The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the largest sporting body in Ireland, issued a joint statement with the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) on Wednesday, May 29 regarding Gaza.
“The GAA and the GPA share the deep concerns expressed by many of our members about the ongoing humanitarian crisis and escalating violence in Gaza," the joint statement, published on each association's website and social media, said.
“We support the Irish Government and International Community's calls for an immediate and sustained ceasefire which will allow aid to reach Gaza and for all hostages to be released.
“We will be donating to the Irish Red Cross to support relief work in Gaza.”
Joint GAA / @gaelicplayers Statement on Gaza
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 29, 2024
The joint statement was issued the day after the Irish Government formally recognized the State of Palestine.
The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign called Wednesday’s joint statement from the GAA and the GPA “good news.”
Wednesday's joint statement from the GAA and GPA comes after Gaels Against Genocide met with GAA President Jarlath Burns and Croke Park officials earlier in May to lobby the Association to "join worldwide cries and publicly support the demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire for Gaza."
The group, which describes itself as "a grassroots collective of people from GAA, Irish language and cultural backgrounds," said on Wednesday that it was "proud" to see that the GAA had “taken the rightful steps to maximize their influence as Ireland’s biggest sporting body.”
The group added: "We urge all Gaels, Clubs, Counties, Cultural Organisations to be active and share that same message throughout Ireland and beyond.
"Ceasefire Now - Saoirse don Phailistín. [Freedom to Palestine.]"
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The joint statement also comes a few months after the group Irish Sport for Palestine issued an open letter which, in part, encouraged “all sports people across the island [of Ireland] to join our call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, for the illegal siege to be lifted, for humanitarian aid to be delivered, and for no further forced displacement of Palestinians."
The letter, issued in January, was signed by more than 360 people involved in various sports across the island of Ireland.
????? Irish sports stars past and present are rallying together to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.
?Read our open letter, signed by over 200 members of the Irish sporting community: https://t.co/83vFl3gThn pic.twitter.com/UL2DsFqCvf
— Irish Sport for Palestine (@Sport4Palestine) January 11, 2024
A spokesperson for Irish Sport for Palestine told IrishCentral on Wednesday: “Today the GAA and GPA became the first sporting organisation in the world to release a statement in support of Gaza, calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
“We are very proud of the footballers, camogie players, hurlers and their management teams who spoke out against the Israeli occupation and genocide.
“We pay tribute to GAA communities across the Island of Ireland who have shown that ‘Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire.’
“We hope that today’s statement by the GAA and GPA will encourage other sporting organisations to make similar statements.
“Irish Sport for Palestine reiterate our call to ban Israel from international sporting competitions namely the Paris Olympics and FIFA. We encourage athletes and fans to boycott Israeli apartheid."
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