Tyrone Gaels urged to show support at Gaza protest

By Niall Gartland

PASCAL Canavan has urged Tyrone Gaels to make their voices heard at a protest march in Belfast on Saturday afternoon in support of Palestinian civilians impacted by Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

The march has been organised by pressure group ‘Gaels against Genocide’, who are calling for a permanent ceasefire in the region, and will leave Writer’s Square at 2pm before travelling to Belfast City Hall.

Pascal Canavan is one of 26 prominent members of the Tyrone GAA community who have signed a letter, circulated to clubs across the county, calling for supporters to attend the follow-up march to a well-attended demonstration in February.

The Tyrone footballers will be in action later on Saturday afternoon (5pm) for their All-Ireland Preliminary quarter-final against Roscommon in Omagh.

However, Canavan believes that shouldn’t deter those who want to show their support at the protest march.

The Errigal Ciaran clubman said, “Saturday’s a busy day as we know for Tyrone Gaels. I hope there’s a huge crowd in Omagh, but I think it’ll be possible for those who want to attend both to do so.

“There’ll be a few speakers, we had Dr David Hickey at the last one and he spoke very eloquently.

“We’re encouraging everyone to come along and to wear their club and county colours if at all possible.

“It’s not going to suit everybody but if you want to show your support for the people of Gaza, this is an opportunity to do so.”

Almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since last October and efforts at reaching a ceasefire deal have intensified in recent weeks.

Those efforts are still in the negotiation stages and the death toll continues to rise on a daily basis, with Palestinian civilians accounting for the vast majority of casualties.

Canavan commented, “Everybody is well-informed as to what is happening in Gaza, but it’s difficult to comprehend everything that goes on.

“We all feel frustrated and think that there’s not much we can do, but one thing that is possible is to show support through these different parades and marches.

“It’s an opportunity to express your views and feelings in a public way. No doubt we all feel the same way and it’s an opportunity to express solidarity with the people of Palestine.”