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.
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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”.
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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
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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.
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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. Compare with the image from 2012.
Duncairn Parade, New Lodge, north Belfast
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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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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.”
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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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The “Craigavon 2” are Brendan McConville and John-Paul Wootton; they were convicted of the 2009 murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll. The “set up by MI5” and/or “appeals sabotaged” on the RNU board shown above is a reference to the claim that MI5 agent Dennis McFadden had infiltrated the campaign for justice for Brendan McConville (Irish News).
Springfield Road, west Belfast
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“No extradition! Don’t play England’s game” – after years of legal wrangling, Liam Campbell was extradited to Lithuania on charges of procuring weapons for the Real IRA (BBC | Saoradh). See previously: Silence Is Complicity. Cıarán Maguire was handed over to the PSNI by Gardaí in April 2021 (Donegal Daily).
Havana Way, Ardoyne, and Springfield Park, Springfield
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“JFTC2” stands for “Justice for the Craigavon 2”. The “2” are Brendan McConville and John-Paul Wootton and appeals for their innocence in the death of PSNI Constable Stephen Carroll, are ongoing. (Video from U.tv.)
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