We are all Palestinians: A Protest in Northern Ireland

In the wake of the Gaza bombardment of January of 2009 I remember walking in Washington, DC from the Israeli Embassy to the Egyptian Embassy cheering “Free, free Palestine,” as the Irish tricolour blew alongside the Palestinian flag. A similar scene emerged in relation to the Free Gaza flotilla campaign of May 2010 outside the Belfast City Hall and Stormont government buildings in Northern Ireland. The international outcry for justice from D.C. to Belfast may seem similar, however, post-conflict Northern Ireland carries with it important political undertones which seem to permeate many group activities and international ideologies.

The struggle of republicans, longing and working towards a united Ireland to include Northern Ireland, which as of now remains part of the United Kingdom; has been purposefully connected to the movements of Palestinians, black South Africans, Basque countrymen and other self-deterministic underdogs. In an April 2009 report by Gerry Adams, longtime leader of the strongest nationalist party in Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein, was an outline of his visit to the Palestinian Territories and Israel. He describes the stance of Sinn Fein as supporting “the right of all peoples to national self determination and to the exercise of that right without external interference or impediment.”

Conversely, loyalists have united their cause to the security dilemmas of the outnumbered Israelis and white South Africans. Flying Israeli flags and sporting the Star of David, much of the loyalist community of Northern Ireland has condemned the violence of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) by comparing it to terrorist movements around the world, including attacks led by Palestinians.

These international relationships have fuelled the rhetoric of politicians and the symbolism of communities. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the “flag wars” of 2002. Loyalist communities proudly hung the Israeli flag, blue and white with the Star of David while nationalists decorated their homes and streets with the Palestinian red, green, black, and white. Murals depicting a deprived Gaza with proud Palestinian flags and Arabic writing line the strongly nationalist Falls Road. The divisions between loyalist and nationalist Northern Ireland have been mirrored by the schisms in other deeply divided societies and protracted conflicts. 

Given this, I would not take part in the protests and movements this year because by supporting the cause of the Palestinians, I would be inherently supporting a political position in Northern Ireland. I look forward to the day when movements for human rights and justice support only the prospects of cooperation, peace, and hope without the undertones of contentious political division.