Nationwide Protests for Palestine

16/01/10

éirígí spokesperson Daithí Mac An Mhaistír has commended all those who turned out for today’s [Saturday] Boycott Israeli Goods National Day of Action.

Protests were held around Ireland to encourage a boycott of Israeli goods one year on from the murderous assault on the Gaza Strip.

In Dublin, éirígí activists joined an Ireland Palestine Solidarity Committee demonstration outside Marks & Spencer’s on Grafton Street, while a large Boycott Israel banner was unfurled on the Ha’penny Bridge.

In Letterkenny, County Donegal, an éirígí-organised demonstration drew a large attendance from local people, while in Arklow, County Wicklow, éirígí activists handed out hundreds of leaflets highlighting the plight of the Palestinian people.

In both Belfast and Cork, éirígí activists took part in pro-Boycott protests, distributing leaflets and engaging with members of the public.

éirígí banners supporting the Boycott campaign were also unveiled in different parts of Sligo, Donegal and Dublin City in recent days.

Mac An Mhaistír said: “A year on from the Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip that left 1,400 people dead, it is as important as ever that people across the world extend solidarity to the people of Palestine.

“The population in Gaza is still facing an economic siege that is leaving them with nothing but the bare minimum that is needed to survive on. In the West Bank, the Israeli army and zionist settlers habitually engage in deadly attacks on Palestinian communities, while Israel continues constructing its Apartheid Wall and bulldozing Palestinian homes.

“What is being perpetrated by the Israeli government in occupied Palestine is a form of apartheid more brutal than even the worst policies of the racist regime in South Africa. This is why it is so important to extend practical solidarity to the Palestinian people.

“In the 1980s and early ’90s, the boycott of South African produce played a key part in the fall of the apartheid government; a similarly effective campaign can play an important part in defeating the racist zionist regime.

“People across Ireland should steadfastly refuse to buy Israeli goods, encourage local businesses to replace any Israeli stock with a more ethical equivalent and join and organise demonstrations to spread the Boycott message.”

Mac An Mhaistír concluded: “The people around the country, including the many éirígí activists, who attended today’s demonstrations are to be commended for their efforts. The next year should see a markedly increased effort to see the Boycott of Israeli Goods campaign spread across Europe and the world.”