Large crowds turned out for an anti-racism march in Dublin on Saturday, June 22, to counter a protest against immigration. According to organisers United Against Racism, thousands joined the demonstration, including trade unions, political parties, students’ unions, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and LGBTQ+ groups like GCN.
The anti-racism march started at Dame Street at 1:30pm and moved to O’Connell Street, where it met the anti-immigration protest. Separated by members of the Garda Public Order Unit and the Mounted Support Unit, there were many heated exchanges between the two groups, but no major incidents were reported.
Those at the counter demo carried signs reading “The only minority destroying Ireland is the rich” and “Dublin stands against racism”. They also shouted chants like, “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here” and “Blame the government, not the migrants”.
The march circled back to Dame Street, where it concluded with speeches. One speaker shared, “We can’t stand by while the far-right marches through our streets intimidating people.”
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Among the crowd was People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy, who said anti-immigration demonstrations “further divide our city” and it was “about time we put it up to them,” as reported by Dublin Live.
“We’re here to say that we are stronger when we stand together, that hate divides us, hate plays into the hands of Government,” Reddy added. Regarding the issues surrounding housing, he noted, “People that own IPAS centres are also multi-property landlords, so the enemy is the same and it’s about pointing that out.”
On the other side, the anti-immigration protestors carried Irish and US flags as well as posters of people like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Conor McGregor. A number of attendees wore green ‘Make Ireland Great Again’ caps, with slogans like ‘Ireland is full’ also on display.
The protest began at the Garden of Remembrance and ended at Custom House Quay, where there were a number of speakers.
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