Latest News

Leading Palestinian cartoonist to visit Galway

The horror of daily life for ordinary Palestinians is a regular theme for cartoonist Mohamed Sabaaneh

A rare opportunity to check out the work of one of the most famous visual artists in the Arab world is on offer in Galway next week when leading Palestinian cartoonist Mohamed Sabaaneh hosts a talk and exhibition in the city.

The exhibition at the Black Gate Cultural Centre on Frances Street (Wednesday, 7pm) is a rare opportunity for an Irish audience to check out his black and white images which have been printed in newspapers all across the Arab world.

His political cartoons, which are brimful of action and dramatic images, are seen a form of solidarity with ordinary Palestinians in their daily struggle for survival and ongoing battle for justice. He is also a man who has served time in prison for his art.

Sabaaneh is considered an inspiration to cartoonists all around the world and his work goes straight to the essence of the stark reality of life under the Israeli occupation.

A painter and caricaturist, Mohamed has a daily cartoon in the Palestinian newspaper al-Hayat al-Jadida and his work is familiar to readers all across the Arab world.

Sabaaneh is the Middle East representative for Cartoonist Rights Network International and the Palestinian ambassador for United Sketches, an international association for freedom of expression and cartoonists in exile.

His work has been exhibited in solo and group shows around the world and the Galway branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is thrilled to be able to bring Mohamed, and his work, to the City of the Tribes.

Mohamed has won numerous awards, including the 2017 Marseille International Cartoon Festival Prix d’Or. He lives in Ramallah, Palestine.

His touring exhibition, ‘Palestine in Black and White’, is an intimate and powerful portrayal of life under occupation.

He has gained worldwide fame for his black and white sketches. His stark geometric figures and landscapes are rich with Palestinian visual traditions and symbols, while his haunting figures depict a vivid perspective of the occupation.

The exhibition includes some of Sabaaneh’s most striking works, including cartoons that portray the experience of Palestinian prisoners, drawn while Sabaaneh himself was detained in an Israeli prison.

The drawings do not flinch from revealing the terrible reality which confronts Palestinians living under a brutal occupation and his visit to Galway seems hugely appropriate at a time when a debate is raging over whether or not Ireland should boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.

The event takes place on Wednesday, April 3, at 7pm and all are welcome.

Those with an interest in human rights, cartoonists, and visual artists are particularly welcome.

 

  • If you are looking for a blogger for your business website, please contact ciaran@ciarantierney.com. I have almost 30 years’ experience in journalism, blogging and contact writing.

 

Bridie (107) joins the “lost tribe” of Galway!

Boston resident Bridie left Co Galway in 1929 and still returns every second year.

The Galway Tribal Diaspora Project aims to connect exiles scattered across the world with their home place by letting them tell their stories in their own words.

Last week I spoke to Michael Quinn, who runs the project, for Irish Central and I wrote profiles of five of the participants.

You can find the story here

Within days, an amazing lady who lives in Boston had added her story to the online exhibition.

On Tuesday, Bridie Daly (nee Duggan) agreed to share her story of fun, heartbreak, and joy after being cajoled into it by her daughter in the United States and her niece back home in Co Galway.

Such is her popularity in her home village of Woodford, Co Galway, that her name popped up immediately when second level students were asked to nominate prominent emigrants from the area for the online exhibition.

“I believe myself to be a happy and contented person. I am still very active and independent – I regularly attend Mass, I go to Irish events and I get my hair done every week. I also enjoy a small drop of whiskey now and again!” she says with a hearty laugh.

“People often ask me what the key to my longevity is and I tell them to live and enjoy every day. I pray every day for good health – so God must be listening! My advice is to never despair and to live in hope.”

I have written a feature on Bridie for IrishCentral.com, the US-based website, which went online this morning..

Michael told me that Bridie is hoping to fly home for her 108th birthday next February and that she maintains strong connections with Co Galway, even though she left for the US in 1929.

She has outlived three sons, including one who served with the US military in Vietnam.

“All stories of emigration are interesting. We didn’t want to focus on people who are particularly old or successful, but about the breadth of experience which people have had across the globe. Of course some stories are going to jump out at you more than others,” said Michael.

