Swastikas painted on Sean Russell statue in Fairview Park

Snapper1

Just wondering is this a new thing? (the symbolism, not the statue)

Cycling past Fairview Park this morning and two swastika symbols have been painted in the plinth of the statue. White with the black symbol in the middle surrounded by red.

It's the same statue that was 'beheaded' in 2005, supposedly because of Russell's connections with Nazi Germany during World War II - see here: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/68249?print_page=true

Not something I'd like to see on a daily basis.

spurious

Are the swastikas reversed from the Nazi usage?

There is a local moron who likes to write xenophobic slogans on bus shelters in the area with accompanying swastikas (not that he knows they are reversed, I'm sure).

Perhaps he found his way to the park, looking for swan-eating 'Eastern' Europeans.

Degsy

spurious wrote: »

looking for swan-eating 'Eastern' Europeans.

That'll be roma gypsies.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Degsy wrote: »

That'll be roma gypsies.

The swan's are eating the Roma gypsies?.

.

Degsy

Brianna Short Snakebite wrote: »

The swan's are eating the Roma gypsies?.

.

I fcuckin wish!:p

humberklog

It's not the same statue that was beheaded. That was eventually taken down a few months back and replaced with this new one. This is the 2nd time that that one has been written on. It was only cleaned about 4 weeks ago.

And no it's not a new thing. It has happened since it was originally erected in the 50's. He's been replaced a few times from funding that is generated by Sinn Fein and other like minded people.

spurious

I passed it earlier this evening and the swastikas are indeed reversed from the standard Nazi usage. I bet it's our bus shelter defacing local nut who did it.

It hurts my head to think what his politics must be.

gurramok

humberklog wrote: »

And no it's not a new thing. It has happened since it was originally erected in the 50's. He's been replaced a few times from funding that is generated by Sinn Fein and other like minded people.

The National Graves Association are the spearhead of that project, not SF. http://nga.ie/new_page_45.htm

There is no excuse for vandalism in these years. Even old British statues remain untouched.

humberklog

gurramok wrote: »

The National Graves Association are the spearhead of that project, not SF. http://nga.ie/new_page_45.htm

There is no excuse for vandalism in these years. Even old British statues remain untouched.

Thanks for that correction Gurramock.
I may well be wrong but I thought they had very strong republican leanings? I do know 2 Sinn Fein people that often on about replacing the statue and they were informing me that the WGA were on the case. I, perhaps mistakingly, thought the two organisations were kissing cousins.


I had a thread on this when it was unveiled. I personally find it an artistically hideous statue. Doesn't even scale properly with the plinth.


I thought that the beheaded one was a good Dublin curiosity. The headless figure caused more reflection and thoughts on Ireland as a society then and now. An almost brilliant installation.
This recent job is awful though. Very poor indeed, but the first spraying was quite effective a few weeks back. This latest one just looks like general vandalism though. It's an eyesore on a eyesore.

gurramok

Well if they were connected organisations, imagine the uproar The WGA are more interested in preserving history of events no matter who was involved than embracing a particular point of view.

Get us some pics of that statue, have not seen it yet in Fairview yet

A bit of cctv in the area would help apprehend the vandaliser who seems to have nothing else to do with his/her spare time and is obviously clueless about history.

humberklog

I will do. I took some on my old 1937 Brownie and they came out very smart. It makes the statue look better than it actually is. Just don't have a scanner that takes such a huge neg. I'm working on it though.

gurramok

What i do as per Dub Picture Game is use my N95 cam to take pics

Googling got me this pic http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/after-four-years-sean-russell-gets-his-head-back-1756382.html

Have to say, it doesn't look too bad on that pic?

spurious

The swastikas look like something that took a while to do. There is the red flag background, the white disc with the swastika painted onto it. It's not a walk-by quick spray with a can.

rez

spurious wrote: »

The swastikas look like something that took a while to do. There is the red flag background, the white disc with the swastika painted onto it. It's not a walk-by quick spray with a can.

Yeah someone posted a photo's of it on another thread:

http://i569.photobucket.com/albums/ss136/seanthegerman/seanthenazi-web.jpg

http://rapidshare.com/files/261471742/seanthenazi-large.jpg

Personally I'm opposed to the statue but what kind of idiot did this?

