Milwaukee, WI – Ahead of the start of Irish Fest, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) will be educating the public about connections between Ireland and Palestine, through social media and in person outside of Irish Fest.
MAC wants to use Irish Fest as a time to educate about the often unknown Irish struggle and use this as a chance to remember the history of Ireland’s international solidarity and their overwhelming commitment to standing with Palestine. People looking to learn more about these connections can check out the MAC social media accounts throughout the week. Every day a new post will teach about different topics relating to Palestine and Ireland. MAC will also be flyering outside of Irish Fest on Sunday at 1:00 pm and having conversations with festival goers.
“This time is an opportunity to demonstrate to Milwaukeeans how Ireland has had a fierce legacy of resistance to imperialism and colonialism. We must remember that the severity of the Irish Potato Famine didn’t result from natural causes, and neither is the famine in Gaza. They are intentional acts of starving and punishing people,” said MAC Chair Sara Onitsuka.
From 1845 to 1852, Ireland suffered tremendously under the Irish Potato Famine, which was greatly exacerbated due to the British government’s response that prioritized profit over Irish lives, leading to the deaths of a million Irish people. Under British rule, Irish people were repressed and brutalized. We must remember that the severity of the Irish Potato Famine didn’t result from natural causes, and neither is this famine in Palestine. They are intentional acts of starving and punishing people.
In addition to facing similar struggles, Ireland has a long history of supporting Palestine. For example, Ireland was the first country to call for Palestinian statehood in 1980, Irish artists have dropped out of the South by Southwest music festival and the Irish government joined the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The Milwaukee Anti-war Committee is a grassroots anti-war organization committed to de-militarization in Milwaukee and abroad. You can find the Milwaukee Anit-war Committee on Instagram at mkeantiwarcommittee and on Facebook at Milwaukee Anti-war Committee.
