Bohemian Football Club has confirmed that its women’s team will play Palestine in a historic friendly in Dalymount Park. The match will take place on Wednesday, May 15, marking the 76th anniversary of Al Nakba, translated to “The Catastrophe”, which refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the 1948 war.
In a statement shared on social media, the Dublin-based club confirmed that this would be the first of two friendlies between the sides. The reverse fixture is due to take place in Palestine, with the games aiming to highlight the ongoing “human rights catastrophe” in the region, while calling for “peace, justice and dignity for all.”
The club also confirmed that all money raised from the May event will be used to facilitate the visit of the Palestinian team, as well as provide funds to support humanitarian relief efforts. The games add to Bohemian’s continued support of Palestine, which has been demonstrated through film and match screenings, fan displays, and funds raised for Sport for Life through sales of its 2023 away jersey.
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In the statement, Matt Devaney, President of Bohemian FC, thanked the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid for her efforts in enabling the game to take place, while the women’s team manager, Ken Kiernan, said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to play this fixture. It will be great for our group to play at such an occasion, in what should be a sold out Dalymount Park, and test ourselves against women from another part of the world.”
Bohemians Chief Operating Officer Daniel Lambert added, “Football has enormous power to be a force for good across the world. Dalymount Park will send out a very important message of solidarity from Ireland to the Palestinian people on May 15.”
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This comes as Israel continues its military offensive on Gaza, which escalated as a response to the Hamas attacks on October 7. Since then, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90% of the occupied Strip’s population has been displaced.
As of Wednesday, March 6, Hamas said it will “continue negotiations” to reach a ceasefire in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Calls for an end to the violence have been echoed around the world, with approximately 80,000 people taking to the streets of Dublin on February 17 to march in solidarity with Palestine. Demonstrators made their way through the Irish capital demanding a ceasefire and urged the Irish government to “take action to hold Israel accountable”.
Ahead of the protest, Queers for Palestine highlighted a quote from another group called Queers in Palestine, which stated, “We are fighting interconnected systems of oppression, including patriarchy and capitalism, and our dreams of autonomy, community, and liberation are inherently tied to our desire for self-determination.
“No queer liberation can be achieved with settler-colonization, and no queer solidarity can be fostered if it stands blind to the racialized, capitalist, fascist, and imperial structures that dominate us,” it added.
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