St Brigid’s College vigil shows solidarity for Palestinian children in Gaza

The pupils and staff of St Brigid’s College in Derry have held a lunchtime vigil outside the school to “show solidarity for Palestinian children in Gaza”.

Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) members at the vigil on Thursday called for an “end to the genocide in Gaza and for meaningful sanctions to be imposed on Israel by all western democracies”.

St Brigid's teacher Dermot Gallagher, who is the secretary of Derry Trades Union Council (DTUC), has also written an open letter on behalf of the organisation to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) calling on it to take further action regarding ending the genocide in Gaza.

In the hard-hitting letter, Mr Doherty said: "I am writing in relation to the ever-worsening crisis in Gaza.

"As you are aware a composite motion relating to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israel was proposed by Congress Executive Council, Derry Trades Council and UNISON at ICTUs Biennial conference in July. This motion was passed and now forms part of ICTU policy.

"Part of this motion called for ICTU to coordinate workplace-based and community actions up to and including widespread work stoppages and protests in solidarity with Palestine and all Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and beyond, demanding an immediate end to Irish, UK and EU complicity in the genocide.

"Since this motion was passed the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated even further with Palestinians and in particular children now dying from starvation. The UN has declared a manmade famine affecting more than half a million people with more than a million in the food emergency stage and has laid the blame directly at the feet of Israel for its systematic obstruction of food aid.

"A top UN official stated that the famine in Gaza is 'caused by cruelty, justified by revenge, enabled by indifference and sustained by complicity'.

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"Coverage of this famine and the conditions that Palestinians are being subjected to is being severely hampered by the systematic targeting and murder of journalists on the ground and by the complicity shown by many mainstream western media outlets and governments.

INTO members in St Brigid's College in Derry join the lunchtime vigil in support of Palestine.

"To combat this, it is imperative that the trade union movement in Ireland takes an immediate stand to highlight the urgency and extremity of the situation in Gaza. This stance must be led by ICTU.

"DTUC has asked all our affiliate unions to take part in a lunchtime protest/vigil this Thursday, September 18, 2025. We were expecting a central call for this action from ICTU but regrettably this has not happened.

"We understand the legal and internal complexities of unions asking for such actions. However, it is the view of DTUC that such concerns are dwarfed by the extremity and urgency of the situation. It is time for the trade union movement to put all other concerns aside and to organise meaningful action that has the potential to have a real impact. We do not want history to show that Trade Unions were found wanting when they were most needed.

"DTUC is asking that NICICTU call an emergency meeting to consider their obligations both morally and in line with the motion passed with the purpose of organising and promoting a half day work stoppage, accompanied by a series of rallies across the North.

"The time left to make a difference is short. I look forward to your response."