St. Paul’s GFC was well represented on Saturday’s Great March For Gaza, as were other local GAA clubs. The march started off from Lurgan town centre at 8:40 am as thousands of men, women and children swept down Edward Street, accompanied by a lone piper.
The march itself was broken down into stages and participants were encouraged to tackle one or more stage, according to their ability.
As we passed through Bleary and Moneypenny Bridge the numbers gradually reduced as the elderly and those with young children achieved their aim of completing one or two stages.
The weather wasn’t particularly kind to the marchers and there were more than a few heavy downpours but this didn’t seem to dishearten anyone and spirits remained high throughout. Despite the rain, it was a warm day and wet clothing didn’t take long to dry (before the next downpour).
There were a number of potential flashpoints where pro-Zionists congregated in an attempt to block the march and it was readily recognised that Scarva was likely to have the largest gathering of protesters. The instruction from IPSC was to not engage with the protestors and act with dignity. This instruction was by and large followed to a T and the march successfully proceeded along the towpath towards Poyntzpass.
It has to be stated that the stewards, in conjunction with the PSNI marshalled these potential areas of conflict magnificently 👏👏👏
There were some long but necessary stops(some over 30 minutes) at the flashpoints and whenever the IPSC thought the march was losing its’ compactness. These delays did unfortunately make the march more difficult.
Poyntzpass to Newry is 9 miles and this was undoubtedly the most arduous leg. Not just because it was 15 miles into the march but the long pathways just didn’t give any insight to where the final destination lay.
When we finally reached Newry Town Hall we were greeted by a huge crowd of cheering, local supporters.
After a few speeches the Newry contingent accompanied by some of the original marchers, and some of our own members made their way to the final endpoint - OMEATH.
In concluding, the march was a wonderful success and a great example of organising skills by IPSC.
St. Paul’s members raised £378 in cash plus online donations for two Palestinian charities. IPSC has raised over £9,000 so far and the target is £15,000. If you would still like to donate, please use this link.
https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/great-march-for-gaza-lurgan-to-newry
Footnote. There were 4 arrests on the day. All 4 were pro-Zionist counter-protesters.
saor in aisce saor in aisce Palaistín
The march itself was broken down into stages and participants were encouraged to tackle one or more stage, according to their ability.
As we passed through Bleary and Moneypenny Bridge the numbers gradually reduced as the elderly and those with young children achieved their aim of completing one or two stages.
The weather wasn’t particularly kind to the marchers and there were more than a few heavy downpours but this didn’t seem to dishearten anyone and spirits remained high throughout. Despite the rain, it was a warm day and wet clothing didn’t take long to dry (before the next downpour).
There were a number of potential flashpoints where pro-Zionists congregated in an attempt to block the march and it was readily recognised that Scarva was likely to have the largest gathering of protesters. The instruction from IPSC was to not engage with the protestors and act with dignity. This instruction was by and large followed to a T and the march successfully proceeded along the towpath towards Poyntzpass.
It has to be stated that the stewards, in conjunction with the PSNI marshalled these potential areas of conflict magnificently 👏👏👏
There were some long but necessary stops(some over 30 minutes) at the flashpoints and whenever the IPSC thought the march was losing its’ compactness. These delays did unfortunately make the march more difficult.
Poyntzpass to Newry is 9 miles and this was undoubtedly the most arduous leg. Not just because it was 15 miles into the march but the long pathways just didn’t give any insight to where the final destination lay.
When we finally reached Newry Town Hall we were greeted by a huge crowd of cheering, local supporters.
After a few speeches the Newry contingent accompanied by some of the original marchers, and some of our own members made their way to the final endpoint - OMEATH.
In concluding, the march was a wonderful success and a great example of organising skills by IPSC.
St. Paul’s members raised £378 in cash plus online donations for two Palestinian charities. IPSC has raised over £9,000 so far and the target is £15,000. If you would still like to donate, please use this link.
https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/donation/great-march-for-gaza-lurgan-to-newry
Footnote. There were 4 arrests on the day. All 4 were pro-Zionist counter-protesters.
saor in aisce saor in aisce Palaistín
