New banner for SIPTU building

By Daniel O'Neill

A new banner is to be unveiled on a city centre building tomorrow, Friday, which is hoped will encourage the Government to enact the Occupied Territories Bill.

The Cork Council of Trade Unions will host an event for the unveiling of their new banner on the SIPTU headquarters in the city which demands the Government enact the Occupied Territories Bill.

The Palestinian community of Cork will also be gifted a bowl of shamrock at the event which takes place on 14 March at Connolly Hall on Lapps Quay at 1pm. Joe Kelly, Honorary President of the Cork Council of Trade Unions will present the bowl of shamrock to a young member of the Palestinian community to show Ireland's solidarity with the their community.

Cork Council of Trade Unions spokesperson and SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “On Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin will hand a bowl of shamrock to US president Donald Trump in Washington.

“While we understand that there may be a political necessity in the Taoiseach maintaining what is a several decades long tradition, we feel it is equally essential that we mark the continuing oppression of the Palestinian people by Israel with the backing of the USA,” Mr Kane added.

He said: “Trump has threatened to remove the Palestinian population from Gaza and turn the area into some form of a holiday resort, and added it would be the largest case of ethnic cleansing of a population since World War Two.

“By our symbolic presentation of a bowl of shamrock to the Cork Palestinian community we wish to make clear that the people of Ireland stand with Palestine and not a US President who wishes to force them from their homeland.”

On Sunday Israel disconnected the only power line to a water desalination plant in Palestinian as part of its efforts to pressure Hamas into agreeing to its terms in expected truce talks.