Words and photos
by Andy Spearman
Sickened by the scenes of carnage in Gaza featured on the nightly TV news bulletins, about 150 – 200 people gathered in Drogheda on Saturday to show their solidarity with the Palestinian civilians who have been the target of Israeli aggression and to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Like thousands of other like-minded people in Dublin, Belfast and other towns and cities in Ireland and around the world, they took to the streets to express their horror and condemnation at the Israeli military response to the attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel on October 7.
People in the crowd carries posters and wore T-shirts bearing the slogans “Free Palestine” and “stop Gaza genocide”, with some carrying signs reading “it’s ethnic cleansing not conflict” and “end Israeli apartheid”.
Tit for tat killings are not a new feature of the 70 plus years long struggle between Palestine and Israel but there seems little sign that either side has learned that targeting vulnerable civilians, especially children, is a war crime and no way to achieve a lasting solution.
But, with world leaders looking on helplessly in dismay, as they are also doing in Ukraine where Vladimir Putin is perpetrating similarly heinous attacks on civilian targets, the United Nations is seemingly unable to intervene.
Brian Condra, one of the speakers at Saturday’s protest in Drogheda representing Drogheda Together for All, SIPTU and the ICTU, was more damning in his words:
“Israel was born 75 years ago into bloodshed and today the bloodshed continues. It does not stop because our governments will not stop it because they support it and they fund it.
“There are multi-nationals in this country today that are funding the bombing and murder of myriads of people and we must say to them “STOP”, not in our name”
“The crowd responded by chanting: “Free, free Palestine, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Free, free Palestine.
Sinn Fein TD Imelda Munster told the gathering that, like them, she was standing in solidarity with the people of Gaza who she said were living in “the world’s largest open air prison”. She described what was being meted out to them as “ethnic cleansing”.
“The bombing of hospitals, killing of civilians, cutting off food, power, water and channels of communication, the killing of 3,500 children, all of these are war crimes and they are happening before our very eyes. We need a ceasefire and we need it now!”
Bobby McCormack, representing a local development NGO, Development Perspectives said: “For decades, the people of Palestine have suffered injustice and oppression.
For years, Israel has breached International Law, ignored Human Rights and practiced apartheid. What we are seeing unfold now is Genocide. We cannot remain silent. We must not remain silent.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. You are good people and by being here today, you are doing something. Together, collectively, we must demand a ceasefire and we must demand it now.”
Thanking everyone for coming along to show their solidarity for the innocent civilians of Palestine, the main organiser of the protest, Stephanie Kirwan of the local branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign said:
“Thank you for your solidarity with the innocent civilians of Palestine who are being brutally murdered. It really does show that Drogheda does stand at their side.
“In May 2021 many of us stood outside the Tholsel protesting at the continued annexation of Palestine when 284 people were killed. We stood at the Tholsel and marched against it and I did not think that we would be standing here two years later when over seven THOUSAND people have been killed.
“It is shocking and devastating and I really do want to thank everyone for coming out today. It shows that Drogheda does stand on the side of peace.
“We will not stand silent, we will use our voices and continually use our voices until this ends.
“We need a complete ceasefire and we need it now. The siege of Gaza needs to end. We cannot be looking at these statistics, these are people dying, these are children who aren’t going to see Christmas.
“This is slaughter and genocide, ethnic cleansing and it is apartheid. We need to stand together so I’d like to call for a minute’s silence for all of the Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives in the last few weeks…”
