Flotilla protest in Ireland (archives)
Flotilla protest in Ireland (archives)Screenshot

Pro-Palestinian Authority protesters interrupted a pro-Israel rally in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday, and eggs were thrown at Israeli Ambassador Boaz Modai. He was not hit, but one of his guards was splashed with the eggs which were thrown from the porch of a nearby house.

The peaceful pro-Israel rally in wintry weather attracted approximately 250 supporters outside government offices, but turned nasty when 100 pro-Arab demonstrators arrived to counter the rally with anti-Israel slurs.

One of the pro-Israel supporters was a Labor party councilor, Ward Richard Humpreys, who was quoted by Ireland's RTE News as saying, "This is a day when we stand in solidarity, friendship and dialogue with Israel. Israel's right to exist must be acknowledged, as the only Jewish state in the world and the only liberal secular democracy in the Middle East.”

Tension was high after the counter-demonstrators appeared.

Anti-Israel bias in the Irish media was shown by the Irish Sun, which showed a picture of a rally participant holding an Israeli flag, with a caption stating  “Cheeky ... Israel supporter waves” the flag on a street.

A picture of a pro-Palestinian Authority protester simply stated, “Protest ... Palestine supporter," with the photo including the protester’s placard stating, “Stop Israeli war crimes in Gaza.”

The newspaper added, “Two pro-Gaza protesters were detained,” presumably for disturbances but which were not detailed.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry two weeks ago charged the Dublin City Council with incitement against Israel for sponsoring a display that showed IDF soldiers as Nazi troops humiliating and harassing Arabs.

A group writing  on a Facebook page also urged people to throw rocks at the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. Vandals previously damaged an auditorium where an Israel singer was to perform.