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An Post

Some Cubans are outraged with Ireland's 'offensive' Che Guevara stamp

The 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolutionary’s death has been honoured with a commemorative stamp today.

THE GOVERNMENT AND An Post are coming under fire for a commemorative stamp of Cuban revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.

The stamp, which features the famous artwork of Guevara by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick, is released today on the 50th anniversary of Guevara’s death.

Guevara assisted Fidel Castro in overturning the Cuban government in the late 1950s, and then held key political offices during Castro’s regime.

Although supporters see Guevara as an example of nationalism, revolution and self-sacrifice, his critics have labelled him a brutal and cruel killer.

Speaking on Morning Ireland today, Cuban-American journalist Ninoska Perez said that many Cubans who contacted her radio show on Miami 710 AM were incensed by the “offensive” stamp design.

“It doesn’t matter that it’s an image created by an artist, it’s the image of a murderer,” she said.

And to me it’s really shameful that Ireland would put the image of someone who was a foreigner, went to Cuba to kill… was a failure in everything he did. So I don’t know what’s there to honour about Che Guevara.

Lately there has been an increased awareness of how nations remember figures from the past, most famously in Charlottesville, where statues of Confederate leaders were removed, which in turn led to protests and counter-protests.

Three weeks ago, an image of Che Guevara was removed from a Miami Airport poster that celebrated famous figures with Irish ancestry. According to Perez, the poster was removed because “it was offensive to the families of so many victims of Che Guevara”.

Every time that I see someone with a t-shirt or that I see a country put his face on a stamp, I think what did he do to deserve this? What have been his achievements?

She said that the idea of Che Guevara as an iconic figure of freedom and nationalism was “just a propaganda myth that has been created by communism”.

I would love to see that stamp abolished… What does Ireland think it is doing by putting Che Guevara on a stamp?

According to the Irish Times, Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond has written to Minister for Communications Denis Naughten asking for an explanation as to why the stamp was commissioned.

The Department of Communications told RTÉ that the “subject matter for stamp designs are presented to government in advance. This particular subject matter was submitted and approved in December 2015 as per normal procedures.

Read: An Post marks Che Guevara’s 50th anniversary with new commemorative stamp

Read: An Post stamp marks 50th anniversary of free secondary education

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    Mute Nigel Garvey
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    Mar 22nd 2019, 10:03 PM

    After Erdogan’s recent rhetoric (night before) I wonder did he truly act alone ? ….

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    Mute Chris Maynard
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    Mar 22nd 2019, 10:42 PM

    after trump’s recent rhetoric, i wonder did the nz truly act alone ? ….
    after fraser anning’s recent rhetoric, i wonder did he truly act alone? …

    see how ridiculous this sounds? hate knows no religion. only hate. we, collectively as a society, have to decide to stop pitting one side against the other if we truly want to tackle terrorism on both sides.

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    Mute Sean Murphy
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    Mar 22nd 2019, 11:23 PM

    @Nigel Garvey: I couldn’t believe what he done. To show the video from inside the mosque on a large screen to an audience was reckless. To then say Aussies will go home in caskets like their grandads in WW1 is an incitement to violence. I’m surprised the international media didnt make more of it. Could you imagine of Trump had done that?

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    Mute Candace
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    Mar 23rd 2019, 1:22 AM

    Any news on the tens of Christians butchered last week in Nigeria or dies New Zealand take priority?

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    Mute ciaran111
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    Mar 23rd 2019, 12:58 AM

    And people wonder why islamofascism is on the raise ?2 attacks in 3 days .Nigeria also.

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    Mute Ger Murphy
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    Mar 23rd 2019, 7:17 AM

    @ciaran111: I can’t wait until they get into the EU. I’d happily pay their doles so I can worry about my kids commuting into town every day…

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    Mute Maurice Dodd
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    Mar 22nd 2019, 10:49 PM

    Two billion backers

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    Mute baron floyd
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    Mar 22nd 2019, 10:28 PM

    Why, the vast majority of media in the world is refusing to print either the names or pictures of these rotten ba@$##ds, does the Journal repeatedly do so??

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    Mute alan doyle
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    Mar 22nd 2019, 11:50 PM

    Not sure this lad is playing from a full deck of cards. Just by the look of him.

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    Mute Philip Siggins
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    Mar 23rd 2019, 11:17 PM

    Since 9/11 tens of thousands worldwide murdered, butchered, beheaded, stabbed, burned alive, raped, thrown of building, stoned, all in the name of Islam and one backlash in New Zealand is anyone surprised ? Just imagine if the shoe were on the other foot and Muslims had been targeted by right wing extremists for the past 20 years what would the likely outcome be ?

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