Dublin city centre traffic was disrupted on Thursday evening by demonstrators protesting the Central Bank’s role in the sale of Israeli bonds.
Around 50 protesters began their march from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square after 7pm and walked down O’Connell Street, causing the traffic to slow considerably. The protesters were accompanied by three Garda cars, one of which was unmarked, three vans and two motorcycles.
They stopped their march at Daniel O’Connell’s statue and began to block traffic from the quays at around 7.15pm, also causing disruption to bus and Luas services.
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They began to walk down Eden Quay, towards the Central Bank, some 20 minutes later, although stopped for a short time at the next intersection which further disrupted bus and Luas services. The protest then changed direction, looping back up the quays.
Protest organisers staged a similar demonstration last week, and have said they plan to engage in “civil disobedience” every week for the foreseeable future.
They are calling on the Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of Israel bonds across the European Union, among other demands.
A representative of Queer Intifada Ireland, which partly organised today’s demonstration, said “these bonds are used directly to fund the genocide that is currently happening in Gaza”.
“For the first time we’re able to say no to business as usual, we need to shut things down until we have justice and until Palestine is free,” she said.
“We have an obligation in this country to not be funding this genocide any further, both morally and also as part of the many [human rights] conventions that we’re signed up to”.
She did not want to be named when speaking to The Irish Times. Many fellow protesters covered their faces during the demonstration with surgical masks, Keffiyeh scarves and sunglasses.
The Central Bank of Ireland has come under pressure for its role in the sale of Israel bonds, which support the Israeli economy, and, since October 7th, have been advertised as a way to fund Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
Gabriel Makhlouf, the Central Bank’s governor, told the Oireachtas Finance Committee in June it “cannot decide to impose sanctions for breaches or alleged breaches of international law”.
Approval of the sale of Israel bonds is subject to EU financial prospectus regulation, Mr Makhlouf said.
The protesters also called for the Occupied Territories Bill to be passed by the Dáil with the inclusion of a ban on the purchase of goods and services from Israel.