Ireland is famous as that country that really supports Palestine. Indeed, we’ve gotten the nickname “Paddystilians”, because of it, intended as an insult of course, but many here in Ireland take it as a compliment. But, I think the question of whether or not Ireland is a good ally to the people of Palestine, is actually a quite complicated question without a simple “yes” or “no” to it.
Did I just kind of say “It’s complicated?” Yes, but I’m using it in a completely different context to how we usually hear that abysmal phrase, so don’t worry!
The first thing I’d like to get out of the way is, frankly, I don’t think I’d have the courage to be a pro-Palestine activist in a lot of other countries. Here is a guest post, written anonymously, that I uploaded to the blog a few weeks ago:
So yeah, in Germany, the government just shuts down pro-Palestine protests. I salute any German citizen who is protesting the genocide of the Palestinian people under those conditions. Would I have the courage to do so? I think I probably wouldn’t. That’s not to say I know for sure, perhaps living under that situation would change me in ways I can’t possibly know, but my best guess is, no, I wouldn’t have the courage to protest for Palestine if I lived in Germany.
What about the United States? Well, I’ve written about that.
There, you can get deported for protesting the slaughter that’s going on in Palestine. And I do believe they’re just testing the waters, the U.S government wants to see what they can get away with towards immigrants, who are always an easier target, and then they’ll crack down on those born in the United States protesting in favour of Palestine.
What about Britain?
In this video, Owen Jones talks to Ben Jamal about the absurd reasons a protest outside the BBC was banned, because the protest would take place, somewhat near, with emphasis on somewhat, near a synagogue:
But protesting for Palestine in Ireland is different. I live in Cork City, and basically, there’s a protest every Saturday, which the police facilitate as opposed to getting in the way of. Every so often someone will approach the protestors and make a snarky comment, or accuse us all of being in league with some sort of evil, but beyond those little minor annoyances, nothing particularly bad happens if you protest for Palestine in Ireland.
So, why is Ireland such a good place for protesting in favour of the Palestinian people?
This video from Al Jazeera talks about it. Cliodhna Bhreatnach from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Michaela Rafferty from BDS Belfast, and Taigh Hickey, who does political comedy about Palestine, and who I’m a big fan of, talk about the similar histories between Ireland and Palestine. To put it in the simplest terms, both Ireland and Palestine were royally fucked over by the British Empire, and have managed to find common cause for that reason. The Irish people have, to a large extent anyway, the Irish government is another matter.
It’s true that the Irish government has been great, in comparison to other countries, for allowing protest against the horrific genocide of the Palestinian people. However, I think that has more to do with the fact that if they crack down on the protests they’ll piss off a large section of the Irish population, and not because the Irish government’s policies with regard to Palestine are particularly good.
The Irish government still keeps trying to avoid the issue of the Occupied Territories Bill:
https://www.thejournal.ie/occupied-territories-bill-delay-6654720-Mar2025/
So where are we with the Occupied Territories Bill, which has been around since 2018? Well, where we are with it now is, that, the government may, at some point, perhaps, if the stars are aligned, enact the Occupied Territories Bill, and even if they do, it will no longer be a ban on goods and services, but just goods. So that’s what our “Pro-Palestine” government is doing with the OTB, watering it down and kicking it down the road!
And I’ve talked before about how how it’s hard for Irish people to talk about Ireland’s “neutrality” without smirking. Sure, there are laws that prevent Ireland from getting too much involved in international conflicts (and hopefully it will stay that way), but it’s well documented that the Irish government let’s completely evil regimes fly through Shannon airport. I’ve talked about that here:
So, when it comes to the horrific apartheid and genocide suffered by Gaza and the West Bank, the Irish government loves to talk a big talk, “Yes I’m against the genocide and stuff, I was the first to oppose it!” but quietly, at best, does nothing to help Palestine, and at worst, actively helps Israel in its mass slaughter of, by very, very conservative estimates, fifty thousand men women and children.
