Caoimhe Butterly
Linking Ireland, the Middle East and an extraordinary young human rights activist by the name of Caoimhe Butterly.
In 2002 Caoimhe came to the attention of the international community when she was shot and injured by an Israeli soldier as she led a group of Palestinian children to safety.
She had travelled to Palestine to report on the Israeli military occupation and the terrible plight of thousands of Palestinian families who were forced to live in makeshift refugee camps. While living among the Palestinian people, she witnessed Israeli soldiers with tanks and bulldozers invade Jenin refugee camp. Many of her friends died in the massacre that followed. Rather than use her foreign passport to leave the region safely she made the courageous decision to stay on and worked as a volunteer medical assistant and peace observer. Her work was cut short when she was shot in the left thigh while acting as a human shield for Palestinian children. She was then deported home by the Israeli Government.
Early years
Caoimhe developed a strong social conscience from an early age. Born in Dublin in 1978, she spent much of her childhood in Canada and Southern Africa, and was greatly influenced by both her parents, who worked with development aid and social justice issues. In 1997 she left Zimbabwe and moved to New York where she spent a year working with the homeless through a radical Christian action group called Catholic Worker. In 1998 she went to work with returning refugees in Guatemala and then spent 2 years in Southern Mexico where she lived and worked with the Zapatista movement. The Zapatistas successfully established an independent area for indigenous village communities in a jungle region in Mexico and welcome foreigners as a way to monitor military harassment against locals.
Power in numbers
The Zapatistas struggle and her time there inspired and educated her to the power of non-violent resistance. It's clear that Caoimhe has continued to live this realisation through her life and activism. Shortly after returning from Palestine, Caoimhe participated in the Shannon Peace Camp during the build up to the Iraq war. She was also an outspoken opponent of the Irish Government's decision to allow U.S. warplanes to refuel at Shannon. When Bush and Blair held a war summit in Belfast, Caoimhe was arrested outside Stormont for smearing red jam on the riot shields of 2 policemen.
Palestinian plight
Despite her vocal opposition to the war in Iraq, Caoimhe did not forget the Palestinian people and the friends she left behind. Shortly after taking part in a famine walk in Louisburgh, Co. Mayo in 2004, she began a 14-day hunger strike outside the offices of (CRH) Cement Roadstone Holdings in Dublin. She went on hunger-strike to highlight the involvement of Irish owned (CRH) in the construction of a huge apartheid wall by Israel despite the fact that this wall violated International law and has cut off almost 50% of Palestinian agricultural land. Her hunger-strike and story was covered by numerous national and international media and helped bring this new Israeli apartheid wall to the attention of millions of people worldwide.
Caoimhe continues to speak out against the occupation of Palestine and Iraq and the horror and suffering that war and terrorist retaliations bring on millions of ordinary people. She attends talks, rallies and peace conferences whenever and wherever she can. I leave the final words on the path of activism to Caoimhe herself "It's like chipping away at a coalface, but what I have seen has been seared upon my heart and soul and consciousness. I can't close my eyes to it".
By Keith Corcoran
See related news story Caoimhe Butterly Debuts New Video 'Visit Palestine'
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