Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Dublin and Cork in solidarity with the people in Gaza. The protests took place in both Irish cities on Saturday, January 13.
The demonstration in Dublin was orchestrated by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). It garnered backing from more than 70 organisations, including the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the National Women’s Council of Ireland, and various student unions.
The scene outside the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin where a rally is taking place following the Palestine solidarity march pic.twitter.com/Dl8rO9Xcuy
— Fergal O'Brien (@FergalOBrien_) January 13, 2024
The massive crowd convened at the Garden of Remembrance before marching to the Department of Foreign Affairs, where the rally took place. Organisers claim it to be the largest-ever protest for Palestine in Ireland.
Meanwhile, on the same day in Cork, more than a thousand people joined the Palestine solidarity march organised by the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign. A fleet of currachs were seen sailing down the River Lee, accompanied by spectators waving Palestinian flags.
The people of Ireland have made their voices heard yet again – with the biggest show of support to the innocent people in Palestine.
Large crowds marched from The Garden of Remembrance to The Department of Foreign Affairs on St. Stephen’s Green.#palestine #dublin #ireland pic.twitter.com/oaZpGaOZtp
— JOE.ie (@JOEdotie) January 13, 2024
Irish protestors show solidarity
In Dublin, protestors of diverse ages were seen displaying Palestinian flags and banners reading “End to the Gaza genocide” and makeshift washing lines with baby clothes to represent the children victims in Gaza.
Among them, Fiona Sullivan and Geraldine Lee made their journey from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to join the rally.
“It’s an absolute disgrace what’s going on, the world needs to show that we’re not going to accept it. This is the little that we can do to show the people of Gaza and Palestine that the Irish people are 100 percent behind them whether our government is behind them or not – we are,” Sullivan told the Independent.
We're getting ready! See you at the Garden of Remembrance at 1pm. Let's make this the biggest ever march in Ireland in solidarity with the Palestinian people and show our government they can't ignore our demands to stop Israel's #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/sSqEMrNA0t
— IPSC (@ipsc48) January 13, 2024
“The Government must not watch anything or see the children dying in Palestine. They don’t understand what’s going on – I can’t sleep thinking about it,” said Lee.
Meanwhile, the protestors in Cork voiced their disapproval of the government’s decision not to officially support South Africa’s legal action against Israel.
At the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday, South Africa presented their case on genocide allegations against Israel. South Africa pleaded with the United Nations’ top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military occupancy in Gaza.
Martin Shiel, co-chair of the Cork Palestine Solidarity campaign, highlighted the growing desire among the Irish people for tangible actions to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians.
Massive protest in Cape Town in support of people of Gazahttps://t.co/TDqitJjqhD pic.twitter.com/neIsxEcnWF
— GroundUp (@GroundUp_News) January 13, 2024
“People have been marching for fourteen weeks, and numbers on the streets continue to grow. The Irish Government’s refusal to formally back South Africa’s case against Israel (in the International Court of Justice) is clearly out of step with the will of the Irish people,” Shiel said, as quoted by the Irish Times.
Cork North Central Solidarity/People Before Profit TD Mick Barry also criticised the Irish government for not backing South Africa’s legal action.
“It is very disappointing that the Irish Government did not have the guts to join South Africa in bringing forward genocide charges against Israel. But today’s march shows the feelings of the ordinary people on this matter,” said Barry.
The Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign also announced that another march is planned for next week.
