Weekly Protests and Marches

Want to help with March and Rally Planning?

Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign (CPSC) Demo

The Saturday CPSC March and Rally is organised by the Demo Group. We meet via virtually on Monday nights at 7 o’clock to plan the upcoming rallies, and share out the various practical tasks that ensure the day runs smoothly. If you are a member interested in joining us, sign in to the Weekly March and Planning-chat group to open the opportunity to contribute your ideas and take a turn at performing one of the following roles:

MC

The person who opens the rally by welcoming everyone who is there and speaks briefly on the theme of the day. They then introduce the speakers and musicians and will pass on any necessary housekeeping information and announce upcoming events.

Co-Ordinator

This is a liaison role. It involves drawing up a running order for the day’s events and making sure that everyone is aware of it. The coordinator also liaises with the platform party before and during the rally and checks in with the stewards, chanters, drummers, table organisers, and props and equipment people to make sure that they have no issues.

Communication Copy Writer

The person who promotes the rally by preparing our 100-200 word Weekly Newsletter entry that outlines the rally theme and posting it in our chat-group for review. Once any agreed edits have been made, it is forwarded to the Communications Group for publication. The deadline for newsletter submissions is lunchtime on Thursdays.

Equipment Check

This is done a couple of days before the rally to make sure that everything is in order and all batteries are fully charged. On the rally day, people are needed to set up and monitor the sound system.

Stewards

You will know them by their yellow vests. They meet fifteen minutes before the rally starts to be briefed by the lead steward. They are then dispersed in pairs at the sides of the march to ensure that everyone is safe from interference and aware of any need to slow down or make a temporary stop. In addition, they have responsibility for keeping an eye on the platform proceedings and audience to ensure there are no disruptions. Their purpose is to see that each march and rally is calm and dignified.

Chanters

As the name suggests, they lead the call and response chants as we march. It is always good to have several of them spread throughout the march to ensure that every marcher can hear a call to respond to.

Drummers

Drummers lead the march, and their beat provides a rhythm for its pace. They also draw the attention of those we pass. Additional drummers would allow us to team one with each chanter.

Live Feed Operator

Official live coverage of the speakers and musicians involves one of us making a recording and posting it on the CPSC-website and Instagram. This forms an important link to our event for the people we support in Palestine. It also encourages people who see it here in Ireland to come to our rallies.

Table

This is where we raise essential funds to help cover the CPSC running costs and fund the 5 Palestinian NGOs we sponsor. Helpers are needed to set up and sell the merchandise and to interact with customers who express an interest in CPSC.

White Board Notices

We need volunteers to help with entering announcements about upcoming events on the Demo whiteboard and organising copies to be sent to the campaign’s web page.

Monday Meetings Minutes Taker

We take turns in keeping the weekly meeting minutes and posting them on our organising chat for approval. A copy is then sent to the CPSC committee to update them on our plans.

Monday Meeting Rotating Chairperson

Chairing our meetings is a shared responsibility as we ask for someone to volunteer for the role at the beginning of each week’s session.

Express your interest in-person at one of the marches or via email at the bottom of the page

Notable speakers and performers

CPSC has been honoured to welcome speakers from all over the world to our weekly rallies. Not only have we had speakers and performers to highlight the injustices in Palestine, but also the genocides in DR Congo and Sudan. None of us are free until we all are free.

A few of our notable speakers and performers include:

current President of Ireland Catherine Connolly
photographer and human rights activist Misan Harriman
British surgeon Dr Nick Maynard on his experiences in Gaza
Cork comedian and Sumud Flotilla member Tadhg Hickey
Cork singer-songwriter John Spillane
Cork musician, Palestine and homelessness campaigner Martin Leahy

Notable Speakers and Performers

A few of our notable speakers and performers include:

current President of Ireland Catherine Connolly
photographer and human rights activist Misan Harriman
British surgeon Dr Nick Maynard on his experiences in Gaza
Cork comedian and Sumud Flotilla member Tadhg Hickey
Cork singer-songwriter John Spillane
Cork musician, Palestine and homelessness campaigner Martin Leahy

Join us

We assemble every Saturday at 1pm, where we hold a rally before marching.

A lot of preparation goes into staging rallies and marches that range from hundreds to thousands of protestors. If you would like to become involved then please consider becoming a member and joining our planning group. Volunteers are always welcome!

Volunteer

Running a rally and march for hundreds and even thousands of people needs help from our community! But it is hugely rewarding.

We are always looking for people to help with stewarding, running the info table, loading and unloading, and more!

Members of CPSC can join our subgroup and further help deciding the weekly theme and tagline, inviting speakers and performers, being the MC, checking the sound equipment, chanting, etc.