Irish folk singer Christy Moore was among the speakers at a pro-Palestine march in Dublin city centre on Saturday.
It was part of an ongoing series of marches calling for an end to the Israeli campaign in Gaza following the October 7th Hamas attacks, and demanding the Government take actions including imposing sanctions on Israel.
More than 1,000 protesters assembled at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square from 1 pm and marched to Leinster House for a rally outside the Dáil.
Demonstrators, some wearing keffiyeh scarves, carried placards and waved Irish and Palestinian flags.
Speakers also included Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign chairwoman Zoe Lawlor and Palestinian human rights lawyer Tala Nasir.
Ms Lawlor said: “Thousands upon thousands of us have marched through almost 200 days of apartheid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“We urge everyone who cares about Palestinian rights to refuse to give up.
“We can see we are shifting the Government into action, slowly but surely.
🇵🇸 All out for Palestine! Let's come out in huge numbers to show our unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinian people and show our government that we demand action from them to sanction apartheid Israel. We march for an end to #GazaGenocide and a #FreePalestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/poMLmQfi2a
— IPSC (@ipsc48) April 20, 2024
“That’s why it’s crucial that we keep the pressure up for real action to punish Israel for its crimes.
“Every day of inaction means more loss of Palestinian life and the further normalisation of genocide.”
Ms Nasir thanked the Irish people for their “solidarity with Palestine”.
She said: “The situation in Palestine is horrible right now.”
She added: “We follow all your activities and this gives us hope that through the support of people around the world, we will achieve victory and be liberated from this brutalisation and apartheid regime.”
During his address, Moore sang a version of Palestine by the Seattle musician Jim Page.
He sang: “We need to talk about the friends we still endorse, about the rockets and the tanks and the warships they disperse. No wonder, it seems to be an undemocratic version of democracy?”
Irish premier Simon Harris has worked with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to convince a number of European states to sign up to a joint recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Mr Harris has said he would be continuing to engage with his European counterparts on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as the release of all hostages.
He said he believed there was also a “need for a number of European states to move ahead and recognise the state of Palestine”.
He added: “Ultimately if you believe in a two-state solution, I think such positive momentum could be helpful and could be important.”
Reporting by Cillian Sherlock, PA
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