Campaigners slam Dublin council's decision to suspend plans to rename Herzog Park

Dublin City Council has come under fire after suspending plans to remove the name of a former Israeli president from a public park.

The Irish capital's governing body on Monday was scheduled to debate a proposal to rename Herzog Park, named after Chaim Herzog, who was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland and grew up in Dublin before serving as Israeli president between 1983 and 1993. 

However, council chief executive Richard Shakespeare said on Sunday he was proposing to withdraw the item from Monday’s agenda and refer it back to the commemorations committee, saying that correct legislative procedures had not been followed.

Many pro-Palestinian campaigners have called for the park to be renamed after Hind Rajab, the six-year-old girl who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in January 2024 after pleading with emergency services to rescue her. 

Read more: Campaigners slam Dublin council's decision to suspend plans to rename Herzog Park