Trad Music Night for Gaza

A SPECIAL event is taking place in Strabane tonight to raise both funds and awareness for the people of Palestine.

‘Trad Music Night for Gaza’ is being held at Christy’s Bar at 9pm with all monies raised going to BDS Strabane and Aid for Gaza.

Staged by BDS (boycotts, divestment, and sanctions) Strabane, organisers say that more work is needed to “combat against the funding of further Israeli genocide.”

“Since October, we have seen the pressure of local and global BDS campaigns escalating calls for institutions complicit in the genocide, against Palestinians, to divest away from any further funding of the Israeli state,” Adam McGinley from BDS Strabane explained.

“BDS actions, including consumer boycotts, direct action and student encampments have helped to win crucial demands on divestment from institutions and companies that were profiting from their ties with Israel. Some of the most notable BDS victories have included, the many universities and colleges, globally, cutting financial and research ties with Israel, Intel halting the construction of a new $25 billion factory in Israel, Puma’s dropping of their sponsorship with the Israel Football Association by the end of 2024, KLP (Norwegian pension fund) divesting its $69m stake in Caterpillar, due to its equipment being used to violate human rights in occupied Palestine, and many other victories by grassroots campaigns that have sent a clear message by the international community to Israel.”

He added, “However, despite these victories, much more work is needed to combat against the funding of further Israeli genocide.”

The BDS Movement was officially launched in 2005, with more than 170 Palestinian civil society organisations issuing a historic, rights-based call to the international community for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions targeting Israel and institutions complicit in its oppressive policies toward Palestinians. Modelled after anti-apartheid organizing in South Africa, BDS has proven to be an effective economic pressure strategy for human rights.

Mr McGinley continued, “BDS Strabane recognises the urgent need to continue to campaign locally against these companies, that continue to profit from this ongoing genocide. We want to build on the positive engagement and overwhelming support locally from shoppers and staff, to ensure our communities aren’t complicit in these crimes, to call out the company directors and executives who are directly complicit and to help build further support for the BDS movement here in the north west. We believe grassroots organising and actions in our local communities can bring about the change that we all want to see, but it is going to take all of us to be involved.

“Every action we take, big or small, can help make that change possible.”

l For further information, check out the BDS Strabane Facebook page.