HMS Penzance, a minehunter, was the scene of multiple arrests whilst docked in Dublin after a small group of activists appeared at the vessel to protest non-existent British arms supply flights to Israel.

As a Sandown Class minehunter, HMS Penzance is specially designed to neutralise underwater threats and clear shipping lanes, often working alongside Irish vessels to enhance the security of waters around the UK and Ireland.

The activists, part of a self-described Socialist Republican Organisation, claim they are “campaigning against Brit, EU and US Imperialism in Ireland”. Video footage shared by the group shows the incident.

It is unclear what flights the group are referring to, as it has been confirmed that UK flights into Israel are part of efforts to assist with the departure of British nationals.

UK explains nature of military flights into Israel

“The RAF has operated 17 flights into Tel Aviv in order to support the UK’s diplomatic engagement in country as well as to assist with the departure of British nationals. None of these flights transported any lethal aid for foreign nations.“

The group reported that a number of them were arrested and charged with trespass.

“This protest was directed at the British government and its armed forces who are actively involved in the genocide in Palestine, supplying weapons and munitions directly to the Zionists as well as hundreds of millions in funding. The protest was also against Britain’s ongoing occupation of 6 counties of Ireland. Activists entered through an open gate to the Port and made their way onto the gangplank where they were blocked by a British soldier armed with an assault rifle. Several more armed British soldiers made their appearance on deck. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine”, “No Weapons to ‘Israel'” and “From Ireland to Palestine – Occupation is a Crime!”

After a time, Gardaí arrived and threatened the activists with arrests. In response, activists sat down and refused to move, asserting that it was a legitimate protest. Gardaí then physically dragged activists off the gangplank and arrested them, coordinating with the British warship personnel before and after. Activists were held for 24 hours in custody and charged with trespass, brought before the courts and released on draconian bail conditions limiting their right to protest.”

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George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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139 COMMENTS

  2. That’s a pretty civilised protest really ! Freedom of speech, no damage, no ones hurt, they made a point (they are wrong) and a nice night in the Clink without their Teddy Bears.
    Interesting bit is RN MCMV assist the Irish state again ! Bill them 🤨

  3. These people have merely embarrased their own Government who invited the RN to their port. There will always be a small number of people who just haven’t moved on.

  6. Ireland has been most pro Gaza of western nations. Little article in the guardian today. Wish Israeli hostages get returned and idf can pull out pronto.

    • A middle east peace will come when the protagonists become able to see things from more than one perspective.

      When Israeli citizens feel safe living in their communities they will permit their Government to pull out the military until then any Israeli Government would only last five minutes in office before being replaced should they pull the IDF out. On its own return of the hostages is not going to be enough but might form part of a deal.

      Western Governments have been successful in limiting the deaths of innocents which was the only thing achievable. The long term solution is in the hands of Palistinians who need to turn their backs on Hamas in a similar way that Germans turned their backs on Nazis. I’m not holding my breath but cannot see any other solution.

      It should also be noted that Israel needs peace long term & whilst they have been striving for that Hamas sees their efforts as a threat and Israel needs to see that as a positive and double down on their efforts for peace with all their neighbours.

      • Maybe one day.
        With the part western governments have limited the deaths of innocents. Is there something specific? I’ve not heard this before.

        • Deduction based on the actions & words spoken by the key players. Cooler heads saves some (not all) innocent lives and perhaps, just perhaps, some serious thought will go into a long term plan which is where israel & palestine need to be. The international community distancing itself from Hamas and potentially starving it of oxygen could be key to long term peace.

      • However, when those new build communities continue to encroach on Palestinian land, just how long should Palestinian’s show the other cheek?

        OR. Ask the US to remove any Jewish influence on US spending, stop freebie weapons shipments and $$$$ to Israel and tell Iran you’ll create the biggest liquefied glass car park since the M25 if they continue to support terror and let the two parties get on with it.

        The Red Sea tourists think they have a free pass on land, Hamas etc al need defenestrating in entirety.

        Russia must love this, the distraction from the Ukraine is absolute; we need to refocus.

        • Neither side will find peace raking through the mistakes of the past they must focus on the futures of those still alive who might find peace living alongside each other.

          There is little distraction from Ukraine. The support continues as it must. Putin might be hoping for a breakthrough but it is just wishful thinking. In reality he continues to waste lives & ammunition which he might not value but the Russian people surely do.

          • Hang on a minute Heidfirst ….

