Nakba Day 2023

2023 sees the 75th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe), the violent expulsion of up to 1,000,000 Palestinians from their homes by Zionist forces between 1947 and 1949 during the establishment of the apartheid state of Israel.

Nakba Day is marked on May 15 every year.

The Bloody Sunday Trust has planned a day-long series of events to mark this 75th anniversary. The programme is as follows:

Monday, May 15, 2023:

10.00am: A Palestinian Flag will be raised on Free Derry Corner. During the flag raising ceremony a message of support from the Bloody Sunday families will be delivered.

1.00pm: Film screening in the Museum of Free Derry.

7.00pm – 9.00pm: This is Radio Free Derry Calling, an evening of solidarity and support in the Museum of Free Derry.

This event will include messages of support from the Bloody Sunday families and the Mayor of Derry, Cllr Sandra Duffy. There will also be an update from the Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and an update and message of support from Senator Frances Black, Irish Anti-Apartheid Campaign for Palestine.

Following this there will be a reading of poems on Palestine by Paul Laughlin and Anne Crilly, in Irish, Arabic and English.

In addition, messages from Palestine will be delivered by Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative and a young Palestinian.

Music will be provided by Marty Healy. There will also be refreshments and a fundraising raffle during the event.

Entry is by donation. All monies raised, together with the day’s takings in the Museum of Free Derry, will be donated to the Palestinian National Initiative.