Speaker at a pro-Palestine rally in Londonderry says ​‘We understand living under occupation’

The IPSC said the rally was a response to what it describes as the “ongoing violence and oppression in Palestine”.

One of the speakers told the crowd: “We understand what it’s like to live under occupation, and under oppression, so we will not abandon Palestine.”

The same speaker also led the crowd in chanting: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”The IPSC has also called for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador from Ireland.In a statement, Chair Catherine Hutton. said: “The situation in Gaza is dire. At the time of writing almost 7,000 Palestinians have lost their lives this year as a result of actions by the Israeli military.”The IPSC said it supports the calls for an immediate ceasefire but rejects any notion that there is a war between comparable armies."We reject the notion that Israel is engaged in a legal right of self defence."Under international law there are no clauses for vengeance, collective punishment, or ethnic cleansing,” the group added.

On Saturday, a number of local politicians spoke at the rally in Belfast including Sinn Fein MLA Declan Kearney, SDLP councillor Paul Doherty and People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll.

Also among politicians who spoke at the rally were representatives from a number of trade unions including Unison and the Irish National Teachers Organisation.

Paddy Mackel, chair of Belfast Trades Council, said the conflict “did not start three weeks ago”.

“You cannot ignore the illegal occupation of Palestine, the recolonisation of large parts of the occupied West Bank,” he said.

“International law applies in all conflict situations, which equally applies to Palestinians when they are the targets.”

Pro-Israel rallies have also been held in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.