Solidarity shown for Polish native killed in Palestine

SHOWING solidarity for their fellow countryman who was killed in Palestine were the polish community of Newry who staged a demonstration outside Town Hall in protest to the ongoing Israeli hostilities in Gaza.

Damian Sobel who was 35 and originally from Poland was one of seven aid workers killed in Gaza following an Israeli airstrike that hit both he and his fellow World Central Kitchen workers as they were delivering vital aid to the thousands of Palestinian refugees that have been displaced in the wake of Israel’s brutal retaliation for the attacks carried out by Hamas in October.

Three British nationals, an a Australian and a Palestinian native were also amongst the entourage that were killed alongside Mr Sobel.

Demonstrating their unyielding empathy in the wake of this abhorrent tragedy were the Polish natives that over the past many years have called the city of Newry their home, who alongside representatives from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign took to the streets in yet another protests against the atrocities that are being carried out in Palestine by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Present at the event was IPSC member Marc Mac Seáin who explained how the Polish community have been supportive of the Palestinian people over these past many months in the wake of the most recent escalation of this decades long conflict.

Damian Sobel

“The reason the demonstration outside town hall was organised is because people from the polish community in Newry called it and came to the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and asked us to support them in the demonstration that they themselves had arranged.

“Dan Gebski, who is a Polish national, chaired the event and he delivered an extensive speech at the start with Polish language and he had quotes from Polish advocates for Palestine. He had a few quotes of his own and then he opened up to anyone who wanted to speak to come up and speak. However the whole point of the meeting was to commemorate Damien Sobol who was a Polish national and was one of the aid workers who had been killed in Palestine.

“Dan provided an overview of what had happened with the aid convoy and the man who had been killed and where he was from. He then gave his opinion on what had happened saying that it was reminiscent of what had happened in Ireland during the famine. People in Ireland can understand this and the people in Poland can understand a totalitarian system.He then read a piece from a Palestinian academic and then from a journalist. He read them out first in Polish and then in English. He then opened up the floor for people to speak.

“I put out a few demands for the Irish government and Polish government to put local pressure on Israel and then Cathal King from Sinn Fein gave a short speech also. Dan then asked for a minutes silence to commemorate the fellow who had been killed. There was a photo of the aid worker that had been killed and candles were light as part of the commemoration. We then finally got a big group photo at the very end.

“I have contact with different Polish/ Irish people who live here and from my experience with them they have had a similar sentiment to what is happening in Palestine to most of the other people that I have come across in Newry. They have largely been supportive of the Palestinian people and hate what they have been seeing over this past many months”

Concurring with Marcs assessment of the polish people’s disposition when it comes to the ongoing conflict in Palestine was Mr Gebski himself, who stated that the recent actions taken by the Israeli government demonstrate that not only is their aggression a form of genocide against the Palestinian people, but also anyone who is in Palestine.

Genocide

“I am a member of the Polish Community in Newry and I have lived in Northern Ireland for 20 years. Whilst I cannot speak for the whole Polish community I would say as a Polish man I am totally against the genocide in Palestine.

“The demonstration was a demonstration against the killing of innocent people. It was also a vigil for Damian Sobol who tragically died whilst helping others. There are marches every weekend in Poland against the genocide including Warsaw and Kraków.

“Polish people thought until the aid worker was killed that this was a political fight and that people who were dying were just from Palestine. However now with what happened on April 2 we clearly see that it is not just a genocide against the Palestinian people, it is genocide against anyone who is in Palestine.

“We were hammered in the Second World War by the Nazis from 1939-1945 and we know better and Jewish people should know better. This is the same thing that is happening, it is a genocide.

“My position is very clear which is the Israeli Army have to stop what they are doing in killing innocent people. People are dying of starvation and if you are killing the humanitarian organisations and charites that are feeding the people that are dying of hunger this is the lowest you can get. Our position is that we are totally against this.

“The Polish community are now going to get involved more to really highlight the problem. Our job now is to start talking about this.”