Galway City Council has today adopted a motion to fully support the the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The motion was brought forward by Labour councillor Billy Cameron and received the support of the majority of councillors.

The Galway Palestine Solidarity Committee held a rally outside City Hall earlier today to show support for the BDS movement and the Palestinian people.

Delighted to show solidarity with the Palestinian People by supporting a motion which endorses the Palestinian led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions #BDS which Galway City Council has now passed. pic.twitter.com/vPLb0AbQVz — Mairéad Farrell (@Farrell_Mairead) June 11, 2018

Galway City Council joins city councils across Europe in supporting the BDS movement – last week Valencia was declared an “Israeli apartheid-free zone” after its City Council adopted a motion to boycott the “illegal country”.

In recent weeks, the Israeli Defence Forces killed over 100 people at the Gaza border.

21-year old medic Razzan Najjar (who was wearing a white medic’s coat) was shot and killed while attending to injured Palestinians.

The Galway Palestine Solidarity Committee said on social media: “Thanks to everyone who showed up at City Hall to express solidarity with the people of Palestine today, especially those who travelled from Kinvara, Mayo, and Connemara.” #Galway Cty Council in #Ireland this afternoon adopted a motion to “fully support and endorse” the #Palestinian led #BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement in solidarity with the people of #Palestine. A lunchtime vigil took place outside City Hall. pic.twitter.com/mUPWMycxOC — Ciaran Tierney (@ciarantierney) June 11, 2018

The motion that was put forward read: “1. Since its violent establishment in 1948 through the ethnic cleansing of more than half of the indigenous people of Palestine, the state of Israel has denied Palestinians their fundamental rights and has refused to comply with international law; noting also that Israel continues to illegally occupy and colonise Palestinian land, discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel, imposes an inhumane blockade and siege of Gaza and denies Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes, Galway City Council fully supports and endorses the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for freedom, equality and justice and commits itself to discontinue all business contracts it has with Hewlett-Packard, both HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise for business and government services, as well as the HP spin-off DXC Technology as HP and DXC provide and operate much of the technology infrastructure that Israel uses to maintain its system of apartheid and settler colonialism over the Palestinian people.”