THOUSANDS of people took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday for a march in support of Palestine.
The event was the 11th such national demonstration in support of Palestine since Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
Among the speakers at the event was People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett, who accused the Irish Government of 'speaking out of both sides of their mouths' over the conflict.
The demonstration, which called for sanctions against Israel, came the day before 33 civilians were reportedly killed in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza this morning.
'Complicit'
The march began at the Garden of Remembrance and finished outside the Dáil, where people were urged to raise the conflict in the Middle East with candidates in the upcoming General Election.
Mr Boyd Barrett, TD for Dún Laoghaire, hit out at the current government over its approach to the situation and urged the next government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill.
It was first tabled in the Oireachtas in 2018, with Tánaiste Micheál Martin last month pledging only to review the bill, saying 'there are a range of complex policy and legal issues to be resolved'.
Speakers and demonstrators called for the Occupied Territories Bill to be passed (Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)"Our government pretend that they feel sympathy for the people of Palestine, that they are horrified by the massacres that are taking place," Mr Boyd Barrett told those gathered outside the Dáil on Saturday.
"But they are speaking out of both sides of their mouths because in truth the Irish Government are complicit in the genocidal massacre that Israeli is inflicting on the people of Gaza.
"How can the Irish Government claim they care about the murdered Palestinians, about the horror that is being inflicted on them, when they allow weapons going to Israel to travel through Irish airspace?"
'Vast majority stand with Palestinians'
He added: "We have to expose these people in the coming weeks as we head towards the election.
"There is no doubt the vast, vast majority of people in this country stand with the Palestinians; they want to see these sanctions.
"This is why the Irish Government are speaking out of both sides of their mouths, because they are afraid of this movement on the street.
"We have to use this time to say to anybody who knocks on your door, we want a pledge that you will not participate in any government that does not immediately pass the Occupied Territories Bill into law."
Zoë Lawlor from the IPSC and People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett march with demonstrators on Saturday (Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)Mr Boyd Barrett also called for Israeli diplomats to be expelled from Ireland and for the US military to be blocked from using Shannon Airport.
Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) chairperson Zoë Lawlor also backed the latter call as she similarly criticised the incumbent government.
"The current US administration and the next one are full and active partners in this genocide and our government facilitate that because we allow the US military to use Shannon Airport,” she told demonstrators.
'The slaughter has to stop'
This morning, the Tánaiste called for an increase in aid to Gaza following an Israeli air strike in Jabalia at dawn, which the WAFA News Agency said killed 33 civilians, including 13 children, in a family home.
"I am appalled at the continuing destruction in Gaza, with an air strike killing dozens of civilians in Jabalia," said Mr Martin, who also serves as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence.
Locals search for potential survivors or victims at the scene of the horrific Israeli massacre targeting the Alloush family home in Jabalia, northern Gaza, earlier today. The attack resulted in 33 civilians killed, including 13 children. pic.twitter.com/RSfJfvQXzo
— WAFA News Agency - English (@WAFANewsEnglish) November 10, 2024
"The UN warn close to 70 per cent of Palestinians killed in Gaza have been women or children.
"Hunger is being weaponised in northern Gaza, and UNRWA say famine is imminent.
"We urgently need a huge increase in humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and the release of all hostages.
"This is collective punishment of the Palestinian people. The slaughter has to stop."
