THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE took part in a demonstration yesterday in Dublin city centre in support of Palestine.
The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said it was supported by more than 160 Irish civil society groups and described the demonstration as a way to “mark the grim milestone of one year of Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
The current conflict in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel on 7 October, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, most of them civilians.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza in retaliation, vowing to destroy Hamas and bring back the hostages.
At least 41,825 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry – the United Nations have acknowledged these figures to be reliable.
Those involved marched from the Garden of Remembrance along O’Connell Street towards Leinster House for a rally outside the Dáil.
Protesters called for “an end to Israel’s genocidal assault on the people of Gaza, for states to stop arming Israel, an end to the use of Irish airspace for transporting weapons, and for the Irish government to take action to hold Israel accountable”.
IPSC chair Zoe Lawlor said: “For a year now, Gaza has known only death, destruction and displacement.
“The healthcare system has been eviscerated and all the while, western governments have allowed this to happen – whether by actively facilitating apartheid Israel’s brutal onslaught, or by doing nothing to stop it. This has to end.
“As a general election looms, we need to let the politicians that we want meaningful sanctions on Apartheid Israel, and we want them now.”
Zak Hania was among those to take part in the march.
Hania was evacuated from Gaza in May, several months after his wife and children were able to escape.
Marches in support of Palestine took place around the world yesterday, with more than a thousand protesters demonstrating outside the White House to demand that the United States, Israel’s top military supplier, stop providing weapons and aid to Israel.
A pro-Palestinian protest in Rome that drew thousands of people turned violent, as dozens of young demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.
In Berlin, police said they had detained 26 people who shouted insults at a pro-Israeli commemoration attended by around 650 people.
Meanwhile, a pro-Palestinian demonstration drew just over 1,000 protestors in the German capital, police said.
Other pro-Palestinian protests are planned for today and on Monday in cities including New York, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Manila, and Karachi.
Commemorations for victims of the 7 October attack are also scheduled internationally, including ceremonies in London, Washington, Paris and Geneva.
An official anniversary ceremony will be held in Jerusalem on Monday.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will lead a memorial service at Sderot, one of the cities hardest hit during the onslaught by Palestinian militants.
-With additional reporting from - © AFP 2024
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