            I’m trying to get my head around middle east politics, now if if have this right, according to Andy, Gary and Grizzler anyway,

            So Duran Duran were wrongly accused of stealing peat from the Lebanon, apparently it was actually The Human League and the terrible fighting carries on to this very day…..

            Tragic….

            Oh and the Irish left the lights on…..

          • D’Oh yes – that will teach me to type without thinking …well it won’t but I can pretend it will.
            Its actually even worse as I was singing lalalal lebanon in my head to the tune of The Reflex why? I have no idea!…my era as well – no excuses .

  7. They’re inflating their own actions a bit, aren’t they?
    Not sure standing in front of someone holding a flag counts as “confronting”.

  8. Probably some of the better ejemacated types from the University, gaining their B.S with little honour certificate, in showing off. Yawn…

    • Hello Daniele. Hope you are well. The above lads are very much a fringe group tackling two long running conflicts in one protest! Northern Ireland is now relatively peaceful after many bitter years of conflict. One would hope the Israeli-Palestine issue could arrive at a similar place, but I wonder if there will ever be peace in that troubled land.
      Cheers from humid Durbs!

      • Ireland expect that the u..k is there to be a protective shield that’s why they don’t spend on their own forces.. we should wash our hands of the whole miserable place and stay away from the place totally.

      • Not sure NIron is peaceful – tune into BBC Northern Ireland and let me know.

        Self controlled simmer might be a better summation.

  11. Translation of journalist language:

    Activists: Leftists mostly violent, we agree with them so we use Extremist only for the other side….
    Extremists : Rightwing, mostly peaceful. They are evil.

    Pro terrorists would be good in this case.
    RAF should be bombing Gaza death cult.

  13. “”The activists, part of a self-described Socialist Republican Organisation””

    Very interesting how on their twitter page they describe themselves as:

    Direct action group for Palestine in Ireland.

    A twitter page which only came on line in….Nov 23.

    A further search reveals the Sinn fein online store selling Saoirse don Phalaistín Paraphernalia, if i didn’t know better I’d say this is nothing more than a Irish republican stunt.

    Expanding further to this, regards the pro Palestinian protests across the West, anybody else get the impression, these were planned in advance . A little further digging reveals that six campaign groups are organising these marches. Leaders in four of them —
    The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC):
    The Friends of al-Aqsa,
    The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB)
    The Palestinian Forum for Britain (PFB) — have had apparent ties with Hamas or have expressed sympathy for its views.

    I’ve highlighted the friends of Al-Aqsa, its run by Ismail Patel (just happens to be good friends with a certain Yousef Humza from his days of running  Islamic Relief, And it has come out in the wash these past few days that Ismail Patel and friends stockpiled loads of pro Palestine placards before the balloon went up.
    (More on Humza and the fifth column inside the Uk on this 24 min video by the Scottish family party (most revealing)
    Humza Yousaf, Hamas and “Progressive Political Islam”
    (Most interesting)
    All of the above are supported by the likes of the BBC
    I mean how the hell can they claim impartiality when time (Oh Israel bombed a hospital twice killing 500, err no they didnt) and time (Jeremey Bowen : “Its quite normal to see AK47 and grenades inside hospitals . and time (BBC news flash IDF soldiers are shooting medics and Arabic translators inside hospitals) and time again (Last night University challenge) peddle the line their mullah pumps into them 5 times a day.

    And then there idiots like Owen Jones who has earned himself the tag Hamasexual after he berated the Gay Labour MP Wes Streeting for getting a Islamic activist banned off Twitter after he showered the Labour MP with homophobic abuse , Jones retort was the Muslim was a gay activist

    Then he defended videos of Hamas dragging kidnapped people into Hospitals at gun and knife point by claiming that Hamas was simply rushing these injured people to be treated and that is not a war crime.

    All of these and a lot more appear to be part of a plan to colour the mindset of the Western public in which to divest them of all links to Israel (like they did after the 1973 Yom Kippur war) Already paid off Ireland where life there for Jews is akin to what they had to face in 1930s Germany and the idiots see nothing wrong with this.

  14. The modus operandi for Gen-Z, find something (supposedly) problematic and condemn it on SM, pressure corporates into canceling/firing people, and waste everyone’s time with their disruptive protest marches …. do they really care? Nope, it is all about virtue signaling, i.e. trying to make themselves look “morally superior”.

