Hold On, Pain Ends

“North Belfast is in a crisis. RNU [Republican Network For Unity (Fb | ig)] calls for better mental health provision. Hold on, pain ends. Hope.”

Northern Ireland has the highest suicide rate in the UK, at 14.3 per 100,000 (2021), and Belfast has a suicide rate of 24.9 people (2022), and north Belfast the highest in Belfast, at a rate of 31 per 100,000 (2013-2018) (Assembly Research Matters | Zero Suicide Alliance). Here is a Bel Tel article (£) about the lack of GPs and mental health services in north Belfast, from 2021.

Berwick Road, Ardoyne, north Belfast. Replaces Don’t Ever Give Up.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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A Window To A Free Country

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 18th:

February 11th:

February 4th:

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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The International Court Of Justice

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).

February 18th:

February 11th:

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Broken Family

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 11th:

January 24th:

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You’re Never Too Old

The saying “You’re never too old to set another goal or dream another dream” is attributed to east Belfast-bred C.S. Lewis — shown here on the right — though we are unable to find any record of him saying or writing these words; instead it might be be a motivational speaker called Les Brown. In the rest of the poster, young people play in the grounds of Queen’s University and Belfast City Hall.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Out Of The Ashes Of 1948

The Palestinian West Bank is surrounded by, and in some places penetrated by, a system of barriers 440 miles long. In some places it takes the form of multiple fences, in others, of a concrete wall reaching to a height of 30 feet/9 metres. (Here is WP’s map of the wall in the vicinity of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, also showing the Israeli settlements in this part of the West Bank).

In this mural, a Palestinian stands on top of the wall and looks towards (Christian) Church Of The Holy Sepulchre and the (Islamic) Dome Of The Rock in old Jerusalem and imagines themselves a phoenix, a symbol representing rebirth and persistence, well known from (Irish) republican muraling (Peter Moloney Collection | Extramural collection).

The mural is on the International Wall, west Belfast, part of the Painting For Palestine project (Fb). The original artist is unknown.

The West Bank barrier is locally known as the “separation” or “apartheid” wall. For west Belfast’s own euphemistically-called “peace” wall, see State Art Vs Graffiti On The West Belfast “Peace” Line.

The next mural (to the right) can be seen in Worsening Crisis In Gaza.

The image above was taken on February 25th. Other “in-progress” images are as dated below.

February 18th:

January 28th:

January 24th:

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