0ubliette

thats crazy. you wouldnt know wether its hippies making a statement about russell being a nazi, or neo-nazis making a statement! im so confused..

spurious

I was out of the country when this previous vandalism of the statue happened and wasn't aware of it. Perhaps the recent stuff is to cover this up?

As regards the most recent events, the error in the swastikas plus the fact that a number of xenophobic slogans (accompanied by similarly 'wrong' swastikas) appeared on local bus shelters the same night leads me to think it's the same person. This person is able to spell 'foreigner' correctly, thus elevating himself above the average small-minded vandal.

0ubliette

Those swastikas arent 'wrong' tho. Theyre at the correct angle and the right orientation

spurious

For the Nazis, they point the wrong way though, no?

*edit*
I beg your pardon, you're right. It's the graffiti bus shelter person who has the incorrect ones, not the ones on the memorial.

spurious

There is brown paper (or what looks like it) covering the graffiti now.

ANTIFA!

sean russell is scum. will have to make my way down there over the weekend and 'fix' the monument up

Morlar

ANTIFA! wrote: »

sean russell is scum. will have to make my way down there over the weekend and 'fix' the monument up

He was an Irish republicand and patriot which is a lot more than you. So you are encouraging vandalising a public monument now yep ? That would make you the scumbag btw.

ANTIFA!

what a load of bull**** you talk morlar. just because someone is a patriot in your mind doesn't make them beyond reproach, sorry to contradict your nationalist bull****, but russell was a pure scumbag, a traitor to humanity and that monument will be removed quite soon let me assure you.

Dr_Phil

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=61389415&posted=1#post61389415

My pics are here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=61389415&postcount=96

Morlar

ANTIFA! wrote: »

what a load of bull**** you talk morlar.

In every post on this entire forum your level of behaviour speaks for itself. Away home to indymedia.

ANTIFA! wrote: »

just because someone is a patriot in your mind doesn't make them beyond reproach,

'Reproach' is that what it is called thesedays when a bunch of uneducated, hysterical, goons go about vandalising public property ? Desperately trying to find something, anything to be outraged by to put some excitement into your empty exsistence.

ANTIFA! wrote: »

sorry to contradict your nationalist bull****, but russell was a pure scumbag, a traitor to humanity

A traitor to humanity ? Are you for real ? Personally I would not be too fond of him travelling to the Soviet union to raise funds and arms for Ireland but I think you take it too far

ANTIFA! wrote: »

and that monument will be removed quite soon let me assure you.

More veiled threats. Detecting a pattern here. Removed by who exactly ?

Masada

Those swastiga's look the right way around,
maybe the ones on the bus shelter are not nazi swastiga's? the swastiga as we know it is actually the reverse image of a religious symbol seen mostly in Buddhism that has been around since long before anything of a nazi sort and commonly seen on the graves of Buddhist. the red and white on the statue there is a clear indicator of its nazi intentions but do the bus shelters share the same colour scheme?

arybvtcw0eolkf

ANTIFA if you want to remain here I'd strong advise you to moderate your attitude to this forum and its members.

.

arse..biscuits

Either way I think we should start rounding up minorities

spurious

Masada wrote: »

Those swastiga's look the right way around,
maybe the ones on the bus shelter are not nazi swastiga's? the swastiga as we know it is actually the reverse image of a religious symbol seen mostly in Buddhism that has been around since long before anything of a nazi sort and commonly seen on the graves of Buddhist. the red and white on the statue there is a clear indicator of its nazi intentions but do the bus shelters share the same colour scheme?

They don't, but the 'East europeans F***off home' and 'F*** off non-Irish' written in the same marker makes me think they're not Buddhist symbols.

Morlar

arse..biscuits wrote: »

Either way I think we should start rounding up minorities

I think the green party have been through enough.

northsidetype

Heads up to whoever did this - if you fancy giving an interview, anon and on your terms I've been writing about your exploits in News of the World, Sunday Mirror and Northside People, including highlighting the Real IRA threats against you etc.
pm me here

shindig-jp

& so would I, The Nazi-collaborator should not be given Hero status



http://is.gd/1WfnO

Ste.phen

shindig-jp wrote: »

& so would I, The Nazi-collaborator should not be given Hero status



http://is.gd/1WfnO

The Hyperbole, politically charged and in some cases inaccurate reporting there lend further fuel to accusations that the Indo is no better than the Daily Mail these days in terms of sensationalism.

