Disgusting mural glorifies violence and is not acceptable

Anyone who was surprised by the unveiling of Belfast’s newest foul mural clearly hasn’t really paid attention to the concerning ethos that has latched on to the Féile an Phobail Festival. This isn’t new; it’s a part of a worrying trend which taints all the other well-intentioned parts of the event.

It is a gradual pushing out for what is acceptable when it comes to openly glorifying violence, with paramilitary-worshipping chants and banners and clothing becoming temporarily back in fashion around festival time. And while it is true that the unveiling of the mural was no official Féile event, the designers still got their place on stage to perform later that night, with no attempt made to distance the two.

Those police Land Rovers carry our brave friends, family and neighbours who are taking great personal risk for their community. And those are the people that a mural like this is normalising violence against.

This Kneecap group are willing to use all that type of imagery for a plain and simple vanity project. That’s all it is. They’ve scrawled their group name in foot-tall lettering just so they aren’t left out of any headline. They don’t care about stirring up bitter divisions in Northern Ireland, as long as people are talking about them.

Many are trying to equate this to those selling hurtful and insensitive flags at the Derry Day parade last weekend, but I refuse to get dragged into whataboutery on these two subjects. They are not the same. Those on Saturday privately tried to put their stain on a large, family event, while this mural reveal actually was the event. Items were seized at Derry Day, and an investigation has been launched. We won’t see that come out of this festival. We’ll probably just see more public funding and bigger murals.

Realistically though, this matter is easily overcomplicated. It’s a disgusting image to be put in front of our community, and kids at an impressionable age, but it will pale in comparison to what will be in the future if we don’t, as one voice, condemn this and stop the constant widening of what we are willing to put up with.

Ben Sharkey,

Lisburn