'Camp 4 Gaza' act of 'solidarity' with people of Palestine

The hardy members of the Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (DIPSC) and supporters have held a ‘Camp 4 Gaza’ at Free Derry Corner in the city.

The camp took place from Saturday, May 31 at 1.00pm, through the night, into the afternoon of Sunday, June 1.

Welcoming members of the community to the ‘Camp 4 Gaza’, Catherine Hutton, chairperson of Derry IPSC said the event was to show solidarity with the people of Gaza in the face of the ongoing genocide.

“We are also raising money for Derry’s ‘Fund a Food Drop’ group and the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF),” said Ms Hutton.
HRF’s mission is to address and challenge what it describes as Israeli impunity concerning war crimes and human rights violations in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

It is named in honour of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza who was killed by the Israeli Defence Forces, who also killed six members of her family and two paramedics coming to her rescue.

Camp Out For Palestine at #FreeDerryCorner

Anne & Lawrence Donnelly - retired trade unionists - who were taking part in Camp 4 Gaza told The Derry News why they had got involved.

Lawrence said: "I am a father and I would not like to see any of my children or grandchildren… pic.twitter.com/BmAsqbQwGk

— Catherine McGinty (@CathMcGin_Tea) May 31, 2025

Speaking to The Derry News at the ‘Camp 4 Gaza’ Anne and Lawrence Donnelly, retired trade unionists, explained why they were taking part.

Lawrence said: “I am a father and I would not like to see any of my children or grandchildren treated the way the poor people in Palestine are being treated. It is just as simple as that.”

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Anne added: “ I am here today too mainly because I am a mother and a grandmother and I think the treatment of the children in Palestine is awful. I also think the genocide that goes unspoken, the actions that go on unspoken, are terrible.

“I think it is about time that everybody comes out and supports events like ‘Camp 4 Gaza’. It is time people came out onto the streets and said, ‘enough is enough.’”

Independent Derry City and Strabane District councillor Gary Donnelly, who was joined by Cllr Catherine McDaid (SDLP) and Cllr Shaun Harkin (PBP), said he was at Free Derry corner because “what we are seeing is a genocide of the people of Gaza and it is being played out live”.

“We are also witnessing the ineffectiveness of Governments, who I believe are out of touch with the majority of people.

“So, acts like this are acts of solidarity, to say to the people of Gaza that, whilst we may have governments that are not supporting them in any meaningful way, we are here to show solidarity with them.”