American profit. This mural is a cartoon by Carlos Latuff (ig) reproduced by 32CSM (web) on Divis Street, Belfast.
The UN Security Council last night passed resolution 2712 (UN), calling for extended humanitarian pauses in Israel’s assault on Gaza. The resolution was proposed by Malta, who wrote the resolution to focus on the plight of children. Today’s images show a selection of the teddy bears and other soft toys that have been placed on fences and lamp-posts in CNR west Belfast in memory of the children who have been killed in Gaza. It is estimated that a child dies in Gaza every 10 minutes (Reuters) and that 4,600 children have died so far (UN).
Work by FGB (ig), NRMN (ig), Friz (ig), and Laura Nelson/Szu Szu Signs (ig) join those by Rob Hilken, emic, and Kerrie Hanna (see Spells Joy) along the side of the Shankill Mission, new home of Vault Artist Studios (ig).
“United in struggle for freedom and sovereignty. Beir bua! #BDS #FreePalestine. www.32csm.org” — Palestinian and Irish fists raised together in solidarity.
Divis Street, west Belfast, perhaps using the same stencil in Free Palestine on Beechmount Avenue and in Springhill in 2014 reproducing a Latuff cartoon.
“Stop the slaughter – ceasefire now”. A pro-Palestinian board was added to the “International Wall”, Divis Street, and launched on November 4th. The previous Saber Al-Ashkar mural — His Land, His Legs, His Life — has been mostly painted over, with part of the mural remaining at the top and the image of a man carrying a wounded child perhaps deliberately left to the right of the board.
The image represented would appear to be an from social media (probably AI-generated, as no one can say who is depicted or where) of children sitting among their ruined house, surrounded by broken toys, including SpongeBob and Pudsey Bear, with the boy using an incorrect Palestinian flag to cover the girl.
A service was held yesterday in West Kirk Presbyterian to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the bombing of Frizzell’s fish shop on the Shankill Road. As part of the ceremony, wreaths were laid at the new memorial marking the spot on the Shankill where the bomb exploded, killing nine locals — hence the Arabic “9” among the Roman numerals on the clock face — and one of the bombers (ITv footage). The clock shows the date and time that the bomb went off: 1:06 pm on Saturday October 23rd, 1993.
The new ‘clock’ memorial replaces the three plaques seen in Frizzell’s (though the circular plaque might have been incorporated into this new memorial); the board of portraits served as the cover for the memorial in the days prior to unveiling and was placed over the credit union’s ATM.
West Kirk also contains a stone and bench to the victims of the Shankill bombing. Nine trees were also planted in their memory: John Frizzell, Sharon McBride Leanne Murray, Michael Morrison, Evelyn Baird, Michelle Baird, George Williamson, Gillian Williamson, Wilma McKee.
“We remember those who were killed, those who survived and those lives changed forever.”
“‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away’ Revelations 21 v4”
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 Ascaıll 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.
The Vault artists have moved out of the old Belfast Met building in east Belfast (see Do You Own A Giant Building? | The Vault Is Empty | Locked Vault) and set up shop in Marlborough House in the city centre and the Shankill Mission in west Belfast. The group have a new web site: vaultartiststudios.com. The inaugural event at “Marly” took place this weekend, called It’s All Your Vault. There will also be a launch event at the Shankill Mission at some point. In the meantime, here are three from the side of the Shankill Mission, from (bottom) emic (ig), (below) Rob Hilken (ig), and (above) Kerrie Hannah (ig) who takes her inspiration from stained glass windows in Townsend Presbyterian by Wilhelmina Geddes (see On The Other Side).
