Fórsa members will be participating in the next national demonstration for Palestine on Saturday 19th July. 

All members who wish to take part in the demonstration are encouraged to join the Fórsa delegation that will be marching as part of the trade union bloc. 

There will be a coffee morning in Nerney’s Court from 12pm for members to meet and get to know like-minded union members. 

The delegation will leave Nerney’s Court at 12.30pm to join the trade union bloc, gathering outside Mandate’s offices across the road from the Gate theatre on Cavendish Row. Members are welcome to join the delegation at Nerney’s Court or meet directly outside Mandate. 

The march will begin at the Garden of Remembrance at 1pm and finish outside the Dáil on Molesworth Street/Kildare Street. 

According to demonstration organisers, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the demonstration will call for immediate sanctions, the enactment of the Occupied Territories Bill including a ban on services, and the end to the state’s complicity through the central bank’s facilitation of the sale of war bonds and the transport of arms through Irish airspace.  

If you would like to become more involved with Fórsa’s Palestine demonstrations or would like to receive regular updates on the union’s activities in this area, contact campaigns@forsa.ie. 

BDS training portal 

For members looking to become more informed on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Trade Union Friends of Palestine (TUFP) has launched a BDS training portal.  

Trade Union Friends of Palestine is a cross-border collective of trade unionists who seek a lasting and just peace guaranteeing the freedom and human rights of Palestinians. 

Fórsa official and chair of Trade Union Friends of Palestine, Paul MacSweeney, said: “The portal is intended to ‘train the trainers.’ It is there to give people all the information they need to become a leader on BDS, both in their union and in their workplace.” 

The portal contains help with writing BDS motions including examples of motions passed by other unions, and a wide variety of reports and other information to explain BDS to colleagues who may only have a vague idea of what it entails. 

Paul said “We know everyone is deeply frustrated seeing men, women, and children being killed and starved. Boycott gives you the power as individuals to show you don’t accept this.” 

He continued: “Having the right information is crucial to being effective in any action. It can be difficult to know what falls under BDS and how best to target certain services that do, the portal is there to help give anyone who wants to take action.” 

The Trade Union Friends of Palestine portal can be found here.

A list of the companies which fall under BDS boycotts can be found here. 

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