Hundreds of people march through streets of Cork to show solidarity with Palestine 

Hundreds of protesters, led by students from UCC, marched through the streets of Cork on Saturday to show their support for Palestine and demand action from the Irish Government and Irish universities to oppose Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.

The protest, now in its 46th week, has been taking place in Cork since the week after the attack by Palestinian terror group Hamas on a pop concert attended by Israeli music fans on October 7 last year. 

More than 1,200 people were killed on that day.

More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 11 months since the October attack.

Calls for a ceasefire by many world leaders have not been heeded but attempts to broker a truce are ongoing at present in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Leading the protest this week was the Global Justice Society of UCC and many marchers were carrying pots, pans, drums and other musical instruments in an effort ‘to make as much noise as possible for the Palestinian people’.

Global Justice Society of UCC co-chairperson Freddie Phipps told the protest that he and other students were tired of ‘watching a genocide occur right before our eyes’. 

Hannah Morrissey, the co-chairperson of the society, added that this was ‘just the beginning for student-led Cork Palestine Solidarity rallies.

“We are calling on students from across the county to come along and get involved,” said Ms Morrisey.

UCC Students Union President Katie Halpin-Hill highlighted what she described as ‘Israel’s systemic attack on Palestine’s educational infrastructure’ and said it struck a chord with students across the world.

“As Student Union officers, we have a moral obligation to ensure that our universities play their part in the face of genocide,” said Ms. Halpin-Hill.

“Palestine will be rebuilt and we all have an integral role in the rebuilding of Palestinian education.” 

Students involved in the Boycott Divest Sanctions campaign also spoke at the rally. 

In May and June there was an encampment on the quadrangle at UCC for six weeks which was only discontinued after what were described by a UCC spokesperson as ‘constructive discussions’ between the university authorities and Boycott Divest Sanctions UCC.

“As the semester restarts in the coming weeks, it's more important than ever to unify as a collective student movement as we continue applying pressure on the College,” the UCC BDS group said in a statement.