Galway Palestine rally calls for boycotts
Protestors for Palestine gather outside of McDonald's. Photo: Hailey Cassidy
By Hailey Cassidy
The Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign called for boycotts of Israeli companies and products in one of its largest and most organised rallies since October.
People walked from Eyre Square down through the city centre, brandishing flags, signs, and keffiyehs (traditional Palestinian scarves).
They stopped their progression outside of McDonalds, which has faced boycotts from pro-Palestinian groups over their perceived support, chanting “You say it’s a happy meal, we say it’s a bloody deal.”
A central talking point by organisers was the importance of boycotts and sanctions. They highlighted the boycott campaigns of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS movement), “a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel”.
After their march down Shop Street, which took place on on Saturday, 3 February, the rally gathered at the Spanish Arch. A woman from Gaza, who did not disclose her name for safety reasons, spoke to the crowd. “The whole world is connected with money and influence,” she said.
“We can make a change whether it’s boycotting goods that support the genocide in Palestine,” she said, “or by influencing our TDs and representatives everywhere to push for a ceasefire and for incriminating the Israeli army.
“I believe the most powerful thing is boycotting Israeli goods and companies,” she said.
Taking a stand
President of Galway Council of Trade Unions Owen Fox also spoke. “It was ordinary union members that took a stand on Dunnes Stores on Henry Street in Dublin in 1984,” he said, “with our historic strike against apartheid in South Africa, the ramifications of which rippled across the world.”
It is unclear whether consumer boycotts have had any real impact on Israel’s economy. Many are pleading with the government to impose sanctions as well.
The BDS movement also “calls for sanctions against Israel, similar to the sanctions that were imposed against apartheid South Africa. These sanctions could include a military embargo, an end to economic links and the cutting of diplomatic ties”.
Members of the GPSC rally proceeded to Lidl on Headford Road afterward to demonstrate against Lupilu baby wipes, a product reportedly manufactured in Israel.