You can read the full feature here

Michael, meanwhile, is still looking for Galway exiles across the globe to get in touch to tell their stories. Contact details are at the end of the Irish Central article or you can find him at http://www.galwaytribe.com/

 

  • Looking for a blogger, content writer, or social media manager? Ciaran Tierney has been writing professionally for 25 years. He blogs and writes website content for businesses. You can find him on Facebook here

Galway meeting to discuss Israeli ‘settlement’ goods ban

Senator Frances Black with the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Ahmad Abdelrazek, during a public meeting in Kinvara in July. Photo: Ciaran Tierney Digital Storyteller.

In July of this year, a packed town hall in Kinvara, Co Galway, heard Independent Senator Frances Black talk about her plans to ban goods from illegal Israeli ‘settlements’ in the West Bank from Ireland.

A few days later, against the odds, the Irish Senate voted in favour of her Occupied Territories Bill 2018 after opposition party Fianna Fail agreed to support the bill.

The vote made headlines all across the globe as, when passed, this bill is set to inspire similar legislation in other European countries.

I wrote about it for Electronic Intifada, the biggest English language Palestinian news site in the world, and the reaction was overwhelming at the time.

Later this month, the bill enters the crucial second stage. And on Tuesday night people in Galway city have a chance to hear an update from Senator Black, a passionate campaigner for human rights, and local activists who have been to Palestine.

Senator Black’s resolve to do something for the people of Palestine was strengthened by a visit to the West Bank and Gaza in May of this year.

“What I saw over there was a hundred times worse than what I expected,” she told me at the time.

“I knew it was bad before I went out there, but what I saw was so much worse. They are living in horrendous conditions. One woman in Gaza asked me why the international community had abandoned them. That really struck a chord with me.”

Senator Black with a family in the West Bank, May 2018.

 

Now she is coming to Galway next Tuesday night (7.15pm) to give people in the West of Ireland an update about her Occupied Territories Bill.

The first vote was historic, after Niall Collins of Fianna Fail pledged his support. He, too, was shocked by what he saw in Palestine during a trip just before that Seanad vote in July.

Senator Black will outline why she has tabled the bill, the next steps it will have to go through, and the reaction she has received across the globe.

The Irish Government, led by Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, refused to back her bill but the support of Fianna Fail got it over the first hurdle.

The evening will also feature personal accounts from local members of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and political representatives. It takes place at the Harbour Hotel on Tuesday, November 6, at 7.15pm.

All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are illegal according to international law and the occupation has gone on for 51 years, with no sign of justice for the people of Palestine.

There is a growing belief among international law experts that trade with Israeli settlements is illegal, and human rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on governments to impose such a ban.

The meeting on Tuesday starts at 7.15pm. All are welcome. Ciaran Tierney is the winner of the Irish Current Affairs / Politics Blog of the Year award 2018. You can find Ciaran on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ciarantierneymedia

Find Ciaran on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ciarantierney

Ciaran Tierney, winner of the 2018 Irish Current Affairs Blogger of the Year award in Dublin, October 2018.

Best current affairs blog in Ireland!

Celebrating the Best Current Affairs Blog in Ireland award 2018 at the Tramline in Dublin on Thursday night. Photo: Paul Sherwood.

 

The annual Blog Awards Ireland event took place in Dublin city centre on Thursday night and I was thrilled to be awarded first prize in the Best Current Affairs / Politics category, after coming second last year.

After flying in from New York that morning, where I had met ‘Tuam Babies’ survivor Peter Mulryan, I was over the moon and slightly shocked to take the gold medal.

By a wonderful coincidence, I also won second prize for the Best Blog Post for a piece I wrote about Peter’s search for justice for his little sister – one of the 796 missing babies – after meeting him in a Galway graveyard back in March.

Here’s the piece I wrote with Peter at the time:  http://ciarantierney.blogspot.com/2018/03/for-peter-and-families-its-personal.html

It was a thrill to discover that 1,200 blogs had entered the competition, in all categories, for the prestigious awards and that my blog had gone through three rounds of judging in order to win the top prize.

The final round was judged by media, journalism, and PR professionals, which gave me a huge boost as my path has not always been certain since I took voluntary redundancy from one of Ireland’s leading regional newspapers, The Connacht Tribune, four years ago.

After writing a travel blog which was very warmly received during a career break in 2010, I set up my blog in August 2014 in the midst of great uncertainty and a crisis in my industry.

My blog did not have an exact focus at first, but I felt it was important to keep writing in the wake of redundancy from the newspaper in which I had worked for more than 22 years.

It has allowed me to reach a whole new audience and provide a platform for groups such as the ‘Tuam Babies’ families and survivors, victims of clerical abuse, the Shannonwatch protesters, anti-racism and homelessness activists, who feel they do not always get adequate or fair coverage in the mainstream media.

