A new student group, Calling All Allies, is organising a demonstration at Dublin’s Spire this Saturday to highlight Islamophobia and far-right extremism in the aftermath of the recent New Zealand terror attacks.

The event will mark the 50 lives lost in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch last Friday, while drawing student organisations – including LGBT+ societies and other human rights groups – together to consider issues of hatred and discrimination that affect the student body in Ireland.

Organisers from Calling All Allies are keen to stress that the event isn’t just for Muslim students, but for everyone shocked by the New Zealand attacks.

“We have come together as one group,” says Ahmad Ryklief, a final year student of mathematical sciences at DIT. “It’s not an Islamic group, but a group from different societies. We want to get as many people as possible to attend.”

Ryklief said the recent attacks felt “closer to home” as New Zealand and Ireland are alike in many ways: the overall size of the population, the size of the Muslim population, the positive relationship between communities, and the previous lack of terrorist violence.

Any sense of complacency or belief that something similar could not