  15. Off-topic but very disturbing is the recent report on how the Woke TikTokers are now supporting the vile rhetoric in Bin Laden’s “letter to America”

    Is it a failure of the education system to teach history or is it a case they put more faith in SM memes and “moral relativism” ?

  16. The usual bunch of malcontents, idiots and the unemployable who somehow are never found protesting outside the Russian embassy. Funny that.

    • But these people should be held to account for not only spreading shite, but also to correct the lies they peddle on their SM accounts. Much like MPs should also be held to account for the lies and mistruths they spout in Parliament by the Speaker, but only get a written letter of don’t do it again.

      I really think there should be team of Clerks beholden to the King, who not only investigate corruption, and bribery. But can also raise charges against MPs with the CPS.

      Parliament made itself Sovereign, but it cannot police itself impartially!

      • I think it was Harold Macmillan who observed that a lie could be halfway around the world before the truth has its boots on. The trolls and sock puppets are everywhere peddling their misinformation and lies, UKDJ is no stranger to their content. We hear constant bullshit from politicians who should no better about the nuclear deterrent, warship construction, submarines leaking, carriers without aircraft etc, etc. Yeah, those in receipt of parliamentary salary should be made more accountable for their utterances.

    • Thats as maybe mate but in the course of my work I was called an English c#nt last month and I have seen IRA 2020 painted on a post in Dublin as well! Cranks they might be but they are about🙄

      • Hello Jacko. “They” are about everywhere but a minority. I always felt welcome in the ROI even as a Norn Prod😂 but I did advise my daughter who recently moved to Cork from SA not to walk around humming The Sash in public.
        On the subject of c*nts, I genuinely believe the Bok said” Wit kant”-“White Side”. it’s the perfect explanation as even Zulu or English speakers use Afrikaans as code during scrums and lineouts in particular.

          • I don’t doubt the possibility that he actually did say White **** and ironically i was trying in my head to think up a defence for him if I had been tasked to be attorney for the accused but could not think of one until that explanation arose. In Afrikaans the word Kant is pronounced exactly the same as the ‘C ‘word in English so I have an open mind.
            On subject, I would always support Israel. The Holocaust for me was the most evil act of barbarism in known History particularly as it was carried out by men from a ‘çivilised society ‘but also because of the industrial way in which it was enacted. Also my wife is Jewish from her mothers side, but am also saddened by the deaths of Palestinian men, women and children.
            Stay well Daniele-waiting for some news soon from the Arctic region 🙂

          • Howdy DM. The boks are now World cup champs twice on the trot -for a total of four wold cup wins, A lot of unhappy kiwis here on the day! That final match was a sensational game of rugby though – very close.

          • Yes Jacko, there are some true nasties about but also some good people in all groups. During our recent riots her in South Africa we had great support from local Muslims to man our patrols and provide unasked for sustenance when most of the supermarkets were boarded up and out of stock.

      • Sadly happens everywhere, my brother has been in England for nearly 20 years, with an English wife and family and still gets abuse for being Irish at times.

        Some people are just gobshites.

  18. as usual -great to see the demonstrators showing balanced concern for the Israeli victims from 7Ocotober. Pardon my sarcasm folks , but I have had a guts full of theses hypocrites.

    • Same here Klonkie. It is like living in parallel universes where one reality is totally ignored and the other is twisted out of recognition. I try however not to do Black and White(no Saffer pun intended) For example I am no fan of Netanyahu. I think he has damaged Israel’s cause , but I do recognize the Jewish peoples pledge to never again allow themselves to be subjected to the horrors of the Nazi era and back them 100% on that. I don’t know what the solution is-maybe the unpalatable truth is that there is no solution

        • Andy wrote:

          “”Bomb them with rotten spuds””

          As a Young Sapper I was dicked by the unit to pack for a week’s Nite-at training as Civ pop at Lydd Ranges. For some strange reason, I was the only one selected, on getting there, we all (around 100 of us) had a informing us, that we would be acting as the enemy against the Saudi security forces.
          So first day inside tin town and the DS hand out empty tin cans and potatoes for us to lob at them but only by underhand throws. We grumbled, but did as we were told. Then one of the lads took a baton round direct to the gut and he was set upon by the Saudis . Right that changed everything
          The cans were stamped on made flat, and skimmed under their riot shields , those potatoes were stuffed with nails and broken glass and thrown full pelt, walls were knocked over, broken apart and bricks and half Charlies followed the potatoes. In an attempt to quiet things down, we were relocated to the beach where the Saudis were supposed to get used to using tear gas rounds, not noticing that the beach there is 100% pebbles. Put it this way, it was Agincourt part 2, resulting in a huge retreat by the Saudis 

          • 🤣🤣😂, that’s bloody hilarious Farouk.

