“No shamrocks for Genocide Joe” was the chant in Galway City on Saturday afternoon as hundreds of people turned out to call on Irish politicians to stay away from the White House on St. Patrick’s Day.
An estimated 500 people took to the streets of Galway to demand an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza and immediate Irish government action.
The Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign (GPSC) called on the public to make it the biggest rally for Palestine so far in the city in response to the relentless onslaught on Gaza, and they were overwhelmed by the response as hundreds marched from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch.
At the Spanish Arch, three Palestinian speakers based in Galway spoke of the horrors unfolding in Gaza.
“Let’s be clear: What is unfolding in Gaza is not a mere natural disaster, nor is it an unfortunate consequence of circumstance. It is a deliberate act of genocide orchestrated by the brutal apartheid state of Israel,” said Palestinian student Ramez Hayek.
“It echoes the grim history of the British Empire’s oppression of the Irish, where the British attempted to portray famine as a natural disaster when it was a deliberate and calculated act of colonial violence.”
Mr Hayek said the situation in Gaza was now “beyond dire” and the international community had remained shamefully silent, while some countries had chosen to defund UNRWA, the main agency tasked with supporting the people of the tiny enclave.
“We cannot afford to wait any longer,” he added. “We cannot allow politics to dictate the fate of innocent lives. It is our moral imperative to stand up, speak out, and demand justice for the people of Gaza. We must pressure the Irish government to impose sanctions on Israel and hold it accountable for its crimes against humanity and ongoing genocide.”
Another Palestinian student, Hiba Awaysa, paid tribute to the volunteers in occupied Palestine who have been helping people as much as they can in terrible circumstances.
“Now we need additional billions of dollars to rebuild the homes and almost everything from hospitals to schools and shops. We express our gratitude to all Palestinian volunteers who are facing all the war conditions and still able to give the people as much help as they can,” she said.
A Palestinian doctor, Ehab AbuMarar, spoke powerfully about deliberate attacks on hospitals, healthcare workers, health facilities, patients, and the provision of medical supplies to the besieged enclave.
“More than 30,000 have been killed in Gaza so far and 70% of them are women and children. More than 70,000 to 80,000 have been injured and lost,” said Dr Ehab.
“Melanie Ward (of Medical Aid for Palestinians) has declared that it is the fastest decline in a population’s nutrition status ever recorded. What that means is that children are starving at the fastest rate that the world has ever known.”
As they marched from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch, hundreds of protesters chanted for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and speakers called on the Irish government to take immediate action to sanction Israel.
Galway IPSC has called on the Irish government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill, the Illegal Settlements Divestment Bill, and to actively ensure that no US weapons are sent to Israel through Irish airspace, amid increasing concerns over how Shannon Airport is implicated in the Gaza genocide.
