The Church of England has ruled that an Irish woman, Margaret Keene, buried in 2018 in Coventry, is not allowed have the inscription “In ár gcroíthe go deo” on her grave without a translation. They say it could be mistaken as “political”.
“In ár gcroithe go deo” means “in our hearts forever”
“Given the passions and feelings connected with the use of Irish Gaelic there is a sad risk that the phrase would be regarded as some form of slogan or that its inclusion without translation would of itself be seen as a political statement.
“That is not appropriate and it follows that the phrase “In ár gcroíthe go deo” must be accompanied by a translation.”
Ah yes, the church of england is so afraid that an Irish woman’s headstone with an Irish inscription might be seen as a political slogan, that they won’t respect her wishes in death.
Irish people wanting to use Irish instead of English remains a political statement.
Also, according to the Irish examiner, they also won’t allow the inclusion of an Irish cross. This is an Irish Catholic woman, born in Ireland, died in England, and the Church of England won’t allow her family to honour her as she wished.
On this day, 3 June 2019, the Khartoum massacre took place in the capital of Sudan when paramilitaries targeted people protesting against the military government (content note: sexual violence).
A militant movement had begun the previous year demanding action be taken to stop the rapid rise of the cost of living. It evolved to demand the removal of the dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir and the restoration of democracy. In April al-Bashir was deposed in a military coup and replaced with a Transitional Military Council (TMC). But protests continued demanding a civilian-led transitional government.
On June 3, security forces along with paramilitaries in the Rapid Support Forces attacked a sit-in protest in Khartoum, which was demanding the restoration of civilian government. They fired live ammunition and teargas, killing dozens and injuring hundreds, while many others were arrested and dozens raped.
Estimates of those killed range from 30 up to over 100, and doctors claim that around 70 women and men were raped. Women had reportedly constituted a majority of participants in the protests, and a local activist told France 24 that there had been a campaign of sexual harassment of women activists in an attempt to “break the girls”.
In response to the violence, workers responded with a general strike, nearly shutting down rail and air travel, retail and banking until the TMC agreed to release all political prisoners three days later, and resume talks on civilian rule. Demonstrations continued and civilian rule began to be restored, although many women continued to protest at being sidelined in the new institutions.
More information about the massacre, its background and the complicity of Western powers like the European Union here: https://libcom.org/news/sudan-behind-massacre-khartoum-19062019https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1441763382675474/?type=3
