Inishowen’s Long March for Gaza raises €22,000 for charities

Last month’s march from Malin Head to Buncrana by the Inishowen branch  of the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign has raised more than €22,000 for charities.

Around 500 people took part in all or sections of the march of 25-miles - the length of Gaza - which took place on September 13.

The march was aimed at highlighting the contrast between Gaza, which is home to 2.1million people,  and the peninsula, which has a population of 40,000.

It started at 7.30am at Banba’s Crown, Malin Head, and continued to Buncrana, finishing at 8pm.

The organisers of the march have expressed their thanks for the generosity shown to the campaign by the public. 

“A huge thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to the Long March for Gaza - the marchers, the support teams, the sponsors, bus driver, car drivers, stewards, those who fed and watered us along the way, the musicians and speakers who kept our spirits up, those who supplied amplification, generator, gazebos, etc, the poster and t-shirt designers, our extremely generous donors, and everyone who gave so willingly of their time and energy to make it a resounding success.

“The Long March for Gaza was a collaboration between four campaign groups: the Inishowen, Letterkenny and Derry branches of the IPSC, and the Strabane BDS group - solidarity in action!

“We are so grateful to you all. Every donation is impactful, and we are thankful for so many generous hearts.

“We have now closed the Chuffed account, but money is still coming into our bank account. Anyone who needs details of this, please contact the Inishowen branch of the IPSC.

“The final amount of money raised has yet to be realised, but it will come to at least €22,000, to be divided between our three recipients: Hilda Orr's Fund a Food Drop, Palihope, and the Palestinian Artist Sponsorship programme.

“Our hope is that the ceasefire will hold, and that our contribution will go towards the aid supplies that are so absolutely vital.

READ NEXT: The Henry Girls set to headline third benefit ‘Gig for Gaza’ this weekend

“Of course, the Long March did much more than raise essential funds - together we helped to make a statement, to further raise awareness and protest, and to strengthen a network of activists across the country and further afield.

“It's more important than ever that we continue this pressure until there is a permanent peace - with justice - for the people of Palestine, and until all those responsible for this appalling genocide are brought to book.”