O’Donoghue backs Israeli basketball boycott

Labour TD and sports spokesperson Rob O’Donoghue has called for the government and the Department of Sport to support Basketball Ireland’s ongoing deliberation on whether to boycott their game against Israel.

Ireland were drawn away to Israel on Thursday, which has, naturally, stirred conversation of whether Ireland should be playing Israel in light of ongoing events in Gaza.

The Dublin Fingal West TD said “as the horrors in Gaza continue unabated, I am calling on the government and the Minister for Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, to support Basketball Ireland and the women’s basketball team should they choose to withdraw from the contest or boycott their game against Israel and to cover the costs that these actions would entail.”

“We in the Labour Party have long called for a political, economic, and cultural boycott of Israel in order to bring home the consequences of the crimes that they are committing in Gaza,” he said.

“While this potential action from Basketball Ireland may seem small, it shows the continued outrage and frustration among the Irish people and the call for more to be done to bring an end to this genocide.

“This is an opportunity for the Minister to step up and support Basketball Ireland and assure them that the government is in their corner when it comes to their decision to exercise their right of protest and use their platform to state that they will not comply with business as usual during this genocide and mass starvation.

“At a time when people like myself and others across the political spectrum are being inundated with calls and emails asking us as public representatives to do more and more to help bring an end to this suffering, the least we can do is stand with our everyday citizens and those who have platforms when they seek to use them to speak truth to power.”