From Donegal to Cork, both seasoned campaigners and new recruits have been attending vigils and demonstrations as news of the atrocities committed by Israeli forces in Gaza becomes more horrifying by the day.
The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and all of its regional branches have continued to hold vigils, marches and demonstrations to highlight the plight of the people of Gaza and call for an immediate ceasefire.
They have also continued their nationwide demonstrations at AXA offices as part of the ‘Boycott AXA’ campaign, calling on AXA Insurance to pull its investments in Israeli banks.
In December 2023, the Don’t Buy Into Occupation (DBIO) coalition reported that AXA had investments of US$19.5M in three Israeli banks that are financing the construction of illegal settlements in Palestine: Bank Hapoalim (US$9.99M), Leumi Bank (US$6M), Israel Discount Bank (US$3.4M).
In Galway, healthcare workers have been holding vigils each Tuesday between 7pm and 8pm outside University Hospital Galway in solidarity with their colleagues in Gaza.
The Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign held a vigil on June 8 to honour the murdered children of Palestine, one of eight such vigils that took place around Ireland.
The vigil at Droichead an Dochais beside Galway Cathedral was organised by the Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine and the Galway branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Members of Mothers Against Genocide put together a powerful display of children’s shoes and clothes, while two mothers held up a banner to illustrate how more than 15,000 children have been killed in Gaza since early October.
In Donegal on June 9, members of the Donegal, Inishowen, Derry and Mid Ulster branches of the IPSC gathered at the An Grianán of Aileach fort to show solidarity with Palestine and call for a ceasefire.
In May, the Waterford Congress of Trade Unions joined with alumni, staff, students, and IPSC members at South East Technological University (SETU). The group marched silently through the campus to the president’s office as part of their campaign calling on the university to cut all ties with Israeli organisations and educational institutions.
The South East IPSC also hold weekly vigils at the SETU campus. Members of the group in West Waterford have been holding a weekly flag wave on the Kilmacthomas Greenway Footbridge over the N25.
Clare IPSC have held weekly rallies in Ennis, and also held a free screening of the film ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’, about the struggles of the Palestinian people.
