George Floyd: Protestors in Seattle take inspiration from ‘Free Derry Corner’ in Northern Ireland for their police no-go zone

An iconic image from the era of the Troubles has recently appeared... 4,400 miles away from its original home.
By Adam Kula
Published 16th Jun 2020, 09:39 BST
Updated 16th Jun 2020, 15:43 BST
Just one of many tweets noting the similarityJust one of many tweets noting the similarity
Just one of many tweets noting the similarity

Demonstrators in Seattle in the north-west of the USA have re-purposed the phrase ‘You are now entering Free Derry’ – daubed on an old wall in the republican Bogside part of Londonderry, and believed to date back to 1969 – to demarcate their own “autonomous zone” within the restive American city.


The sign in Seattle reads instead ‘You are now entering Free Cap Hill’.

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This is a reference to Capitol Hill, where demonstrators spurred on by the uproar over the death of George Floyd have effectively seized a chunk of the city centre.
It is often referred to as CHAZ – Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.


One Twitter user, Jeffrey K. Walker (@JkwalkerAuthor) said: “Signage in Seattle, shaped like the end of a house, reads ‘You Are Now Entering Free Cap Hill.’


“This channels the famous side of a house, preserved as a civil rights monument in Northern Ireland, ‘You are Now Entering Free Derry.’


“The struggle goes on...”


Another user calling themselves Alan Petridish (@Faustus_Socinus) said: “I noticed some kids in Seattle have put up a sign riffing on Free Derry.


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“Dunno if this stuff in America will peter out but if it doesn’t they could do worse than learn from Bogside.


“Destruction/violence is necessary to get a seat at the table but efficient targeting is essential.”


Meanwhile another called “Sentinel” (@the_sentinel_d) said: “Free Derry, as well as the Paris Commune, suffered the violent invasion of the bourgeois state armed forces, #Chaz must organise and not only make demands, but to stablish a strong dual power, otherwise no real change will be realised.”


A reliable death toll from the American riots is hard to come by; however business magazine Forbes reported that, as of June 8, there had been 19 deaths in the space of 14 days of disorder.

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