shared by Eamonn McCann
Palestinian Support Has Nothing to Do With a Rise in Sectarian Attacks
The Derry Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign utterly rejects the comments made by local Unionist community leader Brian Dougherty in the Irish Times in which he linked ongoing sectarian attacks in Derry to the city’s overwhelming support for the Palestinian cause.
Mr Dougherty who represents the Fountain based North West Cultural Partnership spoke at an event in the Hollywell Trust saying:
“Derry sees itself as a progressive active city, but that activism has consequences, that feeds into general civic issues in Derry.
In Northern Ireland people like to binarise themselves. You’re either for us or against us, so if you’re not on our parade supporting Palestine then you must be supporting Israel.“
The attempt to sectarianise the Palestine solidarity movement and frame it through the prism of narrow communal politics is a crass misrepresentation of who we are and what we stand for when we raise our voices against genocide.
Our marches and our activism has brought thousands onto the streets without the merest hint of violence or threat.
These thousands have come from all walks of life. Unlike the marches promoted by Mr Dougherty as ‘culture‘ there are no exclusions based on sectarian/religious lines when you march with us.
Dougherty’s snide sectarianising of our movement and of the official position of our local Council mirrors the DUP attitude to Palestine and their promotion of Israeli Apartheid and genocidal actions.
To portray PUL people as a homogeneous bloc who support the actions of Israel is useful for Mr Dougherty and Unionist politicians, it gives them an excuse to ignore the facts of what is happening in Palestine.
Unionist politicians desperately cling to the notion that to oppose Israel is either ant- Semitic or something done by Irish Catholics, Nationalists and Republicans.
This is of course nonsense. To oppose genocide and express outrage against forced starvation, bombing civilians and destroying hospitals and schools does not make you a Catholic or Protestant, unionist or nationalist, it makes you human.
Our members, our supporters, those who have signed our petitions and have marched with us come from every part of our society.
We would never think of asking someone what their religion is before deciding if they can march with us.
Our movement is a model of the kind of diversity and pluralism that gives hope for the future of this place.
Protestant, catholic and dissenter have been joined by Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and every other creed in the common cause of humanity.
The Derry IPSC is completely and utterly opposed to all forms of hatred and division.
To support, encourage or even unwittingly be a part of something that divides our vibrant communities would be self destructive as we are from these communities.
We stand against homophobia, transphobia, sectarianism, racism, antisemitism and all forms of hatred.
Sectarian attacks are disgusting and always wrong.
We stand for a united community in this place that speaks with one clear voice on the plight of the Palestinian people.
Palestinian solidarity is global, outward looking and progressive. We reject the characterisation of our movement put forward by Brian Dougherty.
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