“There is no lie big enough to cover the shame of jailing two innocent men #JFTC2”. Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton were convicted of the 2009 murder of Constable Stephen Carroll (BBC), and sentenced to life with 25-year and 18-year minimums, respectively. The case is under review (Guardian | An Phoblacht).
This RNU (Fb) board also appeared on Northumberland Street in west Belfast.
Berwick Road, Ardoyne, north Belfast.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Saoradh (web) took over this wall from graffiti artists (see Visual History 11) and painted their largest piece in support of Palestinian rights, compared to e.g. Resistance Is Not Terrorism | Ireland Stands With Palestine, but after nearly five years on the wall it is beginning to peel badly. The now-destroyed placards to the right don’t help either – see Palestinian Solidarity.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03353
RNU unveiled a new monument in Milltown as part of their Easter Rising commeration on April 9th, 2023. This photo of it is on a new board on the Falls Road, next to the Rook O’Prey board.
For the stone itself, see An Attitude Of Rebellion. There do not appear to be any images of the new monument on the RNU Fb or tw accounts.
“Republican Network For Unity. Erected by the Belfast Commemoration Committe[e]. Miltown cemetery Easter 2023.”
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Here is another response to the coronation of King Charles last weekend: (above and last) a Lasaır Dhearg (web) tarp in north Belfast reading “Fuck King Charles”.
Compare previously: England’s Bloody Empire and Not Our King with May The King Live Forever and The Settlement Of The True Protestant Religion.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Here is a small gallery of the boards from anti-Agreement groups on the green-spaces around Free Derry Corner (Visual History) and the hunger strikers memorial in the Bogside, Derry.
“Stop extradition! Oppose the extradition of Irish citizens”, “Justice for the Craigavon 2 – innocent!”, “Sovereignty not Stormont”, “Stop the extradition of Liam Campbell, victim of MI5 entrapment & condemned by five judges in Lithuania”.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Dome Of The Rock with its golden dome and octagonal walls (WP) provides a background to Palestinian protesters in this board expressing solidarity with Palestine (seen previously in 2021-11). Éıstıgí (Fb) is the youth division of Saoradh (web), and IRPWA (tw) is its prisoner-of-war organisation.
This is a printed board but even so the artwork is in a different style to what has been previously seen, with the two characters drawn in a cartoon/animation style.
Westland Street, Bogside, Derry
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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There are six small boards along Rossville Street, Derry.
On the end wall (out of sight in the wide shots): “Democide is the murder of any person or people by a government, including genocide, politicide and mass murder. Democide is not necessarily the elimination of entire cultural groups but rather groups within the country that the government feels needs to be eradicated for political reasons and due to claimed future threats. No amnesty for British state forces.”
From left to right: “End British political policing” from Saoradh (web); two IRPWA (web) boards “Free all political prisoners” with the image of Bobby Sands and lines from Francie Brolly’s “H-Block Song” and the prison wall disintegrating into doves; IRPWA (web) board commemorating the 1981 hunger strike; IRSP “Yes for unity” board; IRSM 40th anniversary hunger-strike board.
On either side are the John Hume mural and the O’Hara-Devine mural and the “Peace” mural (with cross) from the The People’s Gallery (Visual History) by the Bogside Artists.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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T05167 (2024)
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T05164 T05165 (2024)
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As can seen above, there were originally three framed republican boards here but the Cogús (POWs) one has gone entirely and the other two – Belfast Brigade ONH, 1981 hunger strikers – are in bad shape.
Duncairn Parade, New Lodge, north Belfast.
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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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The (colour) RNU phoenix and the Craigavon 2 “Free The Innocent” tarp have been joined by a Cogús fist grasping a strand of barbed wire – Cogús (Fb) is (was?) the prisoners’ welfare arm of the RNU.
Northumberland Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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The six weeks from July 8th to August 20th 1981 saw the death of six hunger strikers – McDonnell, Hurson, Lynch, Doherty, McElwee, and Devine – adding to the four who began in March and died in May. All ten, along with Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg from 1974 and 1976, are remembered in this recent board in Rockmore Road.
To the left is a 1916 centenary board “Ag fíorú na poblachta”/“Realising the republic” – also seen in South Link and in Rockmount Street.
On the far left is a board from Republican Network For Unity (RNU)’s Cogús committee in support of “Attempted criminalisation of republican prisoners is alive and well”, “Republican prisoner welfare and support”: “End controlled movement, forced strip searches. now.”
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Paddy Duffy Collection 