Irish activist arrested and injured at anti-CRH protest
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Sunday May 02, 2010 16:22
by Iyad Burnat - Bil'in Popular Committee
majdarmajdar at gmail dot com
Irish activist arrested and injured at anti-CRH protest
April 30, 2010 Today’s demonstration began with speeches in honor of International Workers’ Day by the Union of Palestine Workers, after which the crowd processed to the Wall. After several minutes, soldiers fired the first rounds of tear gas into the crowd, and continued to launch tear gas deep into the protestors’ route. Soldiers aggressively entered the village in waves in an effort to make arrests.
Four people were arrested today, including a female journalist and an international activist. Prior to the demonstration, two Israeli activists broached the Wall and attempted to post flyers calling for the arrest of the soldier who shot Emad Rizka in the forehead at last Friday’s demonstration. When soldiers approached them, they moved away, and soldiers instead arrested two Al-Jazeera cameramen who were sitting in a car by the Wall. Injuries this week consisted of a girl who was struck from behind with a tear gas canister. Cameraman Haitham al-Khatib was also hit in his stomach by a canister. The international activist who was arrested was treated roughly by the soldiers, who ripped off his gas mask and threw him to the ground, resulting in a 3-inch gash on his right leg and the loss of a piece of his left ear. Today’s demonstration was held in solidarity with the actions of IPSC – the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign – which is organizing major demonstrations this week against the Irish multinational company CRH. CRH acquired a 25% shareholding in the Israeli group Mashav Initiating and Development Ltd, which is the holding company for Nesher Cement. Nesher is the sole Israeli cement company, meaning it supplies cement and building materials for the ongoing construction of the illegal Separation Wall, the Jerusalem Light Railway project, the illegal colonial settlements and the network of apartheid settler-only roads, underpasses, bridges and tunnels in occupied Palestine. Demonstrators in today’s procession carried signs calling for CRH divestment from Israel, to coincide with the CRH annual general meeting that will take place on Wednesday, May 5
Friend of Freedom and Justice , Tommy Donnellan being arested
Caption: Video Id: q9zmiU-hAEI&feature Type: Youtube Video
Bil'in CRH Protest 30-04-2010.wmv
Caption: Video Id: OeIAu-bnQ0Y&feature Type: Youtube Video
Bil'in Protests Against CRH 30 -04-2010 By Haitham Al Katib
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4We salute you "Sedi" Tommy
Photo By Haitham Al Kateeb
Irish Times account of the arrest: Irish activist Tommy Donnellan was injured and detained by Israeli soldiers yesterday while filming the weekly protest against the West Bank wall at Bil’in village, writes Michael Jansen .
“The Israelis had used gas indiscriminately to disperse the protest. Although it was winding down, there were some [Palestinian] stone throwers. But instead of going for them they went for me,” said Mr Donnellan (63), a Galway resident.
“I was filming with a zoom lens when four or five Israeli soldiers rushed me and snatched away my gas mask violently. A metal bit on the strap took off the top of my left ear.”
He also received a three- inch gash on his right leg. The focus of the demonstration was the connection of Irish cement firm CRH with the construction of a wall that has cut Bil’in off from agricultural land – the main source of income for the village. ... (more on link).
Tommy,
solidarity to you, hope you're recovering from attack on you by IOF.
Wishing you well.
Fair play to Iyad, TD and all in B'ilin.
IPSC Protest at CRH AGM at 10.15am tomorrow (Wed 5th) at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.
Come out and tell CRH that their complicity in human rights abuses in Palestine will not be accepted. Thanks
Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.