London, 9 February 2018

The London-based Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) discussed, during a seminar held on Tuesday at the British Parliament in London, the historical bonds between Palestine and Ireland.

The event was organized by PRC at the invitation of the MP Mickey Brady of the Sinn Féin party, and had the journalist David Cronin in the panel, in addition to PRC’s researcher Pietro Stefanini, and was chaired by Mr. Brady MP.

David Cronin, the author of Balfour's Shadow: A Century of British Support for Zionism and Israel, shed light on historical connections  that arguably made Britain a direct accomplice in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

Cronin explained the way people around the world should tackle the legacy of the Balfour Declaration, called on fighting Israeli apartheid with a tactic that Balfour tried to outlaw: the tactic of boycott.

Pitero Stefanini discussed the role of Palestinian political prisoners as part of Israel's colonial project to subjugate and control the Palestinian population.

Among the key subject discussed at event were also the tragic fallouts of the British imperialism both on the Palestinians and the Irish people.

Member of the Irish Parliament for Newry and Armagh, Mickey Brady, hailed the strong bilateral bonds between the Irish people and the Palestinians, stressing his party’s pro-Palestine stance and firm rebuff of Israel’s apartheid policies and preplanned violations against Palestinian people.

Bradly said Sinn Féin’s record of supporting the Palestinian people is clear and consistent, stressing full support to the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle for freedom, independence - and statehood and demand a formal recognition of the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Bradly MP called on the international community to ensure the implementation of United Nations resolutions and the enforcement of International Law.

The seminar dovetails a series of events staged by PRC, in partnership with pro-Palestine parties at the British Parliament, so as to mobilize support for the Palestinian cause and prop up de-colonization activism across the UK and Europe.