Gaza protest in Blanchardstown

THERE was a large turnout at a recent protest in Blanchardstown against the heavily criticised Israeli bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for missile strikes from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.

The protest at the Blanchardstown Centre roundabout in Whitestown on July 25 was organised by Dublin West Sinn Fein and led by the party’s local councillor, Paul Donnelly.

A large crowd gathered for the protest with many holding Palestinian flags and banners emblazoned with messages such as

‘End The Slaughter’,

‘Expel The Israeli Ambassador’ and

‘Free Gaza Now’.

Organisers say the demonstration was aimed at showing support for the Palestinian people.

After the protest Cllr Donnelly gave a short speech during which he described as

“shameful

? Ireland’s abstention on a UN vote to establish a commission of inquiry on current human rights issues in Gaza.

He also said Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan should

“hang his head in shame

? for not backing the people of Gaza.

“The protest sent out an important message to the people of Palestine that the Irish people supported them in their struggle, just as we had struggled for our own freedom here in Ireland,

? he said.

Freda Hughes of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign also spoke at the protest, describing the

“horrendous conditions

? faced by the Palestinian people.

She urged locals to boycott Israeli goods in their supermarkets as a sign of solidarity and called on them to write to local TDs, Tánaiste Joan Burton and Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, demanding they take a stand on the Palestinian issue.

Also attending the protest was Mujtaba Shahani from Pakistan, who said he was there to show his solidarity with the Palestinian people.

“The whole world is quiet, which is very sad,

? he said.

“A lot of innocent people are being killed and not enough is being done to stop it. I think both parties should sit down and come to some solution.

?

Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the current onslaught, most of them civilians, including countless children. The day before the Blanchardstown protest, a school in Gaza was bombed, killing at least 15 people, including a mother and her one-year-old baby.

Last week, a deadly strike at a UN-run school in a refugee camp in northern Gaza that killed 16 people and wounded dozens more was condemned by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.