The Nakba: Palestinian flag to be raised over Free Derry Corner to mark 75th anniversary

2023 sees the 75th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe), the violent expulsion of up to 1,000,000 Palestinians from their homes by Zionist forces between 1947 and 1949 during the establishment of Israel.

Nakba Day is marked on May 15 every year.

At 10am on Monday a Palestinian Flag will be raised on Free Derry Corner. During the flag raising ceremony a message of support from the Bloody Sunday families will be delivered.

At 1.00pm there will be a film screening in the Museum of Free Derry.

This will be follwed from 7.00pm – 9.00pm by ‘This is Radio Free Derry Calling’, an evening of solidarity and support in the Museum of Free Derry.

This will include messages of support from the Bloody Sunday families and the Mayor Sandra Duffy, an update from the Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and an update and message of support from Senator Frances Black, Irish Anti-Apartheid Campaign for Palestine.

There will also be a reading of poems on Palestine by Paul Laughlin, in Irish, Arabic and English, and by Anne Crilly. Messages from Palestine will be delivered from Mustafa Barghouti, General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative and from a young Palestinian.

There will be music from Marty Healy, refreshments and a fundraising raffle.

Entry is by donation. and all monies raised, together with the day’s takings in the Museum of Free Derry, will be donated to the Palestinian National Initiative.

The Bloody Sunday Trust has also joined the Irish Anti-Apartheid Campaign for Palestine.

Through shared actions, campaigns and advocacy initiatives the group has pledged to engage members of the Irish public and political representatives on the situation Palestinians are being forced to endure.

Maeve Mc Laughlin , Director of the Bloody Sunday Trust said:

“Derry has a long history of solidarity with the cause of Palestine and a proud tradition of facing injustice wherever it is.

“The 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday was themed under the banner of One World One Struggle. Given our lessons and learnings around justice, rights and equality we felt that these experiences should be harnessed to tackle injustice wherever it exists, and nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the cause of Palestine.

“Apartheid had no place in our world when it was practiced in South Africa, and it has no place now in Palestine.”