#Belfast West

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1948 – Birth of Gerry Adams in Belfast.

Gerry Adams, born in Belfast, former president of Sinn Féin, was one of the chief architects of Sinn Féin’s shift to a policy of seeking a peaceful settlement to sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. He was elected several times to the British House of Commons for Belfast West, however, following party policy, did not take his seat. He represented Belfast West (1998–2010) in the Northern…

[rickchung]

Kneecap (dir. Rich Peppiatt).

[The] controversial West Belfast hip-hop trio, [...] known for rapping republican lyrics in their native Irish language, star in their own titular biographical film about their rise to fame and infamy. Set in 2019, [...] Peppiatt directs the plainly titled Kneecap with an energetic, riotous verve to its provocative, explicitly anti-UK material of rebellion.

[agentfascinateur]

Today Saturday at Shannon Airport in Ireland

#solidarity with Palestine

[zanfrancesco]

my top 10 favourite films, updated.

The works and days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) (C.W. Winter, Anders Edström, 2020)

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)

Mektoub, my Love: Canto Uno (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2017)

Belfast, Maine (Frederick Wiseman, 1999)

Tiexi Qu (Wang Bing, 2002)

Satantango (Béla Tarr, 1994)

Faust (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2011)

American Honey (Andrea Arnold, 2016)

Historia de la meva mort (Albert Serra, 2013)

Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)

[thismustbetheblog]

Best interaction from the Kneecap/Corbyn discourse

[chimaeraonwards]

Batang Kali Massacre in Colonial Malaya

Today Al Jazeera published an article about the Batang Kali massacre in colonial Malaya (now known as Malaysia) where 24 innocent people were killed by British forces.

I won't go into the details of the atrocities committed by the British in Batang Kali here (i suggest you go read the actual article on Al Jazeera). But I do want to share the following excerpt:

The British forces falsely accused these innocent people of being communists to justify murdering them. To this day, the families of the deceased have not received any justice.

The article goes on to describe how halfway around the world in Ireland, the same injustices occurred:

It talks about the similar incident, the Ballymurphy massacre in Belfast, and how in 2021 they were able to get legal justice.

In my opinion, I think these incidents is an eerie parallel to what the Israeli forces is currently doing to the people of Palestine - killing them and then justifying it by saying they were Hamas or hiding Hamas. Or committing crimes and then labeling the victims as Hamas to justify it.

None of this happens in a vacuum. It is all interconnected.

I don't think people understand the long lasting multi-generational impact this kind of horrific acts have on victims and their families. This is an excerpt from the Batang Kali article that describes that:

Colonization impacts people for generations. On a personal level, my grandparents and others in their generation were all impacted by the British colonization and Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Our grandparents were once young people living in occupation. They were young girls hiding from the military to avoid becoming comfort women. They were young boys who were made to do forced labour by the occupiers. Young people who fought and rallied for our freedoms today. They survived for our freedom.

History is already repeating itself in Palestine. Justice for Palestinians does not stop at a ceasefire - just as it did not stop at the end of World War II or after Malaysian and Irish independence. But we have to start somewhere.

And to any Palestinian reading this, in some weird way, I hope that this may bring you hope. These atrocities happened over and over again throughout history and yet, here we are - our people survived. I am here and you are here. Isn't that beautiful? I hope you know that you are not alone in this fight. Its not pretty and its not immediate, but justice will prevail and Palestine will be free in our lifetime.

Ceasefire now.

You can read about the Al Jazeera article about the Batang Kali massacre here:

[weaversweek]

This week, a profile of Gordon Burns.

From Ulster to Granada, and mostly the host of The Krypton Factor.

Every winner is a superperson. Every contender is a superperson.

Also a look at Gordon's dabble into shoot-em-up Tetris, and A Word in Your Ear - a communication game show where Bob Holness could draw a picture like this on lunchtime BBC1.

Lovely lighthouse there, Bob.

Gordon Burns was a journalist by training, he hosted UTV Live and Granada Reports and later BBC North West Tonight.

Absolute hero, and we even mention his cousin Ed Sheeran.

