Statement from the organisers of the Not in Our Name solidarity action on 17th March 2024 Part I: History of colonisation as the crux of solidarity between Ireland and Palestine ♣️
“We stand here today because we understand the responsibility placed upon us by our history as a colonized people – to demonstrate our solidarity with those facing crushing subjugation and sheer annihilation; and to refuse to serve as another cog in that machine of death, another boot on the neck of the Palestinian people.
We have learned something that Joe Biden – Butcher Biden – has never bothered to internalize – to the great shame of our common ancestors.
We take inspiration from the collective action of principled Irish musicians in recent days, who have borne the brunt of standing up for the Palestinian people, where our craven and sycophantic elected officials have so transparently failed.
As Irish emigrants we take the charge set forth by the Irish Artists for Palestine who are today calling for a boycott of the White House shamrock ceremony. We are among those who refute what this tradition symbolizes: this defanged idea of Irishness; this mawkish, misty-eyed sentimentality; and this utter detachment for the chillingly cynical purposes of Realpolitik. The current Irish, German, and American governments seem to value the latter above all – but we dissent. We will not adhere to the culture of silence here in Germany.
In our marrow, we know all too well the searing pain and cruelty of weaponised starvation, brutal landgrabs, scorched earth tactics, indiscriminate executions, and the wholesale slaughter of human beings, committed by supposedly civilized people, while supposedly civilized people look on.
We are – as our seer Growler has said many times before – fite fuaite. Our fates are deeply intertwined with those of the Palestinian people.
In our words and in our deeds, we pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” Continue reading 17.03 Irish Bloc Solidarity Action NOT IN OUR NAME / NÍ I M’AINMSA St Patrick’s Day 2024
