A group of about ten Pittsburghers gathered Saturday at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to show support for Irish solidarity for Palestine. They stood on the sidewalk and held homemade signs, the Palestinian flag and distributed educational materials.
“The Irish have the exact same history [as Palestine],” the group’s organizer, Lori Kay from Jewish Voice for Peace said. “Manufactured famine, genocide, ethnic cleansing, displacement and a system of apartheid.”
David Clagett, a group member from 5051, agreed.
“People have struggled to have self-determination, to have a land of their own and say over how it’s governed,” Clagett said. “Historically that has been true of Ireland as well as the cause of the Palestinians.”
In the almost two and a half years since Israel escalated its military operation in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, public opinion has shifted.
According to a study conducted by Pew Research in Oct 2025, 59% of Americans have a poor opinion of the Israeli government, a figure up 8% since 2023.
Kay said she has noticed the change.
According to her, people have been more receptive to the Palestinian perspective in the last few years.
“Even people who are pro-Israel will talk to me and hear me out,” Kay said. “Most people are becoming aware of what’s happening.”
Despite many group members referencing a softening opinion towards the Palestinian cause, Kay said a parade attendee threatened to shoot one of the group members in the face during Saturday’s event.
“I’ve experienced people threatening me but never to that extent,” Kay said. “There have also been a fair amount of people taking the literature and then handing it back when they realize what it is.”
According to Emily B, a group member from the Palestine Solidarity Coalition and an Irish American, many Irish Americans forget their history.
“People kind of forget they came from a community that was genocided,” B said.
“The most Irish thing is caring about Palestine, remembering that people were colonized, oppressed and experiencing genocide just like Ireland.”
The group said that the Irish are almost unanimous in their support for Palestine.
Reggy C, a group member said when she visited Belfast, she saw more Palestinian flags than Irish ones.
“People there don’t just remember, they live it every day,” C said. “That is a connection through their continued struggle.”
Kay referenced historical details that unite both struggles. Specifically, The Balfour Declaration, which according to Al Jazeera, was a public pledge made by Britain in 1917 where the country declared in initiative to gain control of Palestine.
Kay said Aurthur James Balfour, a former British prime minister who signed the Balfour Declaration was also involved in Irish politics.
According to the John Gray Centre, Balfour earned the nickname ‘bloody Balfour’ because of his riot suppression policies during his time as Chief Secretary for Ireland.
“It was the same guy doing [it],” Kay said. “The history is incredibly linked.”
