Concerned Gaels

Started by give her dixie, June 20, 2018, 02:24:51 AM

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SHEEDY

nil satis nisi optimum

Carmen Stateside


Snapchap

This isn't a case of bringing politics into sport. It's not a political protest. It's a humanitarian issue in the same way as campaigning against apartheid in South Africa was a humanitarian issue. Terming it 'political' is just a cowardly excuse for burying the head in the sand. As I said on here earlier, campaigns and boycotts through the medium of sport was an important and an effective tool in the fight against S. African apartheid. If it was effective in helping ending apartheid in S. Africa then that made it the right thing to have done, and it makes it the right thing to do now. The GAA isn't being asked to do anything here. Nobody is demanding the Palestine flag be flown alongside the tricolour on the grounds flagpoles - they are merely being asked not to treat the flag of Palestine as some sort of nefarious, offensive item and their 'patrons' who carry it as some sort of criminals. Someone took exception earlier to my use of the 'right side of history' term, but it is appropriate. The GAA have to do very little here in order to stay on the right side of history. Their current stance will be one that they risk looking back on with some shame and embarassment..

weareros

Quote from: Snapchap on June 20, 2018, 11:14:34 PM
This isn't a case of bringing politics into sport. It's not a political protest. It's a humanitarian issue in the same way as campaigning against apartheid in South Africa was a humanitarian issue. Terming it 'political' is just a cowardly excuse for burying the head in the sand. As I said on here earlier, campaigns and boycotts through the medium of sport was an important and an effective tool in the fight against S. African apartheid. If it was effective in helping ending apartheid in S. Africa then that made it the right thing to have done, and it makes it the right thing to do now. The GAA isn't being asked to do anything here. Nobody is demanding the Palestine flag be flown alongside the tricolour on the grounds flagpoles - they are merely being asked not to treat the flag of Palestine as some sort of nefarious, offensive item and their 'patrons' who carry it as some sort of criminals. Someone took exception earlier to my use of the 'right side of history' term, but it is appropriate. The GAA have to do very little here in order to stay on the right side of history. Their current stance will be one that they risk looking back on with some shame and embarassment..

The difference is, for example, that the Springboks at the time represented the Apartheid state and it was to the eternal shame of Ireland and the IRFU that we broke the boycott and toured there. Did IRFU every apologise? Will it cost Irishmen a bother at the weekend?

The GAA on the other hand gets used inappropriately for all kinds of causes, that are nothing to do with the GAA. The murder of Palestinians is to be utterly condemned. But Palestine too is a fundamentalist regime. Both crowds are a bunch of religious fanatics and I doubt those who fly the flag would want their wife, or girlfriend or daughter living under their fundamentalist laws. Both crowds, Zionist and Palestinian, murder and torture under the name of their fairy tales. Do we need flags like that flying at GAA games no more than we need flags under which innocent blacks were lynched, hung, murdered, burned alive. Like the rugby crowd, does it even cost us a bother.

Snapchap

Quote from: weareros on June 21, 2018, 12:10:43 AM
The difference is, for example, that the Springboks at the time represented the Apartheid state and it was to the eternal shame of Ireland and the IRFU that we broke the boycott and toured there. Did IRFU every apologise? Will it cost Irishmen a bother at the weekend?
It will not cost Irishmen a bother at the weekend but as you say, thr IRFU placed themselved on the wrong sode of history then and the black mark on its reputation is indelible. The GAA has to do nothing to remain on the right side of history. Just stop treating the Palestine flag as an offensive article that the GardaĆ­ will be asked to confiscate on sight, as happened in Navan.

Quote from: weareros on June 21, 2018, 12:10:43 AM
The GAA on the other hand gets used inappropriately for all kinds of causes, that are nothing to do with the GAA. The murder of Palestinians is to be utterly condemned. But Palestine too is a fundamentalist regime. Both crowds are a bunch of religious fanatics and I doubt those who fly the flag would want their wife, or girlfriend or daughter living under their fundamentalist laws. Both crowds, Zionist and Palestinian, murder and torture under the name of their fairy tales.
With the greatest respect, that is an absolute load of dung. The conflict is not two sides fighting a religious war. The Palestinian people in Gaza are a people who's own land was stolen from under their nose and who are forced to live in an open air prison with not even the right to protest. Numerically, the greatest victims are the children of Gaza, since its population is incredibly young. So your criticisms of their religious laws (as you rush to label every Palestinian as fundamentalist) is totally bogus. If you deplore what they are being put through by Israel (as a result of Israeli land grabbing), then stop qualifying your statement of condemnation with a "but...." like you have. You may not like their faith or how they practice it, but that should not even come into the equation when they are being subjected to the sort of regime they are being subjected to. Particularly when the ones who are paying the highest price for Israeli brutality are the children of Gaza. This is humanitarianism, not politics.

