LARGE CROWDS GATHERED outside Leinster House this evening to demand that the Irish government publicly supports South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The Court indicated this evening that it will deliver its preliminary ruling on the case this Friday at 1pm Dutch time (noon, Irish time). 

If granted, the ruling will likely order Israel to announce a ceasefire in Gaza and allow more UN humanitarian aid into the country.

The Irish government has said it is waiting until the case has passed the preliminary stage before it shows support for it, but opposition parties say this is not enough.

A Social Democrats motion has called on the government to join the case against Israel in the ICJ at the earliest opportunity but a counter motion put down by the government agrees to “strongly consider” an intervention in the case “as a matter of urgency” after the Court has made its preliminary ruling. 

A vote on the matter will be held in the Dáil tonight.

Outside Leinster House, a large crowd gathered from 5.30pm calling on the government to support the Social Democrats’ motion. 

The crowd was addressed by a number of speakers including opposition politicians; Gary Gannon; Richard Boyd Barrett; Ivana Bacik and Independent senator Francis Black.

Really large crowd outside Leinster House right now where protesters have gathered to demand the Irish government publicly supports South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the Hague. pic.twitter.com/b22mEY5sQ7

— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) January 24, 2024

Claire Houlihan from Mothers Against Genocide told the crowd that the Irish government is failing the children of Palestine. 

“Being born as a Palestinian means being born into a life controlled entirely by the Israeli military occupation,” she said. 

Houlihan said: “Boycotts, divest and sanction Israel, it’s the only way. 

We cannot stop until Palestinians get the freedom, dignity and self determination they have demanded for over 75 years.

Actor Liam Cunningham also addressed the demonstration and read the crowd a poem by murdered Palestinian poet and writer, Refaat Alareer. Alareer was killed by Israeli forces in December.

Irish singer and People Before Profit representative Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin took to the platform after a number of speeches to sing the Irish traditional song ‘Oró, Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile’.

Jane Matthews Jane Matthews

Introducing the song, Ó Ceannabháin noted how it was one from Ireland’s own anti-imperial and anti-colonial tradition.

“We’ve been singing it on the marches over the last few weeks in solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance,” he told the crowd. 

Ó Ceannabháin explained how the chorus of the song is a blessing meaning “safe journey home” and said it was being sung for Palestinians to return to their homeland and to be free. 

Zaid Al-Barghouthi from the Union of Students in Ireland, one of the organisers of today’s demonstration, told the crowd that the leaders of the Irish coalition government – Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan “cannot claim to be making their ancestors proud”.

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon told those gathered that it was because of their advocacy that the Irish government had begun to shift its position on supporting the South Africa case. 

“But yet still, we need to drag them further,” he said, adding that the language used in the government counter motion was “cowardly”.

Gannon said the Irish government and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin was operating under an “illusion” of statesmanship and promised to come back week after week if tonight’s motion didn’t pass.

The demonstration was organised by a coalition of anti-war groups and Palestine solidarity activists.

These included the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), Mothers Against Genocide, Academics for Palestine, Palestinian Rights Institute, Irish Anti-War Movement, Palestinian Rights’ Institute and Action for Palestine Ireland.