‘Free Marwan Barghouti’ campaign launched at Free Derry Corner

The Derry launch of the ‘Free Marwan Barghouti’ campaign has taken place at a rally at Free Derry Corner organised by the ‘Five for Palestine’ group.

Marwan Barghouti is considered to be the Nelson Mandela of Palestine. He has been in prison in Israel for 23 years.

The rally took place on Friday evening, with Tommy McKearney, former H Block prisoner and 1980 Hunger Striker the main speaker.

A co-founder of ‘Five for Palestine’, Mr McKearney was joined by former republican prisoners.

IN PICTURES: Launch of Free Marwan Barghouti campaign at Free Derry Corner

The Five For Palestine Rally was held at Free Derry Corner

Patricia Campbell, “long term socialist republican activist for prisoner and political rights” who chaired the rally said Marwan Barghouti was a “unity candidate and that is why the Israelis do not want to release him”.

Ms Campbell also read aloud the demands of ‘Five for Palestine’. These are: a global observatory for Palestinians in Israeli prisons; Israeli authorities to be made answerable for crimes against Palestinian prisoners; international human rights organisations to secure protection for Palestinian prisoners; EU and international organisations implement the BDS programme; and movements worldwide support the Palestinian cause and the release of all its prisoners.

Message from Aarab Barghouti - son of Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti - projected onto #FreeDerryWall at Friday's #FiveForPalestine #FreeMarwanBarghouti rally.

@DerryNow pic.twitter.com/6G52fokLKK

— Catherine McGinty (@CathMcGin_Tea) November 30, 2025

The rally then heard a message from Aarab Barghouti, the son of Marwan Barghouti, which was projected onto an improvised screen covering Free Derry Wall.

Aarab Barghouti said his father had been in prison for 23 years which meant he had not been able to hug him for 23 years.

“I haven’t been able to see my father in three years and my father, Marwan Barghouti, has been assaulted most of his time and mistreated and abused inside prison in the last two years,” he said. “I really wish I could tell you that I am special in this but I represent thousands and thousands of Palestinian families who are going through the same suffering.

“My father is amongst thousands of Palestinian prisoners who are going through the same suffering. We have already lost almost 100 Palestinian inside Israeli jails because of beatings, medical neglect and the mistreatment they go through on a daily basis.”

Speaking to The Derry News in advance of the rally, Tommy McKearney said “as prisoners we have an empathy with prisoners wherever they are, particularly Palestinians and the people in England at the moment”.

“Today is the eve of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, for the freedom of Palestine,” he added. 

“Palestine is the current cause of humanity. The Palestinian people have endured years of oppression since the hideous Nakba in 1948 - preceded of course by the British devastation of Palestine with their colonial ambitions - but of late the horrendous genocide committed by the Zionist regime.

“Tonight we are talking about Marwan Barghoiti, who is the possible Mandela of the Palestinian people. Marwan Barghouti is able to reach across every section of Palestinian society. He is a member of Fatah, which has certain differences with Hamas and the other Islamic groups.

“But having said that, Marwan Barghouti, because of his reputation and his intellect and his stature within the Palestinian community, has reached across all sections of Palestinian society and has united the different factions.

“Now we are very well aware of the problem of the split. Behan said the second thing in the agenda of every Republican organisation is the split, which is devastating of course for us but even so much more so for the Palestinian people, particularly with the Vichy regime that is in the Palestinian Authority, by the craven behavior of Abbas, who is president of the Palestinian Authority, running a Vichy regime,” said Tommy McKearney, adding, “But Marwan Barghouti is, although from the same organization, capable of sustaining the support of all Palestinians, which is absolutely essential.

“Now, whether they are opting for a two state solution or not, and I am in no position to tell the Palestinian people what they must accept, but, if together they decide to opt for a two state solution, well that’s their call. It is not for me or for anybody here in Ireland to tell the Palestinian people what to do, any more than we would accept anybody from outside telling us what to do here in Ireland,” said Mr McKearney.

“But Marwan Barghouti can inspire them to opt for the ideal solution of a democratic Palestine. He has served 23 years in prison, in horrendous conditions. Netanyahu does not want any solution but there are certain members of the Israeli regime who see in Barghouti someone that they can negotiate with, someone that can hold together a settlement,” he added.

“As we know, Netanyahu and the extreme right wing of the Israeli Zionist regime have no intentions of going for a settlement but, having said that, we can all hope for common sense prevailing sometime. We had lived for years here in Ireland without any settlement and eventually we had to settle for an imperfect, flawed settlement.

“There is common cause between Ireland and Palestine, very much so. Let us put it this way, When the British decided to colonise Palestine in 1919/1920 as a result of the Balfour Declaration, they set up the Palestinian police, 75% of whom were ex-Black and Tans. 

“If you check that with the Pat Finucane Centre here in town, they have an excellent document, ‘Legacy of Colonialism’ and you will find the facts in it. Ex-Black and Tans who cut their teeth in Ireland and developed many of the techniques and tactics they employed against the Palestinian people. 

“Even the phrase ‘duffing up’ originated from the name of ex-Black and Tan, Douglas Valder Duff, an officer in the British Mandate-era Palestine Police in the 1930s who was reportedly notorious for the ill-treatment of prisoners.”