Understanding Ireland’s solidarity with Palestine through shared colonial history 

Ireland’s historic experience with British colonialism has fostered a strong, ongoing solidarity with Palestinians

DUBLIN (MNTV) —  Ireland’s women’s soccer team is planning to host a friendly match with the Palestinian national team in May as part of a fundraiser for Gaza.

In February 2024, Ireland’s women’s basketball team had refused to shake hands with their Israeli opponents during a EuroBasket qualifier, sparking accusations of antisemitism from some Israeli players. 

The region’s main political party, Irish nationalist Sinn Féin, historically linked to the Irish Republican Army, has also emerged as a strong supporter of Palestine. 

Many Irish artists and musicians have also been outspoken in their support for Palestine. 

The Shan Vans, a popular Irish indie rock band, draws direct comparisons between the Palestinian struggle and Ireland’s own history of oppression under British rule, singing about both Irish hunger strikers during the Troubles and Palestinians in Israeli prisons. 

In 2023, several Irish bands scheduled to perform at the South by Southwest festival in Texas withdrew in protest against the festival’s links to the U.S. Army, defense industries, and Israeli weapons sales. 

Experts say, Ireland’s historical experience with British colonialism has shaped a unique and profound solidarity with the Palestinian people, especially amid the current genocide in Gaza. 

Until 1921, much of what is now the Republic of Ireland was a British colony. 

Analysts say, many Irish people see the occupation of Palestine by Israel as a continuation of that same colonial pattern.

This deep empathy for the Palestinian struggle has been growing stronger, especially in Dublin, where the ongoing genocide in Gaza has sparked widespread public displays of solidarity.

While it is rare in the rest of Europe to see white Europeans supporting Palestine freedom overwhelmingly, in Ireland including in the British territory of Northern Ireland, fluttering of Palestinian flags and display of murals supporting Palestine is a usual sight.

Over a century ago, both Ireland and Palestine were under British colonial rule. Palestine was known as British Mandate Palestine, and many of the same British officials who served in Ireland also held positions in Palestine, leaving a significant mark on both regions.

One notable figure was former British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, whose 1917 Balfour Declaration supported the creation of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. 

However, before this declaration, Balfour was involved in Irish politics, opposing Irish home rule in the 1880s. 

His actions in Ireland were marked by his role in ordering police to open fire on protesters in Mitchelstown in 1887, an event that led to him being called “Bloody Balfour” in Ireland.

Sharing dark chapter in history

Ireland and Palestine shared another dark chapter in history: the British Black and Tans, a brutal police force notorious for their violence against Irish civilians. 

After Ireland’s independence, the same force was sent to Palestine, where they exerted colonial control over the Arab population.

Various British colonial tactics in Ireland were adopted in the Middle East to serve British interests, including supporting Jewish immigration to Palestine to create a loyal “Jewish Ulster.” 

“Ulster” refers to the British-settled areas in Northern Ireland.

While many nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have criticized Western colonialism, Ireland’s position as a European nation gives its solidarity with Palestine significant international weight.

Ireland’s support for Palestine is not a new development. 

In 1980, it became the first European Union member to officially call for Palestinian statehood. 

Ireland has also consistently been one of the most vocal critics of Israel in Europe. 

This tradition continued with the Irish government’s condemnation of Israeli military tactics in Gaza, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar declaring in November 2023 that Israel’s actions appeared to be “revenge” rather than self-defense.

Ireland’s long struggle for independence from British rule resonates with Palestinians’ fight against Israeli occupation. 

Similarly, in Belfast, the city’s famed International Wall, which has long hosted murals advocating for global human rights causes, has been repainted with artwork dedicated solely to the Palestinian cause.

As the genocide continues, the solidarity between Ireland and Palestine, built on shared histories of colonialism and oppression, shows no signs of waning. 

From politicians to artists, athletes, and ordinary citizens, the Irish continue to stand in vocal support of Palestine, advocating for an end to the violence and a recognition of Palestinian statehood on the global stage.