PEOPLE across the island of Ireland have joined forces to publish a full page ad in this week's edition of the Irish Echo, calling on US President Joe Biden to work towards a ceasefire in Gaza.
Members of people-powered campaign groups Act Now and Uplift donated in their hundreds to publish the full page ad, in the well-known Irish American publication.
The ad, published on page 5, highlights Joe Biden’s visit to Ireland in May this year and calls on the US’s much lauded efforts for peace in Ireland to be extended now to those in Palestine, and for an immediate ceasefire to be called.
Over 8,700 Palestinians, including more than 3,500 children, have been killed by Israeli bombings in Gaza in the four weeks since the Hamas attacks of October 7 which killed 1,400 people, with 239 people kidnapped as hostages.
Nicola Browne, Project Coordinator, Act Now, said: “Our members, people from every walk of life across Ireland, have been horrified by the scenes of suffering and death unfolding on our screens as thousands of innocent people are savagely bombed in Gaza.
"Our history here means we know that war is not the answer. We cannot stand by without voicing the need for those same efforts to be extended now, and for an immediate ceasefire to be called.
“Even when things seem hopeless, there is always something we can do. With the US President proudly proclaiming their role in the Northern Ireland peace process, and his much loved Irish heritage, people on this island have a particular role to play at this time.
"That’s why our members chipped in in their hundreds to publish this ad, in the
most prominent Irish American newspaper in the USA – to ensure the Irish American community, and Joe Biden himself, is in no doubt that people here want to see an immediate ceasefire, and to work towards a lasting peace, that can only be sustained by equality, rights, and justice for all.”
