Meath Festival Organiser calls for lifting of travel ban on Palestinian speaker

Kells native, Seamus Mc Donagh, has expressed his dismay at the intervention of the Israeli authorities to disrupt the travel of a keynote speaker at the annual Robert Tressell Festival in Dublin this weekend (Saturday 24th May).

Seamus was the inspiration for establishing this festival in 2023 which aims to bring together progressive Irish and international political figures to discuss pressing economic and social challenges.

Speakers at this year’s Festival include US Democratic Senator, Bernie Sanders and Omar Barghouti, a leading human rights defender and leader of the peaceful global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

However, the Israeli government has enforced a travel ban on Barghouti who is a permanent resident of Israel and a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award.

“This action by the Israeli government is vindictive and aimed at preventing any alternative news to emerge on the occupation and apartheid enforced on seven million Palestinians. Omar has visited Ireland on several occasions in the past and has energised civil society to support the non-violent global movement seeking justice for the Palestinian people," said Mr McDonagh.

“We were really looking forward to a robust debate from global figures such as Sanders and Barghouti, but clearly this displeased the Israeli authorities who have broken their own laws by refusing to issue him with the necessary travel documents.

“I am calling on the Irish government to protest the refusal of travel documents to Mr Barghouti and to move quickly on the Occupied Territories Bill as it is quite clear that Israel is not listening to the diplomatic community’s global condemnation of barbarous siege and starvation of the two million plus people displaced and starving in Gaza," he said.