Limerick sports stars sign an open letter declaring their solidarity with the Palestinian people

A NUMBER OF high-profile Limerick athletes have signed an open letter declaring their solidarity with the Palestinian people while calling for “an immediate and permanent

ceasefire in Gaza.

It comes as over 22,330 Palestinians, more than 9,000 of them children, have been killed by Israel since October 7, 2023.

According to the open letter, Israel “continues to target Palestinian athletes, especially footballers, many of them children and youths, and has destroyed sporting facilities in Gaza and the West Bank.”

The letter also encourages all sports people across the island to join their call for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire, for the illegal siege to be lifted, for humanitarian aid to be delivered, and for no further forced displacement of Palestinians.”

Among the Limerick names are Munster Rugby legends, Keith Earls and Jerry Flannery, All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions, Darragh O'Donovan, Sean Finn and Graeme Mulcahy, and basketball star Scott Kinevane.

Limerick Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) activist, Zoe Lawlor, welcomed the letter saying that it is no surprise to see Limerick sports people leading the way.

"It is powerful to see sports people carrying on the fight against Israeli apartheid, as so many did with the South African anti-apartheid struggle. Limerick people have always been resolute in our support for the people of Palestine,” said Ms Lawlor. 

“We also have important sporting ties with Palestine, with children's football teams from Gaza visiting here in 2016 and 2017. The people of Limerick have come out in huge numbers every week since this genocidal war by Israel began,” she added.

The activist says that she hopes this strong statement from Limerick sports stars will encourage even more people to come out and join the protest in solidarity with Palestine this Saturday, January 20 at 1pm on Bedford Row.