So there you have it. The Irish government is, when it comes to Palestine, quite shite. Hey that rhymes! There’ll be a few concessions to the pro-Palestine movement here and there, like how, the Irish government is, in comparison to other countries, actually quite good on allowing protests for Palestine. And our leaders will often make inspiring sounding speeches, with emphasis on sounding, about how this horrible genocide needs to stop. But, the Irish government is trying to strike a balance, between “looking cool”, in front of the Irish people, and doing what they really want to do, which is serve American and Israeli interests.
So that’s the Irish government. What about the Irish people? Here it gets more complicated. And again, I’m not saying “It’s complicated” in the horrific way that we usually hear that phrase!
In Ireland, we don’t have what you’d call a strong pro-Israel presence. In conversation, I don’t think I’ve ever even encountered someone with pro-Israel views, except perhaps once maybe. You won’t encounter that much in Ireland. But what you will encounter, is someone like this…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48lnZ5CCNf0
“I think there must be some confusion. I don’t care!”
“I don’t care.” You won’t encounter Zionists that often. You won’t encounter people with a loyalty to Israel that often. But what you encounter, often, too often, is people who simply don’t give a fuck about the suffering of the people of Palestine.
Frankly, I’ve encountered people worse than the guy in the Taigh Hickey sketch. At least that guy has the, admittedly pathetic, excuse that he has to be comfortable with doing business with Israel as part of his job. I’ve encountered people, who, don’t care because, they just don’t care. There’s no actual motivation behind it. It’s not even, “I have to be onboard with Israel or I could lose my job!” it’s just, nothing bad would happen them, if they did something to help the people of Palestine, and they don’t because, the apartheid and mass murder of a people, is just, not something that interests them in any way.
I have asked myself a few times while writing this if I’m being overly negative. Not about the Irish government, the idea that they talk a big game about being pro-Palestine but are actually lackeys for Israel, is just a basic fact. But I have asked myself a few times as I was writing this, am I being too negative about the Irish people. But I’ve heard, “We have to worry about Irish problems (as opposed to the genocide in Palestine.)” from Irish people. I’ve heard, “We can’t be getting involved in politics (after expressing solidarity with Ukraine)” from Irish people. I’ve heard, “What about all the other injustices? (From people who aren’t active in trying to stop ANY injustice)” from Irish people.
And, here’s the thing, the fact that Ireland is good on Palestine in many ways, in terms of allowing protest for example, makes this apathy even worse in my view. I could understand a German, or a Brit, or an American, who is reluctant to help the people of Palestine, because those countries have much harsher treatment of solidarity with Gaza and the West Bank than Ireland does. But, we live in a country, where it’s quite easy to protest this horror, and a lot of people just don’t?
And to be perfectly clear, this is not a criticism of people who don’t protest or express solidarity because their life circumstances mean that they can’t. I’m not criticizing anyone based on the fact that they don’t protest, but on the reasons they give for why they don’t, such as the already mentioned standing with Ukraine, and then conveniently rebranding themselves as apolitical when it comes to Palestine.
So, back to the title of this blogpost, Does Ireland Support Palestine? The answer I’m going to give you is, at my most pessimistic, No, but it’s not as bad as many other countries, but at my most optimistic, Yes, but with a ton of caveats. Being never far away from people who stand with the people of Palestine has really helped raise my spirits during this horrific time in human history, but it’s equally true that I’m never far away from people who do not care about the murder of 17,000 children. Living in Ireland during this time has been wonderful, but also, absolutely horrific.
I thought about why I’m writing this, and I think maybe, it’s for people who are newer to activism for Palestine. Hearing about how Ireland is a great ally of Palestine, and then encountering many people, who simply do not care, can be quite a shock. Indeed, I’ve had the experience of being in a room full of people where most people do not care.
So, even if you live in Ireland, it won’t always be clear sailing. The government just does what Israel wants, so that’s why we’ve got to keep protesting. A lot of Irish people, too many, have been so poisoned by apathy that a live streamed mass murder simply doesn’t interest them. But, if this were easy, it would already be done, there is, sadly, a long road ahead in getting any kind of justice for the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
But, I’d rather try, and fail, to be part of the cause of bringing a mass slaughter to an end, than to be the kind of person who says, “I stay out of politics.” So that’s why, despite all of the hardships involved, even in a country like Ireland, I won’t give up, and neither should you!
Ponderings Of An Autist 