Sometimes blogging can be a lonely occupation, but it’s fantastic to get such wonderful recognition from my peers.

The voices of the voiceless need to be heard at a time of so much injustice, inequality, and suffering in Ireland, and the rise of racism and populism, both in Ireland and overseas, is a cause of huge concern.

I dearly hope to return to full-time journalism at some stage but, in the meantime, I am absolutely thrilled that my humble little blog has received recognition at a national level.

I am also available for ‘ghost’ blogging for companies who believe they have a story to tell and I would love to find a sponsor to make my weekly rants more economically viable.

Thanks to everyone for the support and well-wishes in recent days.

Congratulations also to the Slugger O’Toole crew from Belfast, who won the Best Business Current Affairs Blog, and to my former Galway journalism colleague Jessica Thompson who came third in my category.

I can be contacted at ciaran@ciarantierney.com.

And you can read my regular rants, or pieces about Irish politics, at http://ciarantierney.blogspot.com/

I also have a Facebook page, http://facebook.com/ciarantierneymedia

Thanks again!

The full list of winners in the Current Affairs / Politics category at the Blog Awards Ireland 2018

 

Celebrating at the awards ceremony at the Tramline in Dublin

Challenge your brain for Liam!

The inspirational Liam Cullinane has battled a rare form of meningitis for over 25 years.

A table quiz is being held in Galway City tomorrow (Thursday) night to boost the continuing recovery of a remarkable man who has battled a rare and deadly form of meningitis for the past 25 years.

Liam Cullinane is one of the most remarkable people I know.

He is seeking funds to continue with life-changing hybperbaric oxygen therapy which has transformed his life this year.

I wrote a press release to publicise the event which takes place at Crowe’s pub in Bohermore at 8pm.

I have also written a personal blog post, celebrating what Liam means to me and his wide circle of friends in Galway.

He awoke from a coma in Scotland in 1993 and began a long and brave battle to regain his health and build an independent life here in Galway.

He recently began receiving daily sessions at the OxyGeneration clinic and has been thrilled by his progress.

“The scientifically proven anti-inflammatory process seems to be working away at reducing the inflammation in my brain and body, and the results so far have been excellent.  After the very first treatment I noticed increased flexibility and slept really well that night,” he told me recently.

“I awoke feeling energised the following morning. After six weeks of treatment the tremor in my right arm reduced to such an extent that I was able to drink a glass of water using my right hand without any spillage for the first time in 25 years!”

You cannot measure a man by his career or his bank account when you witness Liam’s determination to live a full and independent life every day.

You can read the blog post here: http://ciarantierney.blogspot.com/2018/10/no-ordinary-friend.html

Please note that Ciaran Tierney Digital Storyteller is avaiable for freelance journalism, feature writing, or professional blogging.

If your business has a story to tell, why not hire a professional journalist to write a regular blog?

It’s a great way of connecting with, and extending, your online community!

Double finalist at the Irish Blog Awards!

 

I am delighted to confirm that my personal blog has reached the finals of the 2018 Blog Awards Ireland in two categories.

This week the organisers of the awards contacted me to confirm that I am a finalist in both the Blog Post and Current Affairs / Political Categories.

I received the silver medal in the second category in Dublin last year.

I am particularly thrilled by the first nomination as it relates to a piece I wrote about Tuam Home survivor Peter Mulryan back in March.

I decided to write the blog post after meeting Peter at the wonderful Flowers for the Magdalenes ceremony in Galway.

It takes place at the Bohermore Cemetery in the city each year, with a small group coming together to honour the women who died in the Magdalene Laundry in Forster Street in the city.

This beautiful ceremony gives the women – including Peter’s mother – a dignity which was denied them in life.

His mother died at the Galway city laundry and it was only after her death that Peter discovered he had a little sister, who was one of the 796 ‘Tuam Babies’.

He has been campaigining for justice and the truth ever since. I felt compelled to write the piece after noticing that I was the only print journalist at the ceremony, although some photographers did attend.

You can read the blog post here: https://ciarantierney.blogspot.com/2018/03/for-peter-and-families-its-personal.html

Throughout the past year I have also continued to write an occasional political blog which examines issues such as corruption, neutrality, homelessness, and racism, which are not always covered by the mainstream media here in Ireland.

The awards ceremony takes place at the Tramline in Dublin on Thursday, October 25.

