The University of Galway Staff4Palestine and student Palestine Solidarity Society groups will host a solidarity event at 1pm today outside the James Hardiman Library.
The event will include music by Artists for Palestine musician Niamh Ní Charra; a procession to the front of the Quad (College green) where there will be poetry and short speeches by staff and students.
The Palestine Solidarity Society, as well as University of Galway Staff4Palestine and members of the wider public, will attend the event to show solidarity and acknowledgement of the events taking place in Gaza.
The event in Galway is part of a nationwide day of action for Palestine taking place on higher education campuses on April 17 with the aim of putting pressure on all third level institutions.
The protests hope to have colleges and universities condemn the genocide in Gaza and call for an immediate ceasefire.
They also seek a boycott, divestment, and sanctions policy, and greater support for Palestinian academics, researchers, and students
“We are grateful that the University of Galway has already issued a strong statement acknowledging the need for an immediate ceasefire and to stop the genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza,” stated Jenny Roche Lecturer in Film Studies and a member of University of Galway Staff4Palestine.
“We are also pleased to note that the University has committed to reviewing its relationship with Israeli universities.”
“This type of ethical leadership matters! We now wish to see our university take the next steps in support of Palestine, and we encourage other universities to follow suit on these actions.”
“We are deeply concerned about the ongoing atrocities against innocent civilians in Palestine, including the destruction of Palestinian educational infrastructure and the direct targeting of educators,” added Dr Deirdre Curran who is a Vice Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Galway.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Gaza, the majority of educational infrastructure in the coastal enclave has been destroyed.
