“We have always believed that our freedom in Ireland is incomplete without the freedom of our brothers & sisters in Palestine.”
Sinn Féin TD for Donegal Pádraig Mac Lochlainn was amongst the speakers at the Nakba 77 national demonstration in London last Saturday- you can read his remarks below.
Friends, it is an honour to speak before you here today.
It is an honour to extend the solidarity of Sinn Féin – and of the Irish people – to all of you gathered here in London.
Today, my friends, as we mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, that dark stain on world history, we must recognise that – in truth – the Nakba never truly ended.
Since that catastrophe , the Palestinian people have never been allowed to live in peace in their homeplace.
They have endured oppression and tyranny, apartheid, imprisonment, slaughter, genocide, and mass starvation.
As we stand here today – the Israeli government has called up tens of thousands of army reservists: in preparation for a full-scale military invasion, and, ultimately, occupation of the Gaza Strip.
This threat – to send tens of thousands of IDF soldiers into Gaza – cannot go unchallenged. It cannot be tolerated.
It is unconscionable that our world leaders have refused to move beyond words. To describe Israel’s threat to conquer Gaza as ‘alarming’ or ‘concerning’ is not good enough. It is long past time that our governments took firm action against the genocidal Israeli State.
That means sanctions. That means ending the supply of weapons and munitions. That means boycott – and it means divestment.
It means bringing the full weight of international opinion and pressure to force Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. For over 70 days now, no humanitarian aid has entered Gaza. The only thing entering Gaza right now is the bombs, bullets, and drone strikes of the IDF.
Half a million people in Gaza are now facing starvation. The entire population is on the brink of famine.
We in Ireland know the hurt of starvation. We in Ireland know the impact of a man-made famine.
Gaza hungers for justice! Gaza must not starve!
We call for an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire: Including the full withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza and the West Bank.
Until Israel heeds these calls, it must be isolated internationally. It must be treated like the pariah state that it is.
I have faith in the spirit of the resistance of Palestinian People. Their resistance to oppression is unbroken – and it is unbreakable.
We will not rest until a permanent ceasefire has been secured, and the Israeli occupation of Palestine has ended once and for all.
We have always believed that our freedom in Ireland is incomplete without the freedom of our brothers and sisters in Palestine.
We have faith that Ireland will be truly free. We have faith that Palestine will be free!
Free, Free Palestine!
Solidarity always!
- Pádraig Mac Lochlainn is a TD for Donegal: you can follow him on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and Threads.
