Irish athletes in Dublin showed solidarity with Palestinians and protested Saturday against Israel for its onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
Dozens joined the Irish Sport for Palestine group's rally in front of parliament. Former Irish international boxer and European champion, Eric Donovan, 38, said the rally is "very important to stand up for the injustices and the genocide that happened in Palestine."
"And what is happening in Palestine is not very fair and not very equal at the moment. It's horrific crimes, heinous, evil crimes that are being carried out by Israel and supported by their allies in America and in Europe. So, we must come together to call out this genocide, this inhumane action," Donovan told Anadolu.
"If we keep speaking up and keep standing up, then hopefully the powers that be will actually take some action and sanction Israel and ban them, and remove them from world sports. They don't deserve to participate on the global stage in sporting events," he said. "The genocide has to stop and Palestine needs to be free.”
A group of pro-Palestine protestors, including the athletes, showed “red cards” to indicate that Israel should not be allowed to participate in international sporting tournaments. A red car in football signals that a player has been ejected from the match for breaking the rules.
Despite Palestinian and global demands to banish Israel from international events, Israeli sports clubs and national teams have been competing in tournaments since early October when the current conflict began. Israeli athletes have also been allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympics which will begin July 26 in Paris.
Read: 90 Palestinians killed in Gaza strikes
The protestors, who were holding Palestinian flags, also placed toys on the sidewalk in front of parliament to commemorate children killed by Israel.
Israel's war on Gaza
Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.
More than 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 88,000 injured, according to local health authorities.
Over nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
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