Palestine solidarity march in Cork sees 800 people remember Olympians that have been killed

The Palestinian solidarity march in Cork city. Picture: Cork branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Around 800 people marched through Cork on Saturday to remember Palestinian Olympians who have been killed in Gaza by airstrikes or the Israeli blockade of aid and food.

The solidarity march with Palestine took place in Cork city and was led by children togged off in sports kit, carrying footballs and other sports gear.

It is estimated that 69 Palestinian athletes have been killed since October 7.

The children marching through Cork carried placards with slogans such as “ What if it was us?” and “Please help us protect our friends in Palestine”. 

The march was organised by the Cork branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Speaking at the march, the co-chair of the branch Kathy Glavanis  said: "As the Olympic games unfold in Paris, today in Cork we marched in our hundreds to remember the Palestinian athletes whose lives have been brutally taken by Israeli attacks.

Four hundred Palestinian athletes have been killed since October 2023, including 69 Olympians. To see not only the careers but also the lives of these talented sports-people cut short in such a tragic way is nothing short of horrific. 

Ms Glavanis questioned where the reaction was from the Government - apart from "words of condolence and hand-wringing."

She said; "What have they actually done to stop Israel's genocidal campaign? Close to nothing - Ireland has still not placed sanctions on Israel, we've actually increased our trade with Israel, and we're still letting the US, Israel's biggest supplier of arms, land its war planes in Shannon Airport."

The Palestinian solidarity march in Cork city. Picture: Cork branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Another of the people marching, Action Against War's Joe Moore, noted: “Even after 40,000 Palestinians have been murdered, the Irish government permits the secretive Irish military-industrial complex to continue to export to Israel. Those exports have doubled since the war began."

Our government is an enabler of Israel’s genocide.

Mr Moore noted that Ireland's neutrality was being questioned as a result of the usage of US planes at Shannon, which he said were "on their way to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq." 

He added: "The Irish government knows full well that this is not real neutrality. In fact, the Government no longer cares for neutrality.” 

Figures from the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestine Football Association indicate that about 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed since last October while gyms, pitches, stadiums and other sporting infrastructure across Gaza have been razed to the ground. 

Cork people continue to organise and attend multiple actions every week to show their solidarity with Palestine - with the weekly Palestine Solidarity march through Cork City drawing hundreds of people every Saturday and many more smaller solidarity events, fundraisers and vigils taking place across the county on a weekly basis. 

Active local Palestine solidarity campaign groups now exist in Ballincollig, Ballinlough, Bandon, Charleville, Clonakilty, Cobh, Fermoy, Kinsale, Mallow, Midleton, West Cork, and Youghal.