DUP set to write to Gardai top brass over displays in support of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group

The EU's European Council on Foreign Relations describes the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine as a violent Marxist group founded in 1967.

"Both its political and military wings are listed as foreign terrorist organisations by the EU and the United States," it says (alongside Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Hezbollah - the other main Palestinian paramilitary groups).

"[The PFLP] opposes a two-state solution and instead calls for the creation of a democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine through armed struggle…

"The group’s armed military wing, known as the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, is particularly active in Gaza where it has fought against Israel alongside Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants."

The EU says that groups on its terror list "are subject to both the freezing of funds and other financial assets, as well as enhanced measures related to police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters".

The News Letter first asked Gardai about the displays of the red-and-white PFLP flags on October 26.

This reporter sent a link to an image of the flags at a Dublin demo, and said that there were many other such examples across Ireland (as a simple Twitter search shows).

The response came: "An Garda Siochana does not comment on third-party material. I will look into your enquiry and respond in due course."

But nothing further was heard of it.

Asked again on Friday, Gardai said nothing.

The News Letter also asked a number of European Commission spokespeople about the matter.

The commission responded: “The directive on combatting terrorism sets minimum rules in the area of criminalisation of terrorist and terrorism-related offences.

"These rules includes criminalisation of participation in terrorist activities, financing and provocation to commit a terrorist offence (whether online or offline) including glorification.

"It is in the competence of member states’ judiciaries to decide on a case-by-case basis whether a particular act would constitute any of the terrorist offences described.”

Deborah Erskine, the DUP Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA, told the News Letter: “The Republic of Ireland is a near neighbour of my constituency but is responsible for its own affairs.

"There is however no place on the streets of a democracy for the display of flags or emblems that support terrorism.

"The PFLP is a proscribed organisation by the EU and therefore I will be drawing the matter to the attention of the Garda Commissioner.”

She added: “We all want to see peace in the Middle East. Whilst many are protesting, they fail to realise that on October 6, 2023, there was a ceasefire, but Hamas chose to embark on a brutal killing spree and break that ceasefire.

"What makes people think that Hamas would be any more respectful of a new ceasefire?”

In the UK, the PFLP is not outlawed. Only an offshoot of it is – the PFLP-General Command.

The PFLP flag has been flown a number of times in the UK too since the October 7 massacre – for example at a pro-Palestine march in Londonderry, and by Celtic fans at a match against Atletico Madrid.

Asked if it is considering outlawing the group, the UK government told the News Letter: “Whilst the government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not comment on whether a specific organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.”

And more on the NI / RoI reaction to the Middle East carnage here:

• Complaint about MLA's 'victory to the Palestinian resistance' post on day of Hamas massacre is rejected by Stormont standards body

• Nigel Dodds criticises motion from Sinn Fein that laments toll on civilian life and property from Israeli bombs

• Irish parliament is told by People Before Profit TD: 'Israel has no right to defend itself - only Palestinians have that right'

• WATCH: 'Send in your own SWAT teams - you are good at heavy-handed stuff!' Bad-tempered exchange on floor of Irish parliament over Sinn Fein 'posturing' on Israel and Palestine

• DUP calls the boycott Israel movement 'extremist' as efforts under way to pressure Dunnes Stores and SuperValu to pull all Israeli goods from shelves

As for residents of Gaza, the dire humanitarian situation continues today.

The Gazan ministry of health stopped reporting on the death toll there several days ago; at that time it was just over 11,000, with another 3,640 people missing (including 1,770 children), presumably entombed in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

In addition, 25 hospitals are out of action, 70% of Gazans have fled their homes, and 41,000 homes have been destroyed.

There have been at least 53 Israeli military personnel killed.

As of last Friday, the UN Refugee and Works Agency said today that nearly 830,000 people are now sheltering in 154 UN installations.

It says “the over-crowding is leading to significant spread of diseases, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhoea”, that “on average, there is one shower unit for every 700 people”, with some refugees sharing roughly one toilet per 150 people.

Meanwhile overnight the IDF said: “Troops located a school in which Hamas terrorists were hiding and eliminated them. They confiscated multiple weapons found at the school.”

They also said they had found the body of a murdered teenage soldier, abducted on October 7, adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.