Declan Kearney, the Irish republican politician in Northern Ireland addressed the delegates at the Global Anti-Apartheid Conference on Palestine from May 10 to 12. MAHMOOD SANGLAY explores how the National Chairman of Sinn Féin invoked the Irish liberation struggle to draw parallels with that of the Palestinian struggle for liberation.

KEARNEY quoted the last four stanzas of a poem, ‘The Rhythm of Time’ by Bobby Sands, the hero of the Irish liberation struggle, who died in 1981 of a hunger strike while imprisoned by the British government.

Sands was engaged in an armed struggle against the British and his poem is a motif that is equally applicable to the struggle of the Irish against domination by the British as it is to that of the Palestinians against domination by Israel. (Click here for the text and here for the audio of the poem, rendered by Sands himself.)

Kearney’s parallel also points to ways in which the poem by Sands aptly offers fundamental moral values and principles that converge in the struggle of both the Irish and the Palestinians. Although Ireland is now a free nation, and the Palestinians are now subjected to genocide by Israel, both Palestinians and the Irish have experienced prolonged periods of colonial rule that suppressed their right to self-determination. The struggle of the Irish was against British colonial rule, while Palestinians continue to resist Israeli occupation.

At the heart of the two liberation movements is the drive to maintain cultural identity, language and traditions. Both liberation movements have been labeled terrorists by the imperial oppressors and subjected to brutal military onslaughts. The Irish and the Palestinians have both employed the use of hunger strikes by political prisoners as a form of protest.

The Irish struggle garnered significant international attention and support, notably from the Irish diaspora and sympathetic nations. Similarly, the Palestinian cause has received widespread international support from various countries and activists of a range of social justice movements. The global conference is a culmination of the expression of solidarity.

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 marked a significant step towards peace in Northern Ireland, involving negotiations between different factions and the British government. On the other hand, the Palestinians, in various peace processes like the Oslo Accords, have relented by making multiple concessions. According to Edward Said the Oslo Accords resulted in entrenching the ‘occupation with Palestinian consent.’

Bobby Sands’s poem emphasises steadfastness in one’s beliefs and the moral conviction to stand up against injustice. His verse reflects a deep moral conviction, a belief in the righteousness of one’s cause, which is a central theme in both the Irish and Palestinian struggles. This conviction fuels the resilience and determination of both movements.

The poem underscores the theme of sacrifice, which is evident in Sands’s own life and in the lives of many involved in the Irish and Palestinian struggles. Martyrdom is a powerful symbol in both movements, inspiring continued resistance and solidarity.

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Sands’s insistence on the righteousness of his cause, mirrors the Palestinians’ belief in their right to resist occupation and strive for self-determination. This moral stance legitimises their programme of resistance.

The Irish struggle was primarily against a colonial power within the context of a broader decolonisation movement in the twentieth century. The Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation is deeply intertwined with broader regional tensions precipitated by the imperial interests of the United States in the Middle East.

The geopolitical implications and the involvement of international powers differ significantly between the two struggles. The resolution of the Irish conflict through the Good Friday Agreement involved major compromises and the establishment of a power-sharing arrangement. Today, Palestinians remain steadfast in their commitment to fundamental demands like the restoration of their land, the right of return of refugees, the status of Jerusalem and their aspiration for independent statehood.

The Irish struggle, while involving religious identity (Catholic versus Protestant), was predominantly founded on nationalist aspirations. The Palestinian struggle includes religious dimensions, involving the interests of Muslims, Jews and Christians in their respective sacred spaces in the Holy Land. However, the geopolitical and ideological issues constitute the overarching framework for the Palestinian resistance against the Zionist and imperial powers. 

The Palestinian struggle often invokes international law and human rights frameworks to highlight issues such as illegal settlements, the blockade of Gaza and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners. These legal frameworks were less central in the narrative of the Irish struggle.

Kearney’s parallel offers a powerful expression of the moral conviction and determination that characterise the Irish and Palestinian liberation struggles. He references the closing line of the poem, ‘That thought that says “I’m right!”’ in arriving at the conviction that captures a timeless and universal truth: the true struggle for liberation is founded on unshakable faith in a just cause.