Former Glentoran and Derry City goalkeeper Declan Devine not apologising for Israel-Hamas comments
Declan Devine
Former Glentoran and Derry City goalkeeper Declan Devine says he won’t apologise for social media comments relating to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The 50-year-old, who will be in charge of Bohemians in Sunday’s FAI Cup Final against St Patrick’s Athletic, posted a message with the Palestinian flag – four of them – four weeks ago on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Supportive and angry responses followed but the Derry man has no regrets.
“I’m from Derry,” said Devine who guided the Candystripes to an FAI Cup Final triumph and secured European qualification on three separate occasions.
“Derry people stand up, Derry people fight back, they don’t accept being treated like second-class citizens.
“Derry was looked down on. We got nothing and you are born into that, fighting against that. I have no issue with anyone’s religion but I was not born into a free society, no jobs, no prospects. But it makes you stronger, Derry people are different people because we have dealt with so much.
“Me speaking to you here is nothing to do with having more of a voice from being manager of Bohemians but it’s just what I believe. I see the pictures on TV now and it reminds me of my own past. Civilians being hurt, beaten down, it reminds me of my childhood, growing up in the Creggan, in Derry, where the British army were on the streets and they were beating people down, you only had to walk around the corner and people were being stopped, searched, beaten with batons.
“So there’s an aspect of this that takes me back to a dark time in our own history. Having seen tanks and soldiers on the streets, plastic bullets being fired at children, there’s a lot of that I can remember so I think it’s absolutely cowardly for the rest of the
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