Solidarity Works

Forty years ago this month, ten workers from the Henry Street branch of Dunnes Stores in Dublin's city centre went on strike to protest against the selling of produce from Apartheid South Africa. A year later, the group was joined by another worker, Brendan Barron, from the Crumlin store, bringing their number to eleven. The strike lasted for almost three years. I remember it well. I joined the picket line a few times and Sinn Féin and An Phoblacht were firm supporters of the Dunnes Store strikers. Their courageous stand led to the Dublin government banning South African goods from Irish stores. The strike followed a decision by the Irish Distributive and Administrative Union IDATU, now the Mandate union, not to handle South African produce. 


Release Leonard Peltier 

Earlier this month 79 year old native American indigenous activist Leonard Peltier was denied parole. He won’t be eligible now for another parole hearing until June 2026. His legal team will appeal the decision.

Leonard has consistently denied that he was responsible for killing of two FBI agents in 1975. His family and supporters are now deeply concerned that after almost 50 years in prison that Leonard will die there as his health has severely deteriorated in recent years.

 Lies and Hypocrisy

Lies, hypocrisy, double standards, starvation, and the mass murder of civilians have been essential tools in the Israeli government’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people. Some have also been a feature of the policies and propaganda employed by those governments allied to Israel’s war strategy. 

Last week Russian missiles destroyed much of a children's hospital in Kyiv. A wave of other similar attacks took place against cities across the Ukraine. There was justifiable criticism of Russia which this column shares. Meanwhile the deliberate destruction of so-called ‘safe zones’ in Gaza by Israeli bombers continues using armaments supplied by western powers. Over a hundred and fifty Palestinians are known to have been killed. Many hundreds more have been left grievously injured trapped in a place that has almost no medical facilities or resources.