Recently, Dublin witnessed one of the largest demonstrations in support of Palestine with over 10,000 participants estimated to have taken part. The protestors, guided by a loudspeaker and accompanied by a variety of sounds, including drums, bodhrans, and car sirens, marched from Parnell Square to Molesworth Street, culminating in a rally facing Leinster House. The crowd, for almost an hour, chanted calls for the freedom of Palestine “from the river to the sea” and immediate sanctions against Israel.
Addressing the crowd, the chairwoman of the Israel-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Zoë Lawlor came forth, censuring the alleged deliberate targeting of children by Israel. She stated the death toll, which is officially reported to be 40,000, includes 17,000 children, with an estimated 20,000 children being missing, detained or buried in the rubble. Additionally, she mentioned that around 34,000 children have been injured in the conflict, with many more becoming orphans.
Lawlor called sanctions against Israel, stating that children are being deliberately targeted by Israel as part of what she termed a “genocidal onslaught”. She called on Taoiseach Simon Harris for action, suggesting that “we don’t need reviews…We need sanctions.” Earlier, the Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald addressed the media on Parnell Square, where she urged for foreign action to match the government’s rhetoric. She called for immediate sanctions, legislative changes to support the occupied territories, and action relating to divestment, stating the government’s continuing failure on these fronts need to stop.