Surely there should be a real-life application of Godwin's Law in this case, just let it rest?!

asdasd

Doherty is a half- wit. Any alliance between Doherty and the Far Left and you know that even if they are right, they are wrong.

As I have written in the other thread on this subject, the modern anti-fascist movement is the descendant of the far left who were effectivley pro-Nazi during the early part of the war. There are as much the descendants of Pro-Fascist movements as the modern Republicans ( and I am not one, btw).

Never Again, unless there is another Ribbontrop- Matlotov pact.

I mean, does anybody really think that these muppets would oppose Nazzism if it arose for the first time today and was anti-Amercian? Of course not. Their ideological antecedents compared social democrats, anarchists, and conservatives to Fascists until the war broke out and then the communist movement was the biggest pro-Nazi movement in the West - the other pre-War pro-German, and pro-Nazi parties faded away as patriots. There was deliberate activity to sabotage the war effort, and it came from the Far Left, acting as proxy Axis Agents.

ANTIFA would have been far more pro-Nazi than Russel, back in the day. The Far Left was more useful to the Axis powers ( which, in reality includes the Soviet Union until 1941) than any Irish nationalist.

Paint the swastica on the faces of the Far Left.


Not that painting the hammer and sickle - an equally vile flag - would be any worse but the Never Againers really mean Never Again unless it is our Concentration Camps, or our Gulags; and they would welcome that flag.

humberklog

Take this hideous, odious piece of half arsed sculpture down. The work is far too big for the original plinth and the choice of material clashes too with original material. The most badly crafted, ill thought out, mis judged garbage this side of Vilnius that this city has ever seen.
Both sculpture and paymasters okaying final product should be lashed at dawn on the steps of NCAD.

However I do think that it is an important little curiousity for the city. It asks us to reflect, study, inform ourselves far more than any other piece in this country. It would do nothing for anybody to remove all trace of this man's sculpture. This is public piece of art that actually works. It creates reaction.

It is far too simplistic to say that this space glorifies Nazi collaboration. It has from its very beginnings raised a lot of controversy, a lot of questioning, some retrospection. Surely whether you agree or disagree with some or all of the actions of this man in the intirety of his lifetime that without this space given to him those reflections (for each sides reason) would have been lost in the ether of time like so many.
All one needs to do is browse each public work as you stroll through the city and think to one's self...do I know anything about this dude? Does anyone know anything about this dude?
At least with the Russell memorial it does create talking and feeling as opposed to bland ignorance.
The Russell memorial. To remember. To remember who we are, what we are and how we feel about it. Allow the Russell Memorial to be as it has always been...an educator.

PrivateEye

ANTIFA would have been far more pro-Nazi than Russel, back in the day.

***I made a huge post here thinking the above was about Antifa the loose network of European anti-fascist activists, as opposed to the poster in this thread. Its been removed.

I've no doubt the ANTIFA account is a troll one. Feel free to prove me wrong. The term ANTIFA is uncommon in Ireland, even among anti-fascists and the left. I would take everything said with a grain of salt.

Thinkingaboutit

Some people (the vandals) have too much time on their hands.

northsidetype

Thinkingaboutit wrote: »

Some people (the vandals) have too much time on their hands.

well, everyone needs a hobby.

Morlar

northsidetype wrote: »

well, everyone needs a hobby.

Well let's hope their new hobby is 'spending time in prison' or cleaning up grafitti by doing community service at the very least.

karlog

ANTIFA! wrote: »

what a load of bull**** you talk morlar. just because someone is a patriot in your mind doesn't make them beyond reproach, sorry to contradict your nationalist bull****, but russell was a pure scumbag, a traitor to humanity and that monument will be removed quite soon let me assure you.

Lol..............smashed his keyboard typing this

WindSock

I see the swastikas have been white washed but the white cirlce and red background are left. Maybe it's a lure? Some one should paint a smiley face on it...:)

WindSock

I see someone put a ban the bomb pic in it now :pac:

admiralofthefleet

WindSock wrote: »

I see someone put a ban the bomb pic in it now :pac:

yeah, they have written 'love' on it as well

FX Meister