Mayo IPSC holds 'Drop Allianz' protest outside GAA venue
Mayo IPSC members held another Drop Allianz protest outside MacHale Park today ahead of the Mayo versus Roscommon match, continuing the nationwide campaign to end the GAA's relationship with Allianz.
Protesters distributed information leaflets to supporters, highlighting the Drop Allianz campaign and presenting evidence from the UN report 'From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,' which demonstrates Allianz's complicity in Israeli apartheid and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Speaking at the protest, Mayo IPSC spokesperson Aoife Durkan said: “It is a no-brainer to drop Allianz as sponsor from the GAA. I'm echoing the words of the Kerry great Dara Ó Cinnéide who recently expressed these sentiments, and there's no question but Allianz should be dropped.”
She added that Allianz’s historical and current activities raise serious ethical concerns.
“Allianz, who were complicit in the Holocaust, are now found to be complicit in the genocide in Gaza.
"They hold $7.3 billion in shares and bonds implicated in the genocide, and there is no space within our fantastic organisation that is the GAA for sponsorship linked to genocide, the crime of crimes.”
The protest received strong support from both Mayo and Roscommon supporters, demonstrating cross-county solidarity on the issue.
Roscommon is one of ten counties that have passed motions calling on the GAA to terminate its relationship with Allianz.
However, the GAA refused to hear these motions, citing that the sponsorship arrangement was deemed "commercially sensitive" and therefore not appropriate for discussion at Congress, leading to widespread criticism, with Peter Canavan commenting that the association is “burying its head in the sand”.
Aoife Durkan also addressed the role of Allianz Ireland within the wider corporate structure.
“Allianz Ireland is a subsidiary in the overall Allianz group, so in that regard there is no denying that they are and they have no exemption from the crimes as outlined in the recent UN report.”
Mayo IPSC will continue to raise awareness about the ethical implications of maintaining a sponsorship relationship with a company complicit in the gravest human rights violations, she added.