Since the Hamas attacks of October 7th, 2023, IDF forces have killed roughly 260 media workers in Gaza and 28 in Lebanon. The International Federation Of Journalists in 2025 declared Gaza to be the deadliest place for journalists (Al Jazeera); the Guardian calls it “journalism’s graveyard”.
Seán Murray’s documentary “Journacide: The War On Truth” premiered in Belfast in June as part of Docs Ireland (pdf). It profiles four journalists killed this year (2026) in Lebanon: Amal Khalil (killed in al-Tayri on April 22nd (RSF)), and Ali Shoeib, Fatima Ftouni, and her brother Mohamed Ftouni (killed in Jezzine on March 28, 2026 (PBS))
In response to the rioting in east Belfast and elsewhere – see McMaster Street Remembers – various (painted) placards reading “Fight racism”, “”Ní hea” don chiníochas”, “”No” to hate”, “”Yes” to all!” were added in June to many of the murals on the International Wall, Divis Street (Visual History), including the Free Marwan mural and the remaining piece from the Painting For Palestine project – for a directory, see Looking Heaven In The Eye and (without the red ribbon), Tell My Story.
(These additions are reminiscent of the ‘Free Marian Price’ additions in 2013 – see Scaoıl Saor Marian Price in the Peter Moloney Collection.)
These stickers are on Sandy Row in south Belfast. For background, see Ulster & Israel | This Is Our Israel | אי כניעה – the general theme of these earlier entries is to present Israel as an analogy for Northern Ireland, as colonising populations that must defend themselves – with violence if necessary – from native resistance. The IDF sticker second on the pole (in the image below) is in keeping with this interpretation. The hearts with simple assertions of “we love Israel”, with hearts, suggests a level of identity that does not require justification or interpretation.
There is also – though not present here – a religious angle; see The Lion Of Judah.
Óglach Billy McKee, Óglach Alex Murphy, Óglach Breandan [Brendan/Breandán] Hughes (The Dark)” are featured in a new D Company board on the anti-Agreement wall below the Falls Garden Of Remembrance.
In the bottom corners is the emblem of Glór Na hÓglaıgh (Fb), a new (March 2026) “revolutionary republican socialist political party”, associated with Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann and feuding with the RNU.
As in the previous board, Alex Murphy is included (on the left); Murphy was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of the two Signals corporals (Wood and Howes) in 1988 (UPI). He was released in 1998 under the provisions of the Agreement and died in 2019 (Pensive Quill). (The D Company board on the International Wall (Visual History) features Kieran Nugent rather than Murphy.)
The German Reichskriegsflagge of 1935 to 1945 placed the Nazi swastika in the circle of the imperial German war flag, replacing the Prussian eagle which stood at the circular junction of a black Nordic (St Olaf’s) Cross (Pete Loeser). The flag is illegal to fly in Germany. The flag shown above changes the swastika to a Star Of David and the background colour to blue (and removes the Iron Cross from the canton).
Seen in Northern Ireland, we might at first suppose it to be a criticism of Israel but in fact – flying in loyalist Rathcoole – it appears to be an unabashed (though bizarre) endorsement of Israel’s invasion of Gaza. More typical is the scene in the second image – though without the Elvis statue – the Israeli national flag flying alongside Union Flags. (To be clear, Elvis did not cover “Singing The Blues”; it was a hit for Guy Mitchell.) (For Israeli and Christian flags together, see Sorry It Was All For Nothing.)
The third image shows the flag of the United States flying below an Ulster Banner. Until now, whenever the United States has been placed along side the UK or Israeli flags, is has been in the form of some sort of Confederate Flag (2014 | 2016 | 2025). This has indicated that the contemporary USA as a whole has not been perceived as a supporter of (Northern Irish) loyalism or in a similar position to loyalists, but that the spirit of the Confederate South is akin to that of loyalism: a once-dominant ethnos, which held its position by institutionalised violence, besieged by the forces of expanded suffrage and mediocrity (as they would see it). (See the Visual History page on Ulster-Scots murals.)
Donald Trump’s rhetoric and agenda has found favour with Northern Irish loyalists, and a few Trump flags and graffiti were seen previously – see Take America Back for an example and further references. Trump’s victory in November, 2024, gave him a second term as President of the United States Of America. Freeing himself from anyone associated with the conservative/neoliberal Republican party that restrained him in his first term and instead installing (Trump) loyalists in the cabinet and other key positions, Trump has been able to erode the USA’s character as a liberal democracy and move it instead towards authoritarianism (Guardian | Varieties Of Democracy). The shift has been sufficiently profound that the USA is now seen as simpatico with (NI) loyalism, and the Flag Of The United States – not a Trump flag or a Confederate flag – now flies alongside the flags of the United Kingdom and Israel.
For the US and Israeli flags flying together, see Old Glory in the Paddy Duffy Collection. For ‘Jesus’ flags, see What Would Jesus Do?
(first and third) Belmore Gardens/Barna Square, Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, and (second) O’Neill Road, Rathfern, Newtownabbey
The Irish men’s soccer team is scheduled to play Israel in the Nations’ League, on September 27th and – at home – on October 4th, 2026. A campaign was launched to “Stop the game” in Dublin as a form of protest and disengagement, most prominently in the form of an open letter (instagram) sent to the FAI signed by footballers and various musicians.
The FAI instead appealed to UEFA to have the game played behind closed doors in a neutral country, saying that while it was “deeply conscious” of the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, it did not want to forfeit the points or be disqualified from the competition (FAI).
The large tarp shown above has been added (on June 18th) on top of the long Painting For Palestine mural on Divis Street.
In the bottom right corner of the image above can be seen one of the placards – reading “No to hate”, “Fight racism”, and “Yes to all!” – added last week (June 17th) in response to the rioting in east Belfast and elsewhere – see McMaster Street Remembers. (These additions are reminiscent of the ‘Free Marian Price’ additions in 2013 – see Scaoıl Saor Marian Price in the Peter Moloney Collection.)
Also included (below) is a positive form of sporting support for Palestine: an 10 km “Cycle For Palestine” (web).
“Over 20,000 children killed. That’s more than one child killed every hour. And 42,000 injured by the Israeli murder machine. Their revenge will be the laughter of their children. Andersonstown stands with Palestine. We are all Palestinians.” The figures perhaps come from a Save The Children report from September, 2025.
“The Shamrock supports Kneecap”. At the time this mural was originally painted, in June 2025, Kneecap member Mo Chara (Lıam Óg Ó hAnnaıdh) was facing charges of displaying a flag of a proscribed organisation (Hezbollah). That charge was thrown out on technical grounds and the appeal against that motion was denied in March (BBC).
The Scottish flags are flying over the Shamrock in support of the World Cup soccer team. Scotland is in Group C with Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil.
The campaign urging the GAA to sever its ties to sponsor Allianz (web) began in August 25th, after an update to a 2024 report by the UN urged businesses – including Allianz – to end their ties with Israel (UN | youtube). In response, a letter of protest, signed by 800 former and current players, was delivered to the GAA (RTÉ) but a vote in December retained the sponsorship (BBC | Irish Examiner). Protests have continued (e.g. at the GAA congress), among which is this message written in posters on the hoarding around Casement Park (for which, see Build Casement Now).
“Free Maduro! Free Flores! Prisoners of war.” Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn (New York) detention centre since they entered “not guilty” pleas on January 5th. The next hearing has been moved from March 17th to March 26th (Roya).
This is a Lasaır Dhearg (web) banner in the railings of the Falls Park, next to the Ógra Shınn Féın (web) banner shown in Hands Off Venezuela.
