Floats like a Butterly, Stings like a Bee

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | feature

Saturday June 19, 2004 05:19

by Shankar Sharma

shanks1980 at hotmail dot com

6 Dodder Avenue, Firhouse, Dublin 24

085 725 9660

From the Newswire: Twenty-five year-old Caoimhe Butterly is used to attracting media attention. On November 27th 2002 the Guardian newspaper ran an in-depth interview with the human rights activist who had just suffered a gun shot wound from the hands of Israeli soldiers while out protesting in the streets of Jenin. That year also saw her profiled in TIME Europe magazine as a true 21st century hero. Butterly however finds the coverage embarrassing, and can’t help recoiling when reminded. “It was such a badly written article,” she cringed when questioned about The Guardian piece.

Butterly nevertheless welcomes the media interest, not for her personally, but for the causes she supports so wholeheartedly. As Indymedia first reported last Thursday, she has been camped outside the offices of Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH), undergoing a 14-day hunger strike. The hunger strike has been initiated in an attempt to focus attention on direct Irish complicity in the construction of the Apartheid Wall, which violates International Law and contributes to grave human rights violations of the Palestinian people. C.R.H. own a 25% stake in the Mashav Group, an Israeli holding company for Nesher Cement, which is the sole provider of cement in Israel.

Ammnesty International recently stated that “C.R.H., through it’s subsidiaries Mashav and Nesher is likely to be providing the raw material of the fence/wall..if so, it would contravene the U.N. norms on the responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights(2003).”

As ordinary people have been busying their minds with the elections/referendum, Butterly has helped place the ongoing suffering in Palestine back to the forefront of people’s consciences.

Original Report (with pictures) of the start of her fast
Latest Update (from redjade)
After 14 days Caoimhe ends fast

Other Links:

“This has always been an issue that people in Ireland have cared deeply about,” she says. “The Irish people have always had sympathy with the human rights violations in Palestine.” She does have a tinge of regret about not being registered to vote on Friday last, but has no regrets regarding her arduous 14-day hunger strike. “I’ve done it before,” she states placidly. “And when you’ve seen what goes on over there as I’ve done then you quickly realise that your pain is nothing compared to theirs.”

She has though has to endure a fair degree of, if not pain then certainly discomfort so far. Heavy rain on her first few days has resulted in the abandoning of plans to set up candle-lit vigil; added to that has been the odd rude gesture from a passing motorist. “Most of the time they have been supportive,” Butterly counterpoints. Indeed they have, as anyone who has spent more than thirty minutes in Butterly’s company these past few days would testify. “They’ve been waving and blowing their horns, and it’s all been really nice.”

Moreover, passers by have constantly been stopping to ask questions and here what the activist has to say. “They often approach me during their lunch breaks and I leaflet them. The support has been excellent.” Some have even gone further, handing Butterly books to help while away the hours. One has even granted her a chair and a table. Butterly, however, doesn’t seem to get bored. “It’s not an ordeal when you do something you strongly believe in,” she states emphatically.

Caoimhe Butterly plans to shift camp to opposite the Israeli Embassy tomorrow and for the next seven days, and will be holding a press conference on Friday at 1.30pm. CRH have so far issued no statement regarding their involvement in the building of the Apartheid Wall. Butterly also strongly urges people to boycott Israeli goods.