[insidecroydon]

10% off Theatre Tokens in special TfL offer for Christmas

Transport for London has partnered with Official London Theatre to offer discounts on Theatre Tokens ahead of Christmas. The partnership allows Londoners to save 10% on Theatre Tokens and make additional savings when used on Official London Theatre’s “See It Live in 2025” deals. A bit of a song and dance: TfL is offering discounts on Theatre Tokens With no expiry date, Theatre Tokens can be…

[uniteds]

watching the kneecap movie got me so tiocfaidh ár lá

[bibleofficial]

i’m just so ??? raid is hysterical like i’m still not over how he greeted me i popped in ‘howdy howdy !’ & here he is ‘why are ur people racist’ like u need to be specific like which are ‘my people’ rn 😭😭😭

[cosmicanger]

Message placed on the Black Mountain in west Belfast, Ireland on Saturday 3rd August 2014

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1971 – 9-11 | During the internment round-up operation in west Belfast, the Parachute Regiment killed 11 unarmed civilians in what became known as the Ballymurphy massacre.

On 9th of August 1971, Interment Without Trial was introduced by the British Government in the North of Ireland. This policy was implemented by the British Army at 4am on that particular summer morning. The British Army directed the campaign against the predominately Catholic community with the stated aim to “shock and stun the civilian population”. Between 9th and 11th of August 1971, over 600…

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Bernadette Allen

Published Nov 10, 2024

Around 30 women gathered in Belfast on Saturday to highlight concerns about a lack of support for male victims of domestic violence.

The march was made up of women wearing fluorescent pink and included relatives of men who have been the victims.

The twin daughters of west Belfast man Tony Browne, who was murdered by his girlfriend in 2022, were among those who attended.

Bobbi-Leigh and Shannon McIlwaine say there “isn’t enough support services for men” who are going through domestic abuse relationships.

'Extremely hard for a man to come forward'

Mr Browne, 54, was at his home when he was stabbed to death by Wiktoria Maksymowicz.

Bobbi-Leigh said her dad didn’t tell any of his family members what was happening.

“He told one of his closest friends but made his friend promise not to tell me and my sister because he didn’t want anyone to know,” she added.

The death of her father has had a "huge impact" on her, said Bobbi-Leigh.

"There is not one day I’m not thinking about my dad and what he went through and thinking if it could have been prevented," she said.

“It’s extremely hard for a man to come forward and say that he is being abused. There is a chance he won’t be believed, he will be laughed at.

“Women coming out today to speak for men, that’s sending a powerful message. It shows we believe them and support them. There needs to be more support from Stormont.”

[ West Belfast man Tony Browne was murdered by his girlfriend Wiktoria Maksymowicz in 2022 ]

The march was facilitated by the Men’s Alliance NI who are calling for a men’s refuge in Northern Ireland and more support from Stormont.

In a statement, Stormont ministers said they have made it clear that domestic and sexual abuse transcends boundaries of gender, age, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.

They have stressed their commitment to creating a society in Northern Ireland where domestic and sexual abuse are not tolerated, and where victims receive the support they need and where those responsible are held to account.

The Department of Health also said it provides funding for a 24-hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline, which is a confidential, freephone service available to any person impacted by domestic and sexual abuse in NI.

[ Around 30 women gathered in Belfast calling for more support ]

Shannon feels a men’s refuge is needed.

“If my dad had have been able to go somewhere it may have given him the courage to leave,” she said.

“It’s important that people come out today and show their support because domestic abuse isn’t a gendered issue and it needs to stop being stigmatised as a gendered issue.”

'Nowhere to go'

Carey Baxter from Men’s Alliance says domestic violence is a societal issue.

“Today is a women’s only march and women are doing this on behalf of men.

“We speak to men who are living in their cars or sofa surfing because they have nowhere to go."

Mr Baxter said there is a huge gap in funding and services for men.

“It’s not about taking services away from women, it’s about finding something extra for the men because those services are needed and we hear it every single day of the week in our support groups, but there is nothing there for them.”

[blackrebelphotographyclub]

On Land Day, thousands descend upon Belfast to demand an end to occupation and an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank. Under chants of “what do we do when Lebanon / Syria / Yemen / Iraq / Palestine is under attack? Stand up fight back”, speakers spoke of the need to humanise Palestinians: not to see them as invincible heroes, but people like you and me who are grieving and feeling pain.

Belfast, 30.03.2024

[i-am-aprl]

Over the last couple of months the International Wall on the Falls Road in West Belfast has been painted with a whole set of new murals completely dedicated to Palestine. A community art piece made possible by local artists, volunteers and activists in support and solidarity with the artists and people of Palestine under occupation and genocide.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

mural in West Belfast