            A good mate of mine was in 2 Para for years, similar amusing training stories regarding foreign (or otherwise) forces, with many a broken nose, split lip and the odd missing teeth.

            Needless to say, the ‘casualties’ were rarely 2 Para….

            I would like to say the other side always started the trouble, however that may not always have bee the case!

            The Maroon Machine has always enjoyed the simple pleasures in life, a good old fashioned punch up being one of them…

            I suppose it’s that fighting spirit and channeled aggression that make the Paras such a effective force …

      • hey Geoff. I’m hopeful the imminent release of 50 Israeli hostages will be a positive step towards a good resolution. I do think though the event that started this is a line crossed for Israel. I can’t see this ending well for Hammas. I cannot see a two state solution as viable. People are naïve to believe that this will miraculously end the conflict.

        Hammas has a stated objective of destroying Israel, so you can see how this is going to play out.

        • Hi Klonkie. Yep, Hamas’s core policy is the destruction of the State of Israel and veiled threats against Jewish people in general, so there is no hope of an agreed settlement of any sort involving them. Evil bastards.

    • They and similar groups are basically just “anti West”, changing who they are yelling about on the day, course most have no issues with dictators and their actions.

    • ROE are clear and well defined. You have a scale of response that you can apply …with almost all of it does not involving having to slot someone!

      Keep them off the gangway and if they push it then call in the heavy mob duty watch to all stand on the gangway to prevent access. If they get lairy the QM/BM does have a flick baton and when used correctly can easily break an arm or a shin rendering any miscreant on the receiving end of a baton strike feeling very sorry for themselves.

      You can also go for the all time favourite fire hose at 8 Bar on water jet which will blow them off their feet.

    • They did their duty Coll, the furthest they got was the plank (they didn’t board the ship) The jetty is the responsibility of whoever runs the port – can you imagine the propaganda field day the Republicans would have with “British soldiers (sic) patrol harbour”?

        • Given the fact that it hasn’t really been noticed at all in Ireland I’m not sure what “propaganda” use they could get out of it. Suppose those that already agree with them might think something of it but that’s really preaching to the choir so to say.

  24. So republicans are supporting the 2 state solutions in Israel/Gaza, Spain/Catalonia, Spain/Basque region, West Bank/Israel…except in Eire/Northern Island where they want a one state solution…
    Go figure…

    • To parallel Catelonia, as I recall it, not only is sucession of states from the US illegal, it was declared illegal in Alaska to even work officially toward legalising the possibility of sucession. It was called clearly unconstitutional. [When someone uses clearly in this manner, they mean it isn’t actually written down anywhere, but they will brook no argument.] Then there was the US Civil War.

      One nation indivisible. Or else. Very Madrid.

  27. “campaigning against Brit, EU and US Imperialism in Ireland”.
    Does that evem makes sense:
    Are they campaigning against the imperialism going in Ireland or are they in Ireland campaigning about generaic imperialsism …or both ..
    also what is Brit imperialism do they mean UK imperialism…

    monkey see monkey do by looks of it.

    • yup, they don’t like Brits, EU & US so that’s going to be a rather isolationist & lonely Ireland (not to mention broke) if they get their way …

  28. You can’t teach or educate the stupid, the moronic or those who haven’t got the intellect the investigate that validity of an issue themselves.

  30. Question on the Port security. How did these buggers get all the way into the port and even onto the gangway?! How about stopping them at the port gates?! Too much public access given into the docks? We’ve got the “Rising Tide” activist group planning a similar protest but more of a blockade of Newcastle Port, Australia’s largest coal port over the weekend, all because of a port call by an Israeli ZIM ship and “coal” exports (mostly to China) no doubt. Hope the police and port authorities can hold them back.

    • Depends on where she is moored, I don’t know Dublin Port very well, but Cork for example has very open quays where visiting ships tie up, there’s really only a couple which can be reasonably secured. The one most navies and cruise liners use for example is the Deep Water in Cobh which is completely open to the public even with ships alongside.

  32. Although a bunch of dumbasses who choose not to find the facts to challenge their own beliefs, they do have every right to demonstrate. It’s no different to an anti Vaxer demo or far right demo or pro Waitrose demo, if these people have nothing else to do then fine, as long as it’s not criminal.

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