‘It was great to see the support’: Hundreds attend Cork city rally in solidarity with Palestine

Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Cork city centre this afternoon in a show of solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The Cork city rally, one of a number that took place around Ireland and internationally today, was organised by the Cork Palestina Solidarity Campaign.

It follows another march in solidarity with the Palestinian people held last week.

Standing with the people of Cork in Solidarity with the people of Palestine. @CorkSinnFein @CllrMickNugent pic.twitter.com/WoY1382hRE

— Thomas Gould TD (@ThomasGouldSF) May 22, 2021

The march started at Grand Parade, continued onto South Mall, Parnell Place, up Merchants Quay through Patrick Street and back to Grand Parade where several people then gave speeches.

Speaking to The Echo, Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould who was in attendance at the march today as well as last week, said the vast majority of people at the march were wearing face coverings and that efforts were made to social distance.

“It was great to see the support the people of Cork have [for the Palestinian people].

“We’re horrified by the scenes that we have seen.

“There is no one that should have to go through what the Palestinian people have gone through for over a decade,” he said.

Mr Gould said a number of powerful speeches were made at the rally today.

“There were two little girls at the end, I’d say they were seven or eight years of age, one of them gave a speech – it was incredible.” 

He said there were calls from those in attendance at the march to implement legislation that would introduce a boycott on goods from occupied Israeli territories in Palestine – something which he would be in favour of.

“That would send a clear message, both to Israel and to the world, that the seizing of Palestinian homes and land is wrong."

Egyptian mediators have held talks to firm up an Israel-Hamas ceasefire as Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip began to assess the damage from 11 days of intense Israeli bombardment.

The talks come as a 130-truck convoy carrying urgently needed aid heads to Gaza.

Saturday marked the first full day of a truce that ended the fourth Israel-Hamas war in just over a decade.

In the fighting, Israel unleashed hundreds of airstrikes against militant targets in Gaza, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets towards Israel.

More than 250 people were killed, the vast majority of them Palestinians.