Vigil for Palestine held on Derry's Peace Bridge

News Year’s Eve saw Derry’s annual ‘Vigil for Palestine’ taking place on the Peace Bridge.

The event was organised by the Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and speaking to Derry News, branch representative, Catherine Hutton, said she was “absolutely delighted” with the turnout, which she described as “amazing”.

“The Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign has been doing this for the past five years and it is just getting bigger and bigger,” said Ms Hutton.

Vigil for Palestine held on Derry's Peace Bridge.

“I think that is a sign of how aware people are becoming. I am seeing new people every year so the awareness is spreading.

“The annual vigils were started by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC). It was originally started to mark the anniversary of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008.”

During Operation Cast Lead, Israel prevented the media and aid agencies from entering Gaza. In the following three weeks, the Israeli military killed at least 1,383 Palestinians, including 333 children.

Ms Hutton added: “As time has gone on and more branches of IPSC emerged, people started holding their own vigils, which is what we have done here in Derry.

Vigil for Palestine held on Derry's Peace Bridge.

“Every year we have broadened it out as a vigil of solidarity too with Palestine, to reinforce it going into a new year. We want to encourage people to be more active and more aware of small things they can do like boycotting Israeli products.

“We would also lobby MPs and TDs regarding legislation such as the Occupied Territories Bill in Dáil Éireann. Basically, the Derry branch of ISPC is trying to keep all that activity to the forefront, so it is not forgotten about.

“This year especially, it was very important because the new Israeli government, which has just been put in place, is probably, if it could possibly be, the most rightwing and fascist, ultra orthodox, ultra religious, racist government that has been in place in Israel since its inception,” said Cathy Hutton.

This year also marked the 75th anniversary of the Nakba.

“Nakba was a catastrophe. The Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and murdered and Israel came into being,” said Cathy Hutton.

Vigil for Palestine held on Derry's Peace Bridge.

“The violence has started already. We are only five days into 2023 and there have been three or four people killed already. It is only going to get worse because there are absolutely no voices, if there ever were any voices, of moderation there.

“There are so many things in the mix now. I think one of the big factors is the Palestinians themselves don’t have proper representation in Palestine, so the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is very important because of that. BDS reaches out further afield to all of us and gives us something we can do to try and help because, at the end of the day, that was the only thing that changed the situation in South Africa. It was international pressure.

“However, at the minute, it is just a matter of trying to push through that barrier that has been erected by the United States in particular.

“For example, if Ireland was to decide tomorrow to take sanctions against Israel, using the Occupied Territories Bill, which really isn’t that much because it is only banning goods from illegal settlements, the pressure would come from the US, including threats to pull out investment. The US is pulling the strings and the same with the EU.

“It is an uphill climb but, at the end of the day, we just have to keep at it because as the World Cup showed, even though the governments of the Arab nations have, in general, normalised their relationships with Israel, their people have no. The support was enormous. It is there on the ground, it is just trying to get that to come to a head and cause change.”