Pro-Israel Protesters Disrupt Dublin Football Event Over Park Renaming Dispute

A planned community football match in Dublin, intended to raise awareness for Palestine and support the renaming of Herzog Park, was disrupted by pro-Israel campaigners. Irish Sport for Palestine (ISP), the event organizer, criticized the protesters for obstructing the match and making what they termed 'false accusations' of anti-Semitism. The ISP has been campaigning for two years to rename the park, arguing that its current name, honoring former Israeli president Chaim Herzog, is not representative of the history they wish to commemorate.

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The ISP is promoting their occupation of the park as a roll on, roll off community football match. It’s not about community, nor of any relevance to Palestine.

Leading the counter-protest was former minister for justice Alan Shatter, who argued that the park is not the appropriate venue for such a political statement and that numerous other parks are available for community football. Shatter accused the ISP of targeting the local Jewish community and attempting to disrupt the park's use. This incident highlights the deep divisions and sensitivities surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even within a seemingly local community issue in Dublin.

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The pro-Israel protesters were causing a bit of an obstruction to the matches and they are accusing us of anti-Semitism and that is absolutely not the case.

The proposal to rename Herzog Park has been a contentious issue. It was initially put forward for consideration by Dublin City Council but was later withdrawn due to procedural errors. The ISP is now working to resubmit the proposal, emphasizing that the renaming process should be open to public consultation. The park, named in 1995 after Chaim Herzog, who was born in Belfast and raised in Dublin, has become a focal point for activism, reflecting how international conflicts can manifest in local debates and community relations.

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This is a public park and we have held this so many times. We have so much public support for this. We feel that the naming of the park is not representative of a history we should be commemorating because of the history of the name.