The Workers’ Party’s representative in Meath, Séamus McDonagh, has called for a full enquiry into the circumstances which led to the arrest of a Palestine supporter at last Saturday’s (June 9th) Meath v Tyrone football match.
McDonagh, who was in attendance at the match in question, said:
“I was in attendance at the Meath v Tyrone match on Saturday when the incident in question took place. It is absolutely clear to me that the actions of the Gardaí were excessive, heavy-handed and impossible to rationalise.
“I am calling for a comprehensive enquiry into why the arrest took place, to be made public by Meath GAA.”
McDonagh continued:
“The flying of flags at GAA is common practice, and while the GAA has a no flags policy this is rarely if ever enforced. For example, the Confederate flag is regularly flown at Cork matches with no consequences.
“It is clear that this was a case of selective policing, because the flag in question was a Palestinian flag. This is totally inappropriate.”
McDonagh concluded:
“Palestine is in the midst of a massacre. Scores of Palestinians have been shot in cold blood by the Israeli army, including babies, children and medics. This is not a situation which any of us should simply watch from the sidelines.
“We should be welcoming the fact that GAA fans wish to show solidarity with citizens living in a country such as Palestine, and make their views known publicly by proudly flying a flag. To be arrested for such a basic act of human solidarity is outrageous.”