“That’s why occupation makes me nauseous, because it involves apartheid, it involves crimes against humanity, and, as we’re seeing at the moment, involves genocide.”
Irish actor Liam Cunningham, widely recognized for his role in Game of Thrones, has said the situation in Gaza is “going to get worse before it gets better if people don’t stand up and say enough is enough.”
“It was just Gaza for a while, and now it’s expanded, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better if people don’t stand up and say enough is enough,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Anadolu news agency published on Tuesday.
Drawing on his personal experiences and Ireland’s history under British rule, Cunningham said “I think it’s one of those things – I’ve never been a fan of injustice.”
His platform as a globally recognized actor has given him a louder voice, one he feels morally obligated to use, Anadolu reported.
“I could have a very easy life and just enjoy being a reasonably successful actor, but my conscience wouldn’t allow me. I have to speak up,” Cunningham stressed.
British Atrocities
The actor believed that Ireland’s long struggle under British rule had shaped the Irish people’s deep empathy for Gaza, the report said.
“We are a perfect example of what occupation can do,” he said, referencing the devastating Great Hunger of the 19th century, during which Ireland lost millions to starvation and forced migration, it added.
🇮🇪🤝🇵🇸
İrlandalı aktör Liam Cunningham, tarihten örneklerle, İrlanda’nın bağımsızlığını kazanma süreci ile Filistin arasında kurduğu benzerlikten bahsediyor. pic.twitter.com/oPXb0pg7bE— TRT Uluslararası Belgesel Ödülleri (@TRTBelgeselFilm) December 15, 2024
“That was under the control of the British government, and that wasn’t even just in Ireland,” he continued, pointing to similar atrocities, such as the Bengal famine under Winston Churchill.
“That’s why occupation makes me nauseous because it involves apartheid, it involves crimes against humanity, and, as we’re seeing at the moment, involves genocide,” he reportedly stated.
Celebrities Using Clout
On the question of backlash that many celebrities faced for supporting the Palestinian cause, Cunningham was adamant.
“What can they possibly do? Deny me one more opportunity to play dress-up, which is what I do for a living?” he said. “So what are they going to do? Shoot me in the street for speaking up? They don’t have any power. The only power they have is the power we give them.”
Genuine Solidarity Is Not Conditional: Gaza and Unity around Palestine
Criticizing those who remained silent out of fear, the actor said he was more “concerned about the cowards who don’t speak up, the people who look at the television go, ‘Isn’t that awful? Let’s put on a cookery program.’ They’re the people I find disappointing.”
He said it was “sad” that documentaries have to be shown “to prove that we’re all the same.”
Real Struggle for Justice
“The people in Gaza, they are us. Everywhere I go, I feel incredibly comfortable because I’m shown kindness and welcomed. The vast majority of people are the same: looking for education, love, work and family,” Cunningham added.
He drew parallels between his work in Game of Thrones and the real-world struggle for justice, reported Anadolu.
Irish actor Liam Cunningham voiced strong support for #Palestine at a panel in #Istanbul, #Türkiye, as he condemned the ongoing genocide and warned that the world is#GazaGenocide #SB19 #mynameisnanon #BabarAzam𓃵 #Netanyahu #Syria pic.twitter.com/t5XyhNzRNY
— Palestine Info Center (@palinfoen) December 14, 2024
“Game of Thrones was about the nature of power and the corrupting qualities that power can give you,” he warned, adding, “You have to be very, very careful with power.”
Drama, the actor said, holds a mirror to society, while documentaries “open the window on the world.”
Mainstream Media
Cunningham accused the media of abdicating its responsibility to hold power to account, the report said.
“It shouldn’t be actors or comedians doing this. It should be the media, and they’re not doing their job. They should be ashamed of themselves,” stated the actor.
Western Media: Whitewashing Israeli Genocide and Manufacturing Consent
He accused “the rich who have bought the press” of telling media “what stories to put out,” and added “I just wonder where the backbone of news media has gone.”
“If you haven’t spoken up already, please, please speak up. This killing has got to stop.
On the status of a ceasefire, he said “now it’s got to the stage where, if I say, ‘Please cease-fire,’ now you can turn around and go ‘Which one would you like to start with? Lebanon, Syria or Gaza?’” Anadolu reported.
Ongoing Genocide
The Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip continues with the death toll among starved and besieged Palestinian civilians rising daily.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
At least ten Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in an Israeli massacre in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City.
Two soldiers were killed when a building collapsed after being targeted by the Palestinian Resistance in Rafah.https://t.co/dNwYHyrW9j
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 17, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 45,059 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 107,041 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. However, Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Famine and Displaced
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Al-Mawasi under Fire – Displaced Families Call for Urgent Humanitarian Intervention
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern region.
(Anadolu, PC)
