March to show solidarity with the people of Palestine to take place in Sligo this Saturday

A MARCH to express solidarity with the people of Palestine and Gaza and calling for an end to genocide will take place in Sligo on Saturday afternoon.

Participants will assemble at Connaughton Road car park at 3pm and march through the main streets to Sligo City Hall, where they will be addressed by a number of speakers.

The demonstration, which is being organised by the Sligo Palestine Solidarity Campaign, is also calling for the Irish government to support South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

Calling on Sligo people to join in the march, Ms Aine Daly said “We cannot stand idly by while Israel continues its daily slaughter of innocent civilians in Gaza.

To date over 25,000 Palestinians have been confirmed dead, two thirds of them women and children.

“Israel’s blockade of Gaza – and its refusal to allow essential supplies like food, water and medical supplies to be dispersed – has caused a public health disaster in the enclave.

“The Solidarity Campaign is again calling on the Irish Government to initiate its own proceedings or to support South Africa’s proceedings against Israel in the International Criminal Court.

“In countries all over the world more and more people are expressing their growing concern at the extent of the genocide and the ever-increasing numbers of civilian deaths in Gaza.

“People are also concerned about the scale of the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including infrastructure critical to the provision of healthcare and to the supply of food and water, and the reports of UN agencies that hunger in Gaza is now at catastrophic levels, that rates of infection from various life-threatening diseases are soaring and that Gaza is now uninhabitable.

“The Irish government must now do everything in its power to influence Israel to stop committing genocide.

“This includes imposing sanctions and ceasing trade relations – the very kind of measures that the EU and others have adopted when other States violate international law,” she said.

MEMBERS of Sligo County Council have decided to write to the Garda Commissioner and the Head of Administrative Services in An Garda Síochána expressing their concern at the lack of lab space, parking, office space, and cell space at the current “unfit for purpose” Garda Station in Sligo Town.

They also agreed to ask the Garda Commissioner to clarify to the Council that the reason there is no assigned Armed Support Unit based in Co Sligo is because there is a lack of required space for the unit to operate from.

Both moves have come on the back of proposals by Cllr Thomas Walsh which he outlined at the January meeting of Sligo County Council.

He said the absence of an Armed Support Unit based in Sligo town means they were continuing to put members of the public at high risk and members of the gardaí who are dealing with four crime gangs operating in the Sligo area.

“Despite that fact, that threat, we continue to operate without an ASU and that is not acceptable,” he said.

The motion was agreed and will be circulated to all four TDs in the Sligo Leitrim constituency.

Cllr Marie Casserly said that while awaiting the building of a new garda station in Sligo it was still important that they meet their short-term needs in the existing station.

“We have an increased population, none of these issues will go away just because there is the announcement of a new garda station. There has to be some sort of plan to ensure that all the services being carried out by the members of An Garda Siochána are not hindered by a lack of space and facilities.

Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady added: “It is important that services that are lacking due to a lack of space are highlighted.”