Mac Lochlainn to address inaugural conference of the Global Alliance for Palestine

Sinn Féin Chief Whip Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD is in London to address the inaugural conference of the ‘Global Alliance for Palestine’.

The conference marks the launch of a global network to coordinate Palestinian solidarity movements from across the globe; building a broad-based alliance that unites civil society, unions, student groups, cultural figures, and political actors across continents in defence of Palestinian self-determination.

Former Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, who will address the conference remotely, will sit on the advisory board of the initiative, alongside Jeremy Corbyn, Mustafa Barghouti, Yanis Varoufakis, Ronnie Kasrils, and other international political leaders.

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Speaking ahead from London, Teachta Mac Lochlainn said: “I welcome the launch of this initiative and am honoured to have been invited to provide an Irish voice to today’s proceedings. The need for a global alliance for Palestine has never been more critical. After 21-months of horror, destruction and death, the future of Palestine and its people now stand at a tipping point.

“The Israeli state is perpetrating the genocide of the Palestinian people with the support and complicity of the West.

“To end the suffering and dismantle Israel’s systems of apartheid, occupation and genocide, we need an effective coordinated international campaign to deliver peace, justice and freedom for Palestine and its people.

“The development and success of an organised global movement must be the common endeavour of all solidarity movements for Palestine internationally. We must unify and amplify all voices advocating for Palestinian liberation.

“From anti-BDS laws to media smear campaigns, from de-platforming to legal threats, the space for pro-Palestinian advocacy is constantly under threat. To dismantle such systems of oppression, we must collectively work together to help develop and strengthen the ‘Global Alliance for Palestine’ as a broad-based bulwark. Because there is incredible strength in our unity.”