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