éirígí slam dublin government commemoration of First Dáil as "revisionist charade"

Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey has described the Dublin Governments ceremony at the Mansion House commemorating the First Dáil as a "revisionist charade" and an "attempt to gloss over the abandonment of both the national and social ideals contained within the Declaration of Independence and Democratic Programme."

He was speaking after éirígí activists had breached a Gardai security cordon and unfurled a banner from the roof of the Mansion House where the ceremony was taking place. The banner read "- "90 YEARS ON – NO CLOSER TO FREEDOM – END THE OCCUPATION!"

Casey said: "On January 21 ninety years ago the elected members of the First Dáil defied the British occupation forces and assembled in the Mansion House in Dublin to reassert the Irish peoples right to Independence and freedom."

"The Dublin Governments ceremony at the Mansion House commemorating the First Dáil was a revisionist charade. It was an attempt to normalise the continued occupation of part of our country by the same forces that occupied it ninety years ago and to gloss over the abandonment of both the national and social ideals contained within the Declaration of Independence and Democratic Programme adopted at that sitting of the First Dáil.

He concluded: "Unlike the political class in the twenty six counties who have betrayed the ideals of the First Dáil, éirígí remain committed to actually bringing about the First Dáils core demands – an end to the British occupation and the radical overhaul of the social and economic order in Ireland."

Support Palestine – Boycott Israeli Goods

The death toll in Gaza continues to rise as the Israel army reigns down rockets and prosecutes a full-blown land invasion of the besieged Palestinian territory.

The condemnation emanating from all over the world has not yet halted the onslaught or forced supposedly powerful international institutions to exert pressure on Israel to desist.

The UN remains impotent in the face of the pro-Israeli agenda of the USA, which refuse to agree to resolutions that may go some way to pressurise the Israeli regime and hasten an end to the attack. The EU remains equally complicit, as it maintains all agreements with Israel and implements no sanctions.

However, pressure is building and the Palestinian people are receiving solidarity and support from millions across the world. In Ireland, protests and actions are occurring on a daily basis to pressurise the Dublin government who remain non-committal in the face of one of the worst humanitarian disasters in decades.

Thousands have protested in both the capital and Belfast. The Israeli embassy in Dublin has also been repeatedly picketed since December 27.

The Raytheon military technology facility in Derry City was occupied on Monday (January 12), culminating in the assault of at least one woman by the PSNI and the arrest of several activists. The maltreatment of protestors attempting to slow the flow of arms from Raytheon to Israel echoes the vitriol of the unionist political leadership, all of whom enthusiastically support the war crimes of the Israeli state.

Protests have also taken place in many other Irish cites and towns – a pattern which has been repeated in countries across the globe.

éirígí spokesperson Daithí Mac an Mháistír repeated the call for an all-out boycott of Israeli produce and business, as happened in the 1980s in a successful push against the apartheid regime in South Africa.

“Let everyone in Ireland be clear – no government with any relevance to the conflict will exert pressure on Israel to end this operation unless they are pressurised to do so. The UN, the EU and other international bodies have failed to give even an ounce of the support needed to the besieged Palestinian people. The architects of a very militaristic Zionism have the destruction of the Palestinian nation and people as their object and they will use the weapons of the USA and its allies to do it.

“The USA, Britain, and the government of every European state are all, at a decision making level, supportive of Israeli aggression. They are complicit, and it is the people of those nations that need to challenge their own governments and those complicit in the war crimes we are watching unfold on our TV screens every night.”

Daithí continued: “éirígí is calling on all socialist, republican, and humanitarian organisations in Ireland to mobilise in support of a boycott of the Israeli state and its industries. Those working in stores that stock Israeli goods should refuse to handle or stock those goods.

“A lot of good work has been done by Irish activists since the offensive against Gaza began on December 27. This work must continue until the siege and military bombardment of Gaza are ended.

“On behalf of éirígí, I would like to extend solidarity to the people of Gaza. Their resistance in the face of vicious Israeli aggression is a source of inspiration to people all over the world.”

Stop the slaughter in Gaza

éirígí activists organise and participate in a number of actions protesting the ongoing slaughter of hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli regime.

Sligo demo for Gaza - Make Sligo an "Israeli Goods Free Zone"

éirígí activists from County Sligo and Leitrim were among the many people who took part in the demonstration held in Sligo today (Saturday) calling for an end to the siege of Gaza.

Speaking following the demonstration Sligo éirígí acitivist Gerry Casey who took part in the protest said that it was vital that such acts of solidarity are held throughout Ireland to show the palestinian people that we will do all in our power to help them and the cause of palestinian freedom. He also called on the Dublin government to expel the Israeli ambassador and for people to boycott Israeli goods and make Sligo an 'Israeli goods free-zone'.

Casey said: "The continuing massacre of palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli military is totally unacceptable. Over 400 have been killed, many of whom are children, with thousands more seriously injured This act of solidarity today was important in showing the palestinian people that we will do all in our power to help them and their cause. Every effort must now be made to have sanctions imposed against the Israeli state and their representatives."

"The expulsion of the Israeli ambassador by the Dublin Government is the first. It would send an unambiguous message to the Zionist state that their lengthy and inhumane siege of Gaza and their war crimes against the palestinian people are intolerable."

Casey concluded: "Locally, we can engage in practical solidarity measures. I would urge people to boycott all Israeli goods and to urge shops in their locality that do stock Israeli goods to cease doing so. We need to make Sligo an 'Israeli goods free-zone'.

éirígí seek expulsion of Israeli ambassador over Gaza slaughter

Sligo éirígí acitivist Gerry Casey has called on the Dublin government to expel the Israeli ambassador due to the continued murderous assault on the long suffering people of the Gaza strip which began on December 26 and which has resulted to date in over 400 Palestinians been killed and more than two thousand wounded. He has also called on people to boycott all Israeli goods and make Sligo an 'Israeli goods free-zone'.

Despite Israeli claims that the attacks were solely targeting Hamas, large numbers of those killed have been civilians, including children. Among the targets hit are family homes, mosques, civilian workshops, media agencies, charitable societies, prisoners' welfare groups and the local Islamic University. Gaza's already crisis-stricken medical infrastructure and supplies are now at breaking-point. Among the dead are seven teenage school children, who were struck down at a bus stop by an Israeli jet.

Casey said: "The ongoing massacre of palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli military is totally unacceptable. Every effort must now be made to not just extend solidarity with the people of Gaza but to also take practical measures against the Israeli state and their representatives."

"The expulsion of the Israeli ambassador is the first step that must be taken. It would send an unambiguous message to the Zionist state that their lengthy and inhumane siege of Gaza and their war crimes against the palestinian people are intolerable."

Casey concluded: "Here in Sligo I would also urge people to boycott all Israeli goods and to urge shops in their locality that do stock Israeli goods to cease doing so. We need to make Sligo an 'Israeli goods free-zone'. This is a practical way in which we, at a local level every day, can show solidarity and assist the palestinian people in their ongoing struggle for freedom and justice."