Galway, Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign picket Woodie's and Atlantic Homecare DIY stores today

"Palestinians are dogs, they have no rights"

As part of the ongoing IPSC campaign against the Grafton group, who own Woodie's and Atlantic Homecare, and their aiding and abetting of the Israeli economy through the sale of Israeli manufactured goods, chiefly Keter plastic garden sheds and wheelbarrows, eight of our Galway activists picketed the Atlantic Homecare branch in the Wellpark Retail Park and the Woodies one in the Galway Retail Park, eliciting, except for some malodorous shite and abuse, a sweet response from passing pedestrians and especially in our walk from Atlantic Homecare to Woodies, with all flags flying, a very sweet one from motorists.

Before Xmas, the manager of the Limerick branch of Atlantic Homecare did the decent thing and pulled the offending items "pending clarification," unfortunately, the clarification was to bloody mindedly and provocatively offer them for sale again. The Grafton Group can easily source Keter's products elsewhere and adhere to ethical trading but again, unfortunately, won't, on point of black principle.

The recent arrival in Galway of four women ; two from Algeria, one from Palestine and the last from Lebanon to pursue academic studies has seen a quantum surge in street activism; three hours each last Wednesday and Thursday and seven last Saturday where petition signatures were gathered for another IPSC bone of contention; Israeli Blood Diamonds and leaflets were distributed encouraging a boycott of Atlantic Homecare and Woodie's.

However, there has been a parallel quantum leaf in harrassment, some of it quite vicious, the most disturbing when, last Wednesday, a woman amongst a group of four was of the opinion that "The Palestinians are dogs, they have no rights" before a vigorous attempt was made by a male from the group to wrest the Palestinian flag from an activist that was holding it - later on the same day, another pilgrim ventured that; "The Palestinians stink, they smell, they don't live right". Thursday's contribution came from two American women; "Over in the US, this would be 'anti-semitism.'" Yesterday's was; "You don't know what you are doing, give it up" and today's was the non sequitur; "Israel has a right to live".

The issue of Palestine is powerfully emotive, where virulent and ignorant abuse is crowed and spat from the highest dunghill at people of conscience who strive to make the situation otherwise.

Next Saturday, if not sooner, we'll be at it.