Flags fly from Ferris wheel in Cork as protesters call for end to war in Gaza

Palestinian flags flying from the Ferris wheel on Grand Parade.

Up to one thousand people took part in organised demonstrations in Cork City on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire in Palestine.

The march, organised by the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign, marks the 11th Saturday the group has met in their bid to spark change overseas.

Children’s shoes were laid out during the rally to symbolise the thousands of young lives who have been taken by Israel in Palestine, while Palestinian flags were flown from the carriages of the Ferris Wheel on Grand Parade.

Israel declared war after Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages.

More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war to destroy Hamas and more than 53,000 have been wounded, according to health officials in Gaza.

Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign co-chair Martin Shiel said although this time of year usually brings a sense of “peace and goodwill”, for those in Palestine “it will be another day of suffering”.

“I’m proud that the people of Cork are refusing to look away or ignore what is happening in Palestine this Christmas. We’re urging Micheál Martin and other Government leaders to listen to the Irish people and take stronger action to play our part in bringing about a ceasefire in Gaza,” she said.

Speaking at today’s march for Palestine in Cork, Deirdre Duff added: “Hearing Christmas carols about Bethlehem carries a real poignancy this year. Palestinians living there, like Palestinians across the West Bank, are living in an atmosphere of grief and fear as Israeli forces unleash aggression after aggression; beating, killing and imprisoning Palestinians without change.” “A church in Bethlehem has placed the baby Jesus in a pile of rubble. In a moving display of solidarity with the people of Gaza they’ve said that Jesus would be under rubble if he were born today,” she added.

A variety of other actions for Palestine have also been taking place in Cork throughout the Christmas period. On Tuesday, December 19, children’s shoes were laid out on the Bishopstown campus of Munster Technological University to serve as a poignant visual reminder of the thousands of children who have been killed throughout the war.

On St Stephen’s Day, people have pledged to sit outside Cork City Hall for a 24-hour fast, starting at 10am on Tuesday December 26.