Catherine Connolly addresses pro-Palestine rally outside Dáil

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has encouraged pro-Palestinian demonstrators for their repeated rallies outside Leinster House, as she addressed a small crowd that gathered to mark the return of the Dáil.

A heavy security cordon was erected along the main routes outside Leinster House on Wednesday as politicians returned from the summer recess.

Amid the resulting traffic disruption, gardaí were stationed along steel barriers in a large-scale operation enacted as a precaution given the history of major protests on the day.

However, only two small group of protesters had gathered by lunchtime.

The larger group contained dozens of demonstrators, some carrying Palestinian flags, that gathered on Molesworth Street, which leads up to one of the main entrances to the grounds of Leinster House.

Ms Connolly joined the group to give a short address, where she said there had been a “misuse of language” around Israel proclaiming its right to defend itself.

She said: “Every country is entitled to self defence, that goes without saying.

“But it is not self defence, what is happening is genocide and it has been going on for a very long time.”

Ms Connolly praised the protesters for their action, stating they had “forced” the Irish Government to recognise Palestinian statehood.

She went on to read findings from a team of independent experts commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council which concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

Nearby, a smaller group of demonstrators calling for Minister of State Kevin “Boxer” Moran to restore M4 motorway access to the Castletown House area in Co Kildare.

Elsewhere in the presidential race, Independent Ireland said that it had yet to be formally asked to nominate Maria Steen.

Ms Steen claims to have the backing of 10 members of the Oireachtas, halfway to the threshold of 20 TDs or Senators required to formally contest the election.

However, only nine of those politicians have so far been publicly named.

Independent Ireland has said it may be willing to help Ms Steen’s campaign over the line if she had already secured 16 other nominations and had “some synergy” with the party.

However, party leader Michael Collins and chairman Ken O’Flynn said they had not had a formal request for backing.

Mr Collins reiterated that she still needed further support before coming to the party and said: “Knock on our door and we’ll give it serious consideration but not until then.”

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, who is among those facilitating Ms Steen’s campaign, said that if politicians “believe in something” they should not have to wait to be asked.

He said there was a lot of “anger” over the nomination process and argued that larger parties were limiting the “breadth of debate” by not enabling independent candidates to proceed.

Instead of securing 20 nods from the Oireachtas, prospective candidates can also proceed to the race if they are nominated by four local authorities.

Mr Tóibín said he would tell his party councillors to back millionaire entrepreneur Gareth Sheridan if it seemed likely that Ms Steen could not get the necessary numbers, or if she would not need the council route.

Mr Sheridan is leading the independent hopefuls on the local authority path, having secured nominations from Kerry and Tipperary county councils.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin representative Darren O’Rourke said his party’s ard chomhairle would announce on Saturday about whether it will run its own candidate or back an independent hopeful such as Ms Connolly.

Mr O’Rourke defended the party’s strategy and said it had always been clear that it would make its intentions known on September 20th, four days before the nomination window closes.

The election will then be held on October 24th.