Since being in Derry, I’ve noticed quite a few Palestinian flags around when walking through the Bogside and beyond. It was pleasing to see so much support for a sovereign state that has gone through so much suffering at the hands of the Israeli occupation. The places where the Palestinian colors are most common are the nationalist areas of the city, since the Catholics stand with Palestinians. They see themselves on the same side of the same conflict; the fight for freedom.
I have seen many freedom fighters throughout the city on murals, but the one that truly caught my attention featured the faces of John Hume, Martin Luther King Jr. Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela. These are the faces of revolution and justice worldwide; it comes to no surprise that Nationalist support and been influenced by these figures in their fight for liberation. While walking through the Free Derry museum, I saw signs used in marches during the Troubles that said “we shall overcome” a famous song and phrase used during the Civil Rights movement in [1]Turtle Island. The people of Derry have used various movements all around the world not just to stand in solitary with oppressed individuals, but also what I would say is a cry of war. A cry that signifies that the people will never surrender or give in to their oppressors.
[1]I use the name Turtle Island instead of the United States as it was the name used by Indigenous and First Nations people before their colonization
SOCI 387 Diversity, Conflict, and Peace in Northern Ireland 