Community supports the 'Silent Christmas Day Walk of Derry's Walls for Palestine'

A Silent Christmas Day Walk of Derry's Walls for Palestine has taken place – co-organised by Davy McAuley and Derry Anti War Coalition.

This is the second year of the Christmas Day Walk, described by Mr MacAuley as “an act of quiet reflection and solidarity with the Palestinian people”.

“We could no have imagined the horror that would be visited on them throughout 2024,” said Mr McAuley. “15 months of genocide have passed. The land of the first Christmas is under even more brutal occupation.

“Our city walls are famous for resisting sieges. We walk on Christmas morning to celebrate the resilience of thhse who live under siege in Palestine,” he added.

My @DerryNow piece on the Silent Christmas Day Walk of Derry Walls for Palestine - organised by Davy McAuley & Derry Anti War Coalition.

&✍️ @DerryNow pic.twitter.com/HYYy1sHXli

— Catherine McGinty (@CathMcGin_Tea) December 25, 2024

Speaking to The Derry News at the conclusion of the Walk, Derry City and Strabane District councillor Gary Donnelly (Independent) said he had walked the Walls to "show solidarity with the beleaguered people of Palestine". 

He added: "They have been bombarded and a genocide has been forced upon them. 

"Given the time of the year, and the poignancy of it, I am here because I think it is important to show whatever type of solidarity we can with them, to let them know that the world cares about them," said Cllr Donnelly.

Cllr Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit) said the turn out at the Walk was "fantastic".

"Obviously it is Christmas Day, a day of celebration, a day of getting together with your family and friends, a day of enjoyment," he added, "but it is also a tragic time as well.

"The people of Gaza are still living through a genocide. I'm sure there were bombs dropped last night by the Israeli occupation forces that killed more children.

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"There is a child killed every hour in Gaza at the minute and we are here to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine, to let them know we haven't forgotten about them and we are going to start the New Year where we left off.

"We are going to still be marching for Palestine. We are going to be marching for an end to the genocide. We are going to be marching to call for those who are responsible for this to be held accountable by the International Criminal Court, and all those governments that are complicit," said Cllr Harkin.

Davy McAuley said it was important to show that "we can't stop in our activism".

He added: "It has to go on 365 days a year. The people of Gaza, the people of the West Bank, are not getting a day off because it is Christmas, quite the opposite.

"Christians in Bethlehem would have had to go through all kinds of checkpoints and al kinds of misery, so it is really important that we are here as much as we can to try to highlight the suffering of the Palestinian people."