Thousands of miles, sacrificing their only precious valuables that they have managed to conceal on and in their bodies to succeed, across a globe of hatred, fending off many adversities on the way, losing children to the seas, to try and find sanctuary in lands that they never dreamed of travelling to before the destruction of their lives and homelands and quite often to those foreign lands whose governments' actions forced them to leave in the first place - and realise that the terror of their homelands has followed them to their destination.
The Donaldsons were not burnt out and forced to leave the area. Jeffrey Donaldson’s fellow DUP and Orange Order colleagues were not tarred and blamed and had wheelie bins thrown through their windows, but his wife’s colleagues at the NHS were and had so. How many of those who attacked those houses, lying injured at the side of a road after a road traffic accident, would turn down the professional help and care of a Filipino nurse, who didn’t ‘fit-in’?
Hillsborough Castle had no wheelie bins thrown through its windows and the Windsors were not forced to vacate after Prince Andrew’s paedophilia came to light. Closer to Ballymena, Davy Tweed did not have wheelie bins thrown through his windows and his DUP and Orange Order colleagues were not tarred.
Racism has no ‘Buts’…as it is what it clearly is – racism. Stephen Lawrence wasn’t beaten to death because of strains put on social services by his family, or a failure to ‘fit-in’. To describe the racist violence by British unionists with a meek denunciation followed by a ‘but’ is an appalling failure and opens a dark picture into Unionisms racism in general and a reflection of their Britishness to blame the victim(s). Sean Browne’s murder being another. It also raises questions about what exactly do they bring to the table in a reunified Ireland….why the Irish people would want this strain of Britishness accommodated in a ‘New Shared Ireland’.
A police force that was ordered to stand down if life was not under threat and did so while witnessing homes being attacked and set on fire with the occupants terrified inside - the occupants' mental trauma of their journey being relived over and over again. Rather than protecting the people under threat and their property, raises serious questions about its role and its constant bleating referral on the number of its officers injured (most likely from first degree burns from spilt hot coffee) is also an appalling indictment against it and the lapdogs of the Policing Board. Bombay Street in ‘69’ repeated in Ballymena ‘25’…..
I once read a book entitled the Bee keeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri – they who denounce people because of the cultural colour of their identity or employ the ‘But’ in their arguments to condone, should read this book and then maybe they would see who the real cowards are. But perhaps that is just it, by reaching out a hand of welcome do Unionists harbour the fear of having it slapped back in their faces, for do they and their respective British governments not share a great degree of responsibility for the need for that horrific journey to made in the first place? The aftermath of bombs dropped in far of foreign places can reverberate to Blighty’s shores!
Who could forget the following photograph and then terrorise and burn this little child’s parents out of their homes?
Young boy found lying face-down on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach Greece.
The Donaldsons were not burnt out and forced to leave the area. Jeffrey Donaldson’s fellow DUP and Orange Order colleagues were not tarred and blamed and had wheelie bins thrown through their windows, but his wife’s colleagues at the NHS were and had so. How many of those who attacked those houses, lying injured at the side of a road after a road traffic accident, would turn down the professional help and care of a Filipino nurse, who didn’t ‘fit-in’?
Hillsborough Castle had no wheelie bins thrown through its windows and the Windsors were not forced to vacate after Prince Andrew’s paedophilia came to light. Closer to Ballymena, Davy Tweed did not have wheelie bins thrown through his windows and his DUP and Orange Order colleagues were not tarred.
Racism has no ‘Buts’…as it is what it clearly is – racism. Stephen Lawrence wasn’t beaten to death because of strains put on social services by his family, or a failure to ‘fit-in’. To describe the racist violence by British unionists with a meek denunciation followed by a ‘but’ is an appalling failure and opens a dark picture into Unionisms racism in general and a reflection of their Britishness to blame the victim(s). Sean Browne’s murder being another. It also raises questions about what exactly do they bring to the table in a reunified Ireland….why the Irish people would want this strain of Britishness accommodated in a ‘New Shared Ireland’.
A police force that was ordered to stand down if life was not under threat and did so while witnessing homes being attacked and set on fire with the occupants terrified inside - the occupants' mental trauma of their journey being relived over and over again. Rather than protecting the people under threat and their property, raises serious questions about its role and its constant bleating referral on the number of its officers injured (most likely from first degree burns from spilt hot coffee) is also an appalling indictment against it and the lapdogs of the Policing Board. Bombay Street in ‘69’ repeated in Ballymena ‘25’…..
I once read a book entitled the Bee keeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri – they who denounce people because of the cultural colour of their identity or employ the ‘But’ in their arguments to condone, should read this book and then maybe they would see who the real cowards are. But perhaps that is just it, by reaching out a hand of welcome do Unionists harbour the fear of having it slapped back in their faces, for do they and their respective British governments not share a great degree of responsibility for the need for that horrific journey to made in the first place? The aftermath of bombs dropped in far of foreign places can reverberate to Blighty’s shores!
Who could forget the following photograph and then terrorise and burn this little child’s parents out of their homes?
Young boy found lying face-down on a beach near Turkish resort of Bodrum was one of at least 12 Syrians who drowned attempting to reach Greece.
⏩ Cam Ogie is a Gaelic games enthusiast.
Hatred is a toxic ingredient to add into any mix.
ReplyDeleteBurning people out of their homes - the memories that will evoke in the nationalist community in the North.
Thought your piece chimed with António Guterres,
ReplyDeleteSecretary-General of the United Nations - on World Refugee Day:
we recognize the millions of people forced to flee war, persecution, and disaster.
Every one of them carries a story of profound loss – of a family uprooted and a future upended. Many face closed doors and a rising tide of xenophobia.
Solidarity with refugees must go beyond words. Solidarity must mean boosting humanitarian and development support, expanding protection and durable solutions such as resettlement, and upholding the right to seek asylum – a pillar of international law. It must also mean listening to refugees and ensuring they have a voice in shaping their futures. And it must mean investing in long-term integration through education, decent work, and equal rights.
Becoming a refugee is never a choice. But how we respond is.
So let's choose solidarity.
Let's choose courage.
Let's choose humanity.