In January, the Catalan parliament approved the ‘Declaration Of Sovereignty And Of The Right To Decide Of The Catalan People’ (Catalan News). The Spanish government referred the matter to the Constitutional Court and in May it was suspended pending a complete review (WP).
“End British internment! Maghaberry. End forced strip searching! End controlled movement!” The high-security prison holds 1,000 prisoners and segregates loyalists and republicans, a situation described as “a festering sore” in a recent inspection (Tele). Republicans say that the current crisis overlooks existing issues such as controlled movement and strip searches.
This is the internment (or “assumption”) bonfire in the Bogside with what appear to be hand-painted boards depicting a PSNI land-rover and the flags of the UVF, Scotland, Israel, and LVF. It is not known if these were stolen or painted exclusively for the purpose of burning.
This IRSP (web) board in Rossville Street, Derry, includes colour photographs of local INLA volunteers Patsy O’Hara and Michael Devine, along with a gallery of all ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers.
The same board was also mounted in William Street.
Eddie The Trooper is repainted in the Waterside. The main panel remains as before but the Haig quote above has been replaced by the UFF’s clenched fist in a yellow six-pointed star.
Fleadh Cheoıl Na hÉıreann is held in the north for the first time with the 62nd fleadh being held in Derry from August 11th to 18th (BBC). Free Derry Corner is decorated with the symbols of the festival and Comhaltas and the event’s web address. Programme.
Along the bottom can be faintly seen “Culture theft ££”.
Martin Corey was found guilty of the murder of two policemen in 1973 and released in 1992. As noted in the tarp — “interned in Maghaberry prison since April 2010” — he was returned to prison in 2010, and a 2011 commission ruled that he was a member of the CIRA (WP). An appeal – on the grounds that evidence had been withheld – was rejected in December, 2012. The campaign for his release continues in republican areas:
“The Israeli settlement of Pisgat Zeev in the Westbank seen from the Palestinian refugee camp of Shuafat in the outskirts of Jeruslaem. Occupied Palestinian Terriitories, 2009. Photograph by Kai Wiedenhöfer.” Wiedenhöfer’s photograph was mounted on Free Derry Corner July 19-21, 2013, as an extension of the Wall On Wall project and as one of the events during Derry’s year as the first “UK City Of Culture”. (Interview and footage of the piece being mounted can be seen at youtube.)
The final two images show graffiti added as though part of the design of the piece: on the wall in the photo, “Let’s now get the city leaders there 2 make Ramallah the Israeli city of culture 2014 and we can all do great art for peace there” and in the bottom corner, “A paper over the cracks of imperialism production.”
For the International Brigade flag, see ¡No Pasarán!