A Sinn Féin councillor used the slogan “tiocfaidh ár lá”, long associated with militant republicanism, while addressing a demonstration in Dublin on Wednesday evening in support of Palestine.
Daithí Doolan, a Sinn Féin councillor on Dublin City Council, was one of a number of politicians who addressed the rally on O’Connell Street.
“It’s time for you to be courageous. The Palestinians have been brave. Say no to Washington, say no to Israeli aggression. We need to return to the negotiating table and talk peace for Palestine. We say this: support Palestine; support peace; tiocfaidh ár lá,” he said.
Some 700 people were in attendance at the event, entitled Stand with Palestine. It was one of a number of similar demonstrations held throughout the State protesting against the Israeli bombardment of Gaza following the deadly assault by Hamas last weekend. The attacks from both sides have resulted in the deaths of close to 2,000 people in the past five days, most of whom are civilians.
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Many of the chants and slogans were directed against Israel, which speakers accused of being an “apartheid state”. A number of TDs and senators, including Sinn Féin’s Maurice Quinlivan, Mairéad Farrell, Louise O’Reilly and Kathleen Funchion, as well as Bríd Smith and Richard Boyd Barrett, addressed the crowd. Senator Frances Black also spoke at the event.
Mr Boyd Barrett said there was an “unbelievably dishonest narrative” that all the trouble had begun at the weekend and there had been no issue before that.
He said the siege of Gaza had been ongoing for 17 years, which he asserted was a war crime under the Geneva Convention. He also cited the Great Return in 2018 when Palestinians walked to the fence separating Gaza from Israeli territory with the result that hundreds were killed by Israeli troops and many thousands more were injured.
“Every one of us regrets every single death. We would like to see the end of killing, the end of war, the end of hostage-taking. The only way that can happen is if we get to the root cause of why this is happening. All of the responsibility for the terrible violence we are now witnessing lies on the shoulders of the state of Israel,” he said.