Please note that I am also available for ‘ghost’ or ‘business’ blogging. If your company is not getting your story out to your online community, why not consider hiring a professional journalist to write a blog on your behalf every week or every month?

You don’t even have to be based in Galway. We could chat via Skype and I could then write blog posts depending on your story.

And thanks for the support!

Peter Mulryan at his mother’s grave in Galway. A blog post I wrote about him has made it through to the final of the 2018 Blog Awards Ireland.

Blog of the Year Shortlist Announced

 

Great to recognition for my blog!

During a tough climate for journalism in Ireland, blogging can be a great way of reaching out to a wide audience and covering issues which do not always reach the mainstream.

In 2014, before I left the newspaper industry, I set up a personal blog which allows me to write regularly about issues I feel passionate about.

Issues I have covered over the past year include homelessness in Galway, the rights of clerical abuse victims, racism and injustice, sexual abuse in a meditation group, and the monthly peace demonstration at Shannon Airport.

In 2018, I have been particularly touched by the families of the ‘Tuam Babies’ and their campaign for justice, plus those who felt a need to demonstrate during the visit by Pope Francis to Ireland last month.

The Shannonwatch protests, for example, get very little coverage in the mainstream Irish media.

This week I was delighted to be informed that I have made the shortlist for the 2018 Irish Blog of the Year awards.

The awards ceremony takes place in Dublin in October and I was delighted to pick up a silver medal after reaching the final last year.

You can read my personal blog at http://ciarantierney.blogspot.ie/

There is still another round of judging before the finalists are announced. I’m in the Current Affairs (Personal Blog) category.

Blogging can be a great way for independent journalists to reach a wide audience, even if there are no immediate financial rewards.

Please note I am also available to blog for YOUR business. If you want to reach out to your online community with regular posts, please do get in touch at ciaran@ciarantierney.com.

Blogging for business allows me to pursue my passion for social justice causes and I’m also open to sponsorship if anyone wants to reach thousands of readers every month via my blog.

Thank you!

Second prize at the 2017 Irish Blog of the Year awards

 

A Stunning night for the Gaza soccer kids

The Gaza soccer team were guests of honour at a Galway United FC game in 2016. Photo courtesy of Sean Ryan. http://sportsphoto.ie/

An underage soccer team from Gaza are on their way to Ireland this summer and you can play your part in getting them here by joining a late night party with members of The Stunning in Galway on Sunday, July 22 (11pm).

Fresh from their Galway International Arts Festival gig at the Big Top on the same night, the members of the band are putting on a night of tunes and nostalgia to celebrate with their fans and friends into the early hours.

All proceeds from the gig at Massimo, William Street West, go to the Gaza Kids to Ireland project and there is a suggested donation of €10 on the door.

The boys from the Al-Helal Football Academy captured the hearts of many Galway people when they visited Kinvara over the past two summers and it would be incredible if their trip to Ireland could become an annual event.

The boys were also delighted to meet the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, when they attended a game between Galway United and Dundalk FC at Eamonn Deacy Park in 2016, when the entire main stand gave them a sustained round of applause.

The Stunning were formed in Galway in 1987. Lead singer Steve Wall recalls his formative student years in the city when he got involved in various causes, including the divorce referendum, a protest against US President Ronald Reagan, and the global boycott of South Africa during the Apartheid years.

“In many ways, Galway formed us. There was a sense of creative freedom and artistic adventure in the place that definitely had an effect on the band we became.  Galway was also home to a lot of misfits, which I loved,” says Steve.

“Galway students were very outspoken. I saw the importance of making your voice heard and saw the changes that were made possible in doing so. Look at the recent referendums and how people rallied together. I believe that if you feel something is wrong, then you need to do something about it instead of expecting others to do it on your behalf.”

Steve says he has been appalled by the disregard for human rights and international law which has gone on in Palestine over the years. He feels it’s important to use his platform as a musician to speak out against injustice.

“The blatant ethnic cleansing of a nation is happening before our eyes and the silence of the world is a disgrace. So I try to do whatever I can to keep their plight visible and to highlight what’s going on,” he says.

“Even if it means just letting my friends know on social media that a local supermarket is selling Israeli potatoes then it’s something. The international boycott of South African goods had a huge effect on the ending of Apartheid, but it seems harder to get the world to react to the destruction of Palestine.”

He points out that 1.9 million people are living under siege in Gaza, a tiny strip of land which has been described as an open air prison and is just 6% of the size of Co Galway.

