Thread by @andrewflood

Finbar Cafferkey who died resisting the Russian invasion of Ukraine Apr19 was a friend & comrade who for the two decades I knew him consistently put himself in harms way to oppose injustice. Whether that was fighting Shell or ISIS or going to Kos to help refugees come ashore/1

This video is him singing Glengad Strand outside Mountjoy prison in 2009 when another Shell to Sea activitist was held within. These photos show him at S2S protests from 2008 where he is in the sea under a digger dumping tons of gravel to 2013 confronting Shell's security /2

I have another recording of him singing it around 2015 at a bonfire in 'squat city' when he was one of about 30 people occupying & living in the huge squatted complex at Grangegorman - an intense struggle targeting landlordism & property speculation /3

Finbar died alongside two other international anarchist volunteers, one Russian (Dmitry Petrov), the other American (Andrew 'Harris' Cooper). Dmitry had left a note to be published if he fell fighting the Russian invasion - Finbar would probably have written similar /4

From what we've been able to piece together Finbarr had been in Ukraine for a year working as part of a humanitarian solidarity initiative. He had relatively recently became a military volunteer & fell as part of a counter offensive seeking to reopen the key route into Bakhmut/5

Finbar gave this interview while fighting ISIS in Raqqa. Then he had volunteered in the YPG and fought under the name Çiya Demhat - as with Ukraine he just quietly went, telling almost no one he was doing so. He never centred himself, just acted /6 rabble.ie/2018/01/18/pri…

He also campaigned for the Repeal referendum although was probably in Rojava when we got it. I heard he was missing presumed dead Wednesday and am still in shock. He would vanish for periods and then just be there again, it's hard to accept that he will no longer reappear. /7

Shell to Sea "We are all heartbroken to hear of the death of our brave friend Finbar, who was guided by the principles of freedom and equality for all.  Heartfelt sympathies to all his family and friends.  Rest in peace." /8
shelltosea.com/content/finbar…

I'll add links to other obituaries as they appear. Máire did a better job than me of capturing his personality in this thread & reminds us that he was one of the 1000s of people who share Seomra Spraoi / Jigsaw social centre experience /9

The other Fin does it in a few words "A man of few words, anything he did say was worth hearing" /10

There’s been very little information about Andrew ‘Harris’ Cooper, the American volunteer who was killed in the same action but I have just found this Instagram post /11

Apologies but while screenshoting the post about Cooper I’d skipped the ‘second screenshot’ referred to above as I thought it was a Mad Max movie still meme. In fact it apparently was Coopers last post and I presume that’s him in it at/near Bakhmut /12

And a little more information in this set of comments including that his name was reversed in that first comment I’d seen before the 2nd update /13

Statement from Finbar’s brother /14

This is a fantastic short documentary with 3 volunteers from Ireland who went to fight ISIS in Rojava including Finbar - two of the three had been involved in Shell to Sea /15

I think this is the unit Finbar was part of in/near Bakhmut - this and the following obituary emphases his depth of knowledge & experience. /16

You get a sense from these obituaries of the many 100s of lives Finbar touched. Of people who were also doing extraordinary things in themselves. He may now not grow old with the rest of us but he will be remembered & talked about particularly when we gather /17

Paul Murphy TD ( member of Irish parliament, Dáil Éireann) who was also involved in the struggle against Shell and who knew Finbar from that /18

Another left wing Irish TD Brid Smith who also knew Finbar /19

Some more information on Andrews Harris Cooper & the circumstances in which they were killed (ambushed while protecting evacuees) down thread /20