Quote from: weareros on June 21, 2018, 12:10:43 AM
Do we need flags like that flying at GAA games no more than we need flags under which innocent blacks were lynched, hung, murdered, burned alive.
There you go falling into the GAA's mindset where the flag of Palestine has an equvilance to the Confederate flag. Just think for a second how stupid that is.

seafoid

Quote from: weareros on June 21, 2018, 12:10:43 AM
Quote from: Snapchap on June 20, 2018, 11:14:34 PM
This isn't a case of bringing politics into sport. It's not a political protest. It's a humanitarian issue in the same way as campaigning against apartheid in South Africa was a humanitarian issue. Terming it 'political' is just a cowardly excuse for burying the head in the sand. As I said on here earlier, campaigns and boycotts through the medium of sport was an important and an effective tool in the fight against S. African apartheid. If it was effective in helping ending apartheid in S. Africa then that made it the right thing to have done, and it makes it the right thing to do now. The GAA isn't being asked to do anything here. Nobody is demanding the Palestine flag be flown alongside the tricolour on the grounds flagpoles - they are merely being asked not to treat the flag of Palestine as some sort of nefarious, offensive item and their 'patrons' who carry it as some sort of criminals. Someone took exception earlier to my use of the 'right side of history' term, but it is appropriate. The GAA have to do very little here in order to stay on the right side of history. Their current stance will be one that they risk looking back on with some shame and embarassment..

The difference is, for example, that the Springboks at the time represented the Apartheid state and it was to the eternal shame of Ireland and the IRFU that we broke the boycott and toured there. Did IRFU every apologise? Will it cost Irishmen a bother at the weekend?

The GAA on the other hand gets used inappropriately for all kinds of causes, that are nothing to do with the GAA. The murder of Palestinians is to be utterly condemned. But Palestine too is a fundamentalist regime. Both crowds are a bunch of religious fanatics and I doubt those who fly the flag would want their wife, or girlfriend or daughter living under their fundamentalist laws. Both crowds, Zionist and Palestinian, murder and torture under the name of their fairy tales. Do we need flags like that flying at GAA games no more than we need flags under which innocent blacks were lynched, hung, murdered, burned alive. Like the rugby crowd, does it even cost us a bother.
The Palestinians are not religious fanatics. They are an oppressed people.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

Dire Ear


sid waddell

Quote from: AZOffaly on June 20, 2018, 05:07:22 PM
Quote from: Syferus on June 20, 2018, 04:05:20 PM
Quote from: AZOffaly on June 20, 2018, 03:25:47 PM
Quote from: sid waddell on June 20, 2018, 12:36:41 PM
Amazing how confederate flags and bible-thumping evangelical nutcases with huge signs are allowed at GAA matches, but Palestinian flags aren't.

That's harsh. Poor auld John 3:7 is a sound lad.

I saw a few Palestinian flags in the Gaelic Grounds for the Limerick - Tipp Match, and again in Cork for the Cork Limerick game and I don't think anyone was removed, so I'm not sure if a directive came out specifically for the Tyrone Meath game because those flags are more prevalent in some Ulster games.

I've heard a lot of stories about John 3:7 being a bit of a thoughtless twat with his antics actually, AZ. I can only imagine being stuck behind him at a match.

Ah yeah but he's harmless.
So John 3:7 is harmless but Palestinian flags are harmful?

AZOffaly

Where did I say that? All I said was you were being harsh on poor auld Frank Hogan.

I don't like what happened in Navan at all.

give her dixie

GAA says there is no ban on Palestinian flags at grounds

The GAA last night denied it has banned Palestinian flags from its grounds.

Responding to a petition from around 1,200 of its members, Ulster GAA said there is no ban "per se" on national flags being taken to matches.

All-Ireland winners Peter Canavan and Oisin McConville were among dozens of current and former county players to sign the petition from 'Concerned Gaels.'