Members of The Stunning will take turns on the decks at Massimo to spin some of their favourite tunes, but they will get the opportunity to mix with old friends following their Big Top show at the Fisheries Field. The Big Top show starts at 8pm.

Support at Massimo comes from acclaimed Galway ‘indie’ DJ Foz, who will start the party while the members of the band are making their way over to the gig from Fisheries Field.

The entire Gaza Kids to Ireland project is organised and funded by volunteers. Given how appalling living conditions are in Gaza, this soccer trip is seen as a huge morale-booster for the talented young soccer players and their families.

Footballers in Gaza are regularly harassed at checkpoints, prevented from travelling, and forced to cancel games. The Al-Helal ground in northern Gaza, where the boys play their home games, was bombed by Israel in 2012 and again in 2014.

Children in Gaza are among the most traumatised in the world. Many of the Al-Helal boys were emotionally scarred by the 2014 Israeli military assault on the Gaza Strip, in which more than 2,250 Palestinians, including 551 children, were killed.

But football coaches and rival teams in Ireland have been amazed by the spirit and skills of the Gaza youngsters, who are looking forward to returning to Ireland to represent their country with pride.

Your €10 donation can help make this trip happen. Doors open at 11pm.

You can also find out more or donate towards the cost of bringing the children to Ireland at http://gazaactionireland.ie/

 

Ends…

Palestinian human rights advocate seeks support for ‘settlements’ ban

Palestinian human rights defender Shawan Jabarin

By Ciaran Tierney

One of the leading advocates for human rights in Palestine is visiting Ireland this week to urge members of the national parliament to support a bill which would ban Israeli ‘settlement’ goods from the country.

Shawan Jabarin, Director General of Al-Haq in the West Bank, is set to tell parliamentarians that they have a legal obligation to ban settlement products under international law.

He believes that the private member’s bill currently before the Seanad could set a precedent for countries all across Europe.

Mr Jabarin will meet members of the Dail and Seanad on Wednesday (tomorrow) to urge them to support Independent Senator Frances Black’s bill which calls for a prohibition on goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“Palestinians have a right to exercise self-determination, just like any other people all over the world. They have a full right to live in peace in their land, to have sovereignty over their natural resources, and I do believe that Palestine is a test for all of the human rights principles of international law,” he said, prior to the Dublin meetings.

“We are not asking anyone to do that for ethical reasons only, but to do it according to their legal obligation. My main purpose in visiting here is to encourage the parliamentarians to vote in favour of the motion before the Irish parliament about the settlement products.”

Senator Black’s bill is set to be opposed by the Government, as Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said that Ireland would continue to support action at a European Union level which differentiated between ‘settlement’ goods from the West Bank and goods from Israel.

The Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 would make it illegal to purchase goods and services from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in the Republic of Ireland.

“It’s not enough to say that Ireland is part of the EU and that we have a common market and common rules. It’s not enough to say that the EU took a decision to label and differentiate the settlement products. Labelling settlement products without a vision to ban them is not enough,” said Mr Jabarin.

“Why do the Governments put the responsibilities on the shoulders of the customers? The governments have a legal obligation, according to international law. According to the European law, these settlements are illegal.

“The Israelis are benefitting, with the settlers expanding their presence, deepening the occupation every day in Palestine, and pillaging our natural resources. This bill means supporting the rule of law, justice, and the legal obligations of Irish parliamentarians.”

Shawan Jabarin met with Deputy Noel Grealish TD, a member of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee, in Galway

Mr Jabarin, who leads the oldest and best-known human rights organisation in the West Bank, studied international law at the Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) in Galway in 2004-5 and feels a deep connection with the Irish people.

He was honoured with a ‘Student of the Decade’ award by NUI Galway in 2008, but was unable to travel due to a travel ban imposed on him by the Israeli authorities from 2006 to 2013.

Instead, he had to accept the award via a video link from Ramallah.

“I am here to advocate for justice, rule of law, the rights of victims, and the principles of international law. Palestinians are suffering now because of the lack of implementation of and respect for all of these principles. There is a lack of political will to proceed and push for the implementation of these principles,” he said.

“Our people are suffering due to double standards and because there is no implementation of these principles. I look at the Irish Government and people as friends, who suffered for centuries from injustice themselves, and they know well what it means to be in a situation like that, what it means to be persecuted.”

Mr Jabarin said that the illegal ‘settlements’ were widely seen as the biggest barrier to peace in Israel and Palestine, which is why the bill currently before the Irish Seanad was so important in terms of setting a precedent for other European countries.

