The Palestinian people were honoured in Cork last night when a representative from the Palestinian Embassy received the Spirit of Mother Jones Award in recognition of her people’s resilience and courage in the face of the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
Every year the Cork Mother Jones Committee presents the award to campaigners and activists they believe embody the campaigning spirit of Cork-born US trade unionist, Mary Harris, aka Mother Jones, who worked tirelessly for workers’ rights in the United States.
Cork Mother Jones Committee spokesman, Jim Nolan, said that the committee were delighted that Zeina Alazzeh of the Embassy of the State of Palestine had accepted the award while acknowledging that in “practical terms an award such as this remains almost a trivial offering”.
“We believe it represents a symbolic and heartfelt gesture of support by many Cork people to an entire population facing genocide in that we are recording the fact that human beings everywhere should bear witness to the sufferings of Palestinians.
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“Along with the many thousands of people who have marched through Cork city each week and across Ireland since October 2023, we wish to also add our support for the People of Palestine by conferring on them the Spirit of Mother Jones Award”
Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, expressed her gratitude to the Cork Mother Jones Committee for their decision to honour the people of Palestine with the Spirit of Mother Jones Award.
“During this difficult time and while our people in Palestine are experiencing the highest form of misery and catastrophe, we find a glimmer of hope through the Irish people’s support and solidarity. It is heart-warming that there are still nations that stand up for basic human rights, but sadly this is not the case everywhere,” she said.
“Mary Harris was a brave mother like thousands of Palestinian mothers who lost their children. It is the loss of a mother’s child, and how she could hold back her grief and despair to create a better life. Her commitment to standing up against injustice holds great values that are reflected in this award, and we are honoured to be credited with it”
The people of Palestine join previous international winners of the award including British trade unionists Mick Lynch and Dave Hopper; Hillsborough campaigners Margaret Aspinall and Sue Roberts; and civil rights lawyer Gareth Peirce.
Among the Irish winners are homeless advocate Fr Peter McVerry; children’s rights campaigner Louise O’Keeffe; anti-apartheid activist Mary Manning; Stardust campaigner Antoinette Keegan; and Cork educational activist Don O’Leary.
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