The petition came after Ulster Council officials sought the removal of two Palestinian flags during a championship game at Healy Park, Omagh last month. And earlier this month, a match between Tyrone and Meath in Navan saw a Tyrone fans holding a Palestinian flag arrested by Gardai.

Meanwhile, Palestinian campaigner John Hurson was removed from a voluntary position as Tyrone social media officer after he criticised the attempt to remove the flags at Healy Park.

In a statement, Ulster GAA said: "The safety of the teams, supporters and volunteers who run our games is paramount and that duty of care by Ulster GAA is always at the forefront of how we run our games.

"There is no ban per se on national flags being taken into our grounds. However, should any flag cause an obstruction or present a risk to health & safety, for example, due to the size or type of flagpole used, the GAA reserves the right to have that flagpole removed from the grounds.

"Our protocols state that flags other than the national flag, Association flag and the flags of competing teams should not be flown from flagpoles at our games.

"We respect the right of any member to hold their own views or opinions but our games are sporting occasions and our venues are not an appropriate place to express such views. Ulster GAA today accepted a petition from 'Concerned Gaels' and were happy to do so."

http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/06/21/news/gaa-denies-palestinian-flag-ban-1361100/?param=ds441rif44T
next stop, September 10, for number 4......

Armamike

I don't know what possesses people to bring Palestinian flags or any flags outside of their own county to a football match.  Have people nothing better to be at?  There's a time and place. Is it really because folk feel some empathy for others' plight or is it just a chance to stick two fingers up at unionists. Knowing how both sides here think I'd guess it's the latter sadly.



That's just, like your opinion man.

AZOffaly

Quote from: Armamike on June 21, 2018, 11:51:34 AM
I don't know what possesses people to bring Palestinian flags or any flags outside of their own county to a football match.  Have people nothing better to be at?  There's a time and place. Is it really because folk feel some empathy for others' plight or is it just a chance to stick two fingers up at unionists. Knowing how both sides here think I'd guess it's the latter sadly.

On the drive to Cork for a game a couple of weeks there was a lad outside Charleville selling flags to Cork and Limerick fans. Alongside the usual Cork and Limerick flags with the county crests, he had a plethora of colourful flags for sale including the flag of the Confederacy, Japan, Japan rising sun, Poland (!), Austria, Palestine, Some sort of green skull and crossbones effort, and others. I don't think any were really supposed to convey political meaning, but are just masses of colours, some of which are the county colours. The Palestine one probably stood out the most, because of the black, and the Confederate flag obviously sticks out now too, but they were just part of a much larger colourful explosion.

give her dixie

Quote from: Armamike on June 21, 2018, 11:51:34 AM
I don't know what possesses people to bring Palestinian flags or any flags outside of their own county to a football match.  Have people nothing better to be at?  There's a time and place. Is it really because folk feel some empathy for others' plight or is it just a chance to stick two fingers up at unionists. Knowing how both sides here think I'd guess it's the latter sadly.

Coming to that conclusion demonstrates your lack of understanding of the issue at hand.
next stop, September 10, for number 4......

Armamike

Quote from: give her dixie on June 21, 2018, 12:16:00 PM
Quote from: Armamike on June 21, 2018, 11:51:34 AM
I don't know what possesses people to bring Palestinian flags or any flags outside of their own county to a football match.  Have people nothing better to be at?  There's a time and place. Is it really because folk feel some empathy for others' plight or is it just a chance to stick two fingers up at unionists. Knowing how both sides here think I'd guess it's the latter sadly.

Coming to that conclusion demonstrates your lack of understanding of the issue at hand.

Ach no.  More a case of grumpy old man condition than a lack of understanding.  AZ makes a good point about the flag selling and the colours though. 
That's just, like your opinion man.

general_lee

Quote from: Armamike on June 21, 2018, 11:51:34 AM
I don't know what possesses people to bring Palestinian flags or any flags outside of their own county to a football match.  Have people nothing better to be at?  There's a time and place. Is it really because folk feel some empathy for others' plight or is it just a chance to stick two fingers up at unionists. Knowing how both sides here think I'd guess it's the latter sadly.
It's just a bit of solidarity. It's not much but if it gets people talking and raises awareness of the issue then it's doing its job. I don't think too many unionists will be attending games anyway but I'd also like to think most right-minded unionists would abhor the behaviour of the pariah state of Israel towards Palestinian civilians. High profile gaa games are perfect place for displaying these flags especially with sky cameras picking them up. Fair play to anyone who flies them