“Moving Israeli citizens to the occupied territories is a war crime, according to international humanitarian law and the International Criminal Court (ICC) statute. So why let the criminals profit from their crimes? Why open your markets to them?”

“We are seeing what’s going on in Gaza. They are shooting to kill. They are shooting civilians because they are demonstrating peacefully about their rights. Our message is that the international community has a legal obligation to act, to impose sanctions on Israel, to use all political, economic, and diplomatic means.”

Mr Jabarin (left) gave a talk at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway on Friday. He studied there in 2004-5.

Mr Jabarin said he was determined to tell the Irish politicians that every country in Europe had an obligation to cooperate with the ICC.

He has urged them to investigate the spate of shootings in Gaza over the past two and a half months and also to be mindful of the persecution and harassment Palestinians in the West Bank face every day.

“The people of the West Bank feel that everyone has left them, that the Israelis are punishing them and persecuting them. What’s going on in the West Bank is the worst form of Apartheid. It’s worse than what’s happened in South Africa under the Apartheid regime,” he said.

“Just imagine. People cannot visit their city, Jerusalem, as they cut off the city from the rest of the occupied territory. Families are separated. Tens of thousands of families are split up because the Israeli authorities don’t let them get together in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and outside.

“They are targeting the fabric of our society, to destruct the Palestinian communities, and separate them from each other. At the entrance of each city, town, and village, there are military gates which Israel can close off at any time. They are dealing with us as if we are prisoners everywhere.

“They have cut thousands of families off from each other in Gaza and the West Bank. There are families who haven’t seen each other for years and they cannot get a permit just to go and visit family members. They have moving checkpoints for no reason, just to pressure people, to humiliate people. It’s Apartheid and colonisation.”

Mr Jabarin said that the Israeli authorities were trying to silence those who criticise the occupation, including Al-Haq.

But he believed that the smearing of human rights organisations in both Israel and Palestine would not deter them from undertaking their work on the ground.

“Human rights are not a job. We believe strongly in what we do. I know one main thing. We will not give up what we do. We will not step back. We will continue our struggle for justice and the rule of law to the end. Until this occupation ends, we will not give up,” he said.

“I put hope in the international community. My big hope is in the public. The public can make the impossible possible. The public can change everything. Each one of us can do something to stop this oppression and this injustice and this horrible regime and occupation, and to stop these horrible crimes and human rights violations against Palestinians.”

 

A vigil in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Galway on Monday. Galway City Council adopted a motion calling for boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israeli goods.

Find Ciaran Tierney Digital Storyteller on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ciarantierneymedia

 

Leading Palestinian human rights activist to speak in Galway

Palestinian human rights activist Shawan Jabarin

A leading Palestinian human rights activist who was prevented by the Israeli authorities from travelling to Galway to receive an award eight years ago is set to give a talk in the city tomorrow (Friday, 5pm).

In 2010, the Israeli authorities refused permission to Shawan Jabarin to travel to Ireland to collect a “distinguished graduate award” from the Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) at NUI Galway.

Mr Jabarin spent a year studying international human rights law at NUI Galway in 2004-5, but was not allowed leave the West Bank in order to collect the award which was part of the ICHR’s tenth anniversary celebrations.

A director of the Palestinian human rights non-governmental organisation, Al-Haq, he has been subjected to administrative detention without trial, travel bans, torture, and death threats for his work as a human rights defender and activist.

He will speak at NUI Galway tomorrow about the Great March of Return, Israel’s assault on Gaza, and the loss of over 120 Palestinian lives since the protests began more than two months ago.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been protesting along the border fence with Israel to mark the 70th anniversary of the ‘Nakba’ (‘Catastrophe’), demanding their right to return to the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 year ago.

The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 saw an estimated 750,000 Arabs being removed from their homes, land, and villages.

The mass demonstrations have taken place every Friday for almost three months. At least 120 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,000 people wounded by Israeli soldiers in the tiny coastal enclave which is home to 1.9 million people and is smaller than Co Louth.

Mr Jabarin is Director General of Al-Haq, the largest and oldest Palestinian human rights organisation.

He will tell the Galway audience about the mass protests in Gaza and the response of the Israeli military, including the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters.

In what promises to be a fascinating talk, he will also talk about ongoing attempts to hold Israel to account for its violation of international law in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories).

This timely and important talk takes place at the Seminar Room, the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway, tomorrow (Friday) at 5pm.

  • This talk is open to the public and, according to the ICHR, all are welcome!