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.

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Comments (9 of 9)

Activist

by Suzanne

Wed Jun 16, 2004 23:53

Butterly is nothing short of heroic in her dedication to human rights, and particularly in her awesome work for the Palestinian people's human rights under the brutality of the Israeli occupation. I admire her greatly and I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers while she is on hunger strike to protest support for the Apartheid Wall.

oh my wall.

by Cermunnos

Mon Jun 21, 2004 09:16

Its, funny how Arabs can behave as badly as they like in places like the Western Sahara and in the Sudan, can call for the elimination of the jews and America, yet attempts by Israel to stop suicide bombers climbing aboard buses and turning groups of people into showers of seered flesh are "racist" and "aparthied". Meanwhile the UN does nothing while black christians and animists are slaughtered by the tens of thousands by the Un's,the BBC's and the Guardians arab pets in the Sudan.

If this girl loves the arabs and decries the human rights abuses commited against them maybe she should have a bit of a taste of Dhimmitude and Sharia in some arab state or another or stop attacking the policies of the single democracy that exists in the middle east.

heartening

by michael

Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:16

It is heartening to know that irish concrete will play its part in stopping mass murder by palestinian suicide bombers.

Caoimhe

by kokomero

Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:45

has tasted Israeli "justice" having been shot in the leg by brave IDF soldiers. She is very familiar with the situation both in occupied Palestine and Iraq having spent considerable amounts of time on the ground in both countires .

The act that you are unaware of this and your stock Zionist line demonstrates your ignorance.

It is also notable that you are concerned for Israelis being dismembered by Palestinian bombs but make no mention of innocent Palestinians killed, starved beaten and bombed by Israeli stormtroopers.

Your lack of empathy with your victims is more akin to 1944 than 2004!

oh my wall

by Nodin

Tue Jun 22, 2004 14:40

cofla1 at hotmail dot com

The fact that Israel has the appearance of democracy doesnt lessen its oppressive nature. The US was a democracy while carpet bombing South East Asia back to the stone age but I doubt if those on the receiving end rejoiced that they werent the victims of a tyrannical regime.

As for the comment about "murderous"suicide bombers, you might ask what is it that can drive a people to use such tactics

What drives suicide bombers??

by Hamas

Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:45

Simple. We want to drive the Satan of Israel into the sea. We won't rest until every last Jew is destroyed.

Thanks for asking!!

Every last.........

Tue Jun 22, 2004 23:10

I take it the exams are finished then....

PA minister implicated in cement scandal

by Concrete evidence

Fri Jun 25, 2004 16:51

PA minister implicated in cement scandal

Jerusalem Post Jun. 10, 2004 Khaled Abu Toameh

The Palestinian Legislative Council on Thursday called for a criminal investigation into allegations that Palestinian companies had been importing cement from Egypt on behalf of Israeli contractors. The cement reportedly was used for building parts of the security fence and new houses in settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The call was made following a heated debate in the council, whose members accused Palestinian Authority Economic Minister Maher Masri of negligence and wrongdoing in what is known as the "cement scandal."

Thirteen legislators voted in favor of a bill that held Masri responsible for the scandal, while six did not support it. Some legislators called for putting the minister and other top PA officials on trial.

Addressing the council, Masri admitted that some Palestinian companies which had received import licenses from his ministry had violated the law, but said he had taken measures to make sure that the illegal transactions were halted. He also promised that all those involved in the scandal would be prosecuted.

The scandal erupted following reports in the Arab media that two Egyptian cement companies were exporting material to Israeli firms through Palestinian businessmen.

According to the reports, the cement was going to Israeli construction companies building the security fence and new homes in the settlements.

One of the Palestinians involved in the case is PA Civilian Affairs Minister Jamil Tarifi, whose family owns the Kandil Tarifi Cement Factory, one of the biggest in the West Bank. Two other companies involved in the scandal are Intisar Barakeh Company for General Trade and Yusef Barakeh Company for General Trade.

A Palestinian parliamentary commission of inquiry formed to investigate the case visited Jordan and Egypt and interviewed the owners of the Egyptian companies, government officials, and journalists in Cairo. The team also interviewed Tarifi and Masri, as well as PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's adviser on economic affairs, Muhammad Rashid, and several senior officials representing various PA ministries and institutions.

The commission found that a German Jewish businessman had imported on behalf of Israelis about 120,000 tons of cement from the Bani Swaif Cement Factory in Egypt. It said that when the Egyptians discovered that the concrete was being sent to Israel, they ordered the cement factory to cut off its ties with the German importer

According to the commission, the German businessman then sought assistance from Palestinian companies, which agreed to act as intermediaries. It concluded that senior PA officials had received bribes to issue import licenses to several importers and businessmen working on behalf of Israelis.

"This is a legal and political crime that harms the national economy and security," the commission stated.

The commission's report did not refer to the Al-Quds Cement Factory in Abu Dis, which has also been accused of supplying material for the construction of the security fence and settlements. The factory is co-owned by Qurei's family.

Hassan Khraisheh, a member of the PLC team that investigated the case, said the entire PA cabinet should be held responsible for the corruption scandal. He said he and his colleagues were not satisfied with the explanations offered by Masri and his ministry because they included many contradictions and half-truths.

Looks Caoimhe was outside the wrong building - Ali Halimeh's office Adelaide Road would have been more appropriate

Obviously you're a newcomer

Fri Jun 25, 2004 18:41

as otherwise you would have noticed that this information was already posted weeks ago, and given that no "evidence" has emerged there would be good reason to doubt its veracity.

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Floats like a Butterly, Stings like a Bee

Comments (9 of 9)