Thousands of people have flooded the streets of the Irish capital in solidarity with the Palestinian people for the sixth week in a row, calling for an end to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian protests on Saturday began from the Garden of Remembrance and marched across the River Liffey with protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans.
“In our thousands in our millions, we are all Palestinians,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Ceasefire now,” they chanted.
Protesters also marched to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Iveagh House, where they took part in a sit-in.
Some demonstrators threw red paint at the Department of Foreign Affairs headquarters to represent the blood of Palestinians, which they believe to be in the hands of the Government.
The demonstration was organized by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and saw members of People Before Profit, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, and Sinn Féin take part.
Political parties, trade unions, students, and community groups from across the country also took part in the protest.
The organizers said the aim of the demonstration was “to show the Irish Government the depth and breadth of support that exists for Palestinian freedom in Irish society and to push them to act accordingly.”
“It’s genocide… It’s retribution on an innocent population, most of them are children. There are over 5,000 children dead now. They’re bombing hospitals, schools, churches, mosques, there’s no justification,” Claire Mullen, a Dublin resident participating in the protest said.
“We don’t need to wait on America, the UK or Europe to tell us what to do. This is a stain that can never be wiped away. TDs voted not to expel the Israeli ambassador; blood is on their hands,” Mullen added.
Another protester, Miriam Tynan, says as a mother she feels heartbroken for the parents who have lost their children.
“I couldn’t sit at home anymore, I was sharing posts online and donating money, but it didn’t seem to be enough. I feel totally helpless, you want to be able to help. How are money and power more important than kids’ lives?
“I’m grateful as a mother every day that we’re somewhere safe. To see people holding their children in bags and trying to identify them by their body parts, seeing the kids who lost their parents, it’s so wrong.”
In Belfast, too, thousands of people also took part in a pro-Palestine protest. They marched from Writers Square to the offices of Northern Secretary Chris Heaton Harris in the city center.
In a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, Irish Prime Minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Ireland was “working really hard at the EU level and UN level to put pressure on” a ceasefire to be implemented.
The march comes as 24 Irish citizens and dependents left Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Friday night, while other families with Irish passports landed in Dublin after fleeing the enclave in the days before.
In a statement to the PA news agency, the Irish department of foreign affairs confirmed that a total of 50 Irish citizens and dependants had left Gaza in recent days.
“Only small numbers of citizens or accompanying dependents who have expressed a wish to leave remain in Gaza,” it said.
Israel’s devastating war on the blockaded territory started on October 7 following a surprise operation by Gaza-based resistance movements. It has so far claimed the lives of at least 12,300 Palestinians, including more than 5,000 children. More than 29,800 people have also sustained injuries.
People across Europe have held massive rallies to call for a stop to the Israeli regime’s relentless onslaught of civilians in Gaza, while their governments support the Israeli regime with military aid.
