TCD BDS and the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign will hold a protest outside the Israeli embassy at 4pm today.
The protest is in solidarity with Palestinians engaging in a general strike to protest Israeli attacks on Palestinians.
The description of the event on Facebook states: “Palestinians across Historic Palestine are observing tomorrow a General Strike to protest Israel’s massacres in Gaza and settler-colonial and apartheid repression and ethnic cleansing against Palestinian communities everywhere.”
“A call has gone out from families in Sheikh Jarrah, from Palestinians inside the Apartheid State of Israel, and from the occupied West Bank for solidarity actions across the globe!”, it added.
The groups are urging protesters to wear masks and to maintain social distancing protocols.
Conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas continues to rage, despite US President Joe Biden’s calls for a ceasefire.
Israel airstrikes continued to bombard Gaza this morning, according to the Washington Post. Hamas’s rocket attacks have slowed, as Israeli airstrikes close off the group’s underground tunnels and disable its launch sites.
Some 212 Palestinians have died in Gaza due to Israeli airstrikes, while the death toll in Israel stands at 10.
TCD BDS held a solidarity protest on Saturday at the Spire, after the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign cancelled a larger rally.
In a press statement last week, TCD BDS said: “The IPSC has cancelled its rally on Saturday in support of Palestine due to legal threats from the gardaí that they may fine and prosecute organisers for breach of COVID-19 regulations.”
“The TCD BDS campaign has decided to go ahead with a rally at 2pm on Saturday at the Spire. The rally will be socially distanced and participants must wear masks.”
“We will be going ahead with our own socially distanced rally, as we feel that a message needs to be sent to the Irish Government that they must take action on the horrific persecution of Palestinians, and we will not stand for their complacency.”
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement works to end international support for Israel in the context of the country’s treatment of Palestinians.
In 2018, students voted for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) to support the BDS campaign.
The long-term policy mandates the union to support the movement and “comply with the principles of BDS in all union shops, trade, business and other union operations” and to lobby College and the Government to adopt a policy of boycott, divestment and sanction of Israel.
The long-term policy would also see the introduction of a boycott, divestment and sanction implementation group within the union.
