Special meeting to call on council to consider 'all lawful sanctions it can take against the apartheid state of Israel'
A special meeting of Meath County Council is to take place tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to discuss a motion by Cllr Alan Lawes "calling on Meath County Council to consider all lawful sanctions it can take against the apartheid state of Israel in order to put pressure on them to stop the Genocide and forced starvation of the Palestinian people".
The special meeting comes after heated exchanges at the full council meeting last Monday where a motion by the independent councillor calling on Meath County Council to remove all Coca Cola products from its buildings in protest at the genocide in Israel, was not allowed on the agenda and a subsequent request by Cllr Lawes to suspend standing orders to discuss the motion did not succeed.
Addressing Cllr Gerry O'Connor whose counter motion to proceed with the business of the meeting was backed by 18 votes to 12 , Cllr Lawes accused him of trying to silence talk about genocide.
"I am trying to do something about the genocide in Israel, that is what I am trying to raise here. I think its disingenuous that you won't even allow a discussion to take place about the genocide we are experiencing on our television screens where children are being slaughtered. Where children are being starved," he said.
Cathaoirleach Wayne Harding reminded Cllr Lawes that there are standing orders that they are governed by and said he would let him speak on it at under any other business.
After Cllr O'Connor's counter motion to move on was supported, Cllr Lawes handed in letters seeking a special meeting.
Later in the meeting, Cllr Lawes returned to the matter under any other business. He said the reason he was given for the motion not being allowed on the agenda was because it would interfere with the executive function, but argued that Dublin City Council and Dublin County Council had endorsed the boycott and divest movement back in 2018, long before the genocide.
"What I asked for here, was something very small, to join the boycott divest movement which Donegal CC and Dublin CC had already done even before the genocide. I was shocked today to not even be able to debate it and not to even have a discussion with my fellow councillors to see what they thought of it. It was killed."
He went on to read a statement from Meath Friends of Palestine that they were "disgusted" to learn the council had rejected the motion and accusing Meath County Council of being complicit in the genocide by not discussing it.
Independent councillor David Gilroy then accused Cllr Lawes of "bandstanding" and going on a "rant".
"The Cathaoirleach said it would come up under any other business. You had an opportunity to initiate a discussion but instead you took the opportunity to read out a statement from an external group. It was a real opportunity missed, there were plenty of people who would like speak on it," said Cllr Gilroy.
"You were enraged that it wasn't being discussed and when you had the opportunity to discuss you didn't take that opportunity. Instead you went on a rant.
"Maybe instead of taking five or six bottles off the shelves in the council offices why not call for the lifting of the blockage of Gaza, the unimpeded humanitarian access to the people who are starving."
Cllr O'Connor went on to defend his decision to proceed with the meeting: "I made a decision to continue with standing orders on the basis that they are our standing orders that we voted for. There is an opportunity to bring up other issues under aob which we are doing now. There is not a councillor in this chamber who is not concerned about the genocide in Palestine, not one."
Cllr Lawes handed in letters to request a special meeting on the motion. While the first part of that motion where he called on Meath County Council "to remove all Coca Cola products from its offices in line with the BDS Movements policy in order to put pressure on Israel to stop the Genocide against the Palestinian people", was not allowed, the second part was permitted which calls on Meath County Council "to consider all lawful sanctions it can take against the apartheid state of Israel in order to put pressure on them to stop the Genocide and forced starvation of the Palestinian people". This meeting is due to take place on Tuesday, 9th September at 9.30am.