Diarmuid Breatnach
(Reading time: 5 mins.)
Up to 10,000 people marched in Dublin in solidarity with Palestine in the 5th in a series of rallies and marches supported by thousands in the Irish capital since the Israeli attack on Gaza last week.
Out of a population of a little over half a million for the city, that is an extraordinary attendance. Of course this was a national mobilisation in Dublin but London would also draw on hundreds of thousands from the surrounding “Home Counties”.1
London on the same day saw a doubling of their more recent march to 100,000 which is excellent also but that is out of a population of nearly 9 million!
Since Israel launched its genocidal missile bombardment on Gaza’s homes, mosques, hospital, schools and bakeries, millions have participated in Palestine solidarity protests in cities around the world and in towns and cities around Ireland – but banned in France and Germany.2
Indeed the censorship that has been whipped up by imperialism in defence of their Zionist outpost in the Middle East has shattered illusion of liberal freedom of speech. A number of giant tech companies pulled out of a planned “web summit” over the CEO’s comment.
Paddy Cosgrave’s “anti-semitic crime”? Commenting on the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, he posted that “”War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies, and should be called out for what they are.” Apparently not and should be colluded in, it seems.3
The BBC has sacked six Palestinian journalists and the allegedly liberal daily newspaper The Guardian sacked cartoonist Steve Bell for alleged anti-semitism. In fact, this wave of repression is likely to add belief to the anti-semitic conspiracy theories about Jewish “control of society”.
British Government figures such as Gove4 have suggested – though others fear it may be counterproductive – that they may call for slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” to be classified as hate speech, for which people chanting the slogan may be arrested.
On this occasion, unlike with recent previous protests, the whole route of the march and rally was closed to vehicular traffic.
The Gardaí must have feared trouble as an unusual number of vans and patrol cars followed the march; a Public Order Unit had the entire Merrion Square North street cordoned off and the whole front of Leinster House blocked by interlocking mesh aluminium panels with a step behind each.
Those allow defenders to stand on the step and club down protesters.
On Saturday’s march in Dublin, of course all wanted the bombing of Gaza to end immediately but also clear that many supported the call for sanctions against the Zionist state including the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador.
Sections also unmistakably supported the Palestinian resistance with the call “Only one solution, intifada revolution!”5 Others, particularly in trade union sections or those of parties that have been part of – or are aspiring to be – part of Government, refrained from those.
With the exception of that of the socialist republicans Anti-Imperialist Action, though I might have overlooked a banner somewhere, I saw no banners of an Irish Republican movement group on the march, despite their long-standing support for Palestine national liberation.6
DLÚTHPHÁIRTÍOCHT IN NGAEILGE
From at least two sections of the march, widely-separated, slogans in Irish could be heard: Saoirse – don Phalaistín! And 800 bliain
In addition, though but a tiny fraction of the overall number, a range of placards in Irish could be seen, some printed and some hand-made, including: Ní saoirse go saoirse na Palaistíne and Gaza – stad an slad ANOIS!7 Saoirse don Phalaistín!
Palestinians seemed to like them in Irish as well as in English and some took photos, no doubt interested in a manifestation of the country’s native language being alive (other than in bilingual signs and recorded announcements on public transport).
For the language movement, it is of crucial importance that it is seen and heard in progressive circles, not only because it is from there that progressive changes normally come rather than bureaucratically but also because the language needs to be a part those changes.
I heard not a word in Irish from the stage but I didn’t stay to the end, so can hope …
SPEECHES
Zoe Lawlor spoke eloquently and passionately for the organisers, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and gave a long detailed list of the atrocities committed by the Zionist State in the bombing of Gaza, in addition to shooting Palestinians in military raids the West Bank.
She also said our anger and concern should lead to action and of course that is absolutely correct. Among the actions she called for were intervention by the Irish Government in the EU calling for a ceasefire and allowing humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
That is of course the very minimum one could expect from a civilised state – or even from Israel, if it were such a state …
She also called for the Government to stop blocking and to bring forward for enactment the Occupied Territories Bill, agreed years ago on all sides of the Irish parliament but obstructed since then by the coalition government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
But desirable though that last is and needed though the former is, it brings but a pause in the oppression and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by the Zionist State.
The state itself, the Zionist, racist, genocidal project, must end and we should do all we can to hasten that end. Of course, there is not the slightest chance that our Gombeen state will call for that.
What then about sending a clear message through the expulsion of the Zionist Ambassador, who tried to blame the Palestinian resistance for the Israeli bombing of the hospital? Unlikely that the Government, which won’t even condemn Israel’s actions, will do that either.
But certainly not if we don’t push hard for it! The truth is that we have not got our government under any serious pressure at all. They are tied to British colonialism and western imperialism and the parliamentary opposition parties, with the exception of the tiny Left there, are too.
If they are not under pressure, why should they do anything at all such as we would like or that would help the Palestinians?
One can feel the resultant feeling of helplessness sometimes in the speeches and even when the chant-leaders call for people to shout louder and louder, as though that will make the difference.
Short of revolution and trending towards revolution is the need to put the ruling class under pressure to achieve some progress. At the minimum that means mobilisations such as have been done this fortnight but also progressive and hard demands, possibly backed by other actions.
if we can’t even unite the Irish people behind the consistent and repeated call for the expulsion of the bloodstained Zionist Ambassador, then we’re in a pretty bad position. I believe however that we CAN, that the people will unite behind that call.
Yes, some people now supporting the IPSC will drop out, hide, prevaricate – whatever. There are enough good people and true in our island however who would carry that demand through and the mass of the population seems to support such a demand.
It is in reality the most significant step of which we are capable at this moment in our history and Palestine’s – and it would be a lamp lit in the darkness of Western world.
End.
FOOTNOTES
1London and its suburbs contain towns, some very large and villages in four counties: Middlesex, Surrey, Essex and Kent, from which many commute to London to work and are relatively well served with train lines, buses and in the cases of Essex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, have stations on the London Underground system.
2https://time.com/6326360/europe-palestine-protests-free-speech/
3Cosgrave was forced to resign and the summit reportedly will go ahead with a new CEO.
4Communities Secretary Michael Gove but also supported by British Home Secretary Suella Braverman https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/21/its-simply-a-call-for-freedom-marchers-defend-contentious-slogan-at-london-palestine-protest
5In particular People Before Profit and Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland.
6The Sinn Féin party had a medium-sized contingent there under their banner but the organisation, from the actions of its leaders, has for decades ceased to be part of the Irish Republican movement.
7“There cannot be freedom until Palestine is free. Stop the massacre NOW!”
SOURCES
https://www.reuters.com/world/about-100000-protesters-join-pro-palestinian-march-through-london-2023-10-21/ (note the headline, intro text and video content in contrast with the following text, my underlining): “marching through the British capital to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel two weeks ago.” !
https://time.com/6326360/europe-palestine-protests-free-speech/
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