Friday morning 'brigils' support Palestinian people

On 'Brigil' duty in support of the Palestinian people this morning at the M9 motorway bridge near Kilcullen were Aoife Scott, Ray Kelly and Orla O'Neill, writes Brian Byrne.

The Friday morning vigils are urging an end to the Israeli attacks in Gaza which have now killed an estimated 38,000 Gazan civilians.

The 'Brigils' are held on Fridays at five motorway bridges in County Kildare. And while it isn't easy to get large groups together at busy traffic times in the morning — and evening in some cases — Orla O'Neill says there is generally a strong positive support from motorists crossing and passing under the bridge. "Though since all this anti-immigration message has grown, we are seeing negativity too. Some people calling out things like what business is Gaza of ours?"

Numbers at the Kilcullen Friday mornings, from 7.30am to 8.30am, can range from a couple of people to seven, and on one day Ray found himself on his own. "It can be a lonely place then," he admits. While agreeing that most reaction is positive, he recalled one incident when a tractor pulling a slurry tank pulled up on the hard shoulder beyond the group and the driver blew his horn to get their attention. "We looked around and then he flipped the finger at us. Imagine the effort he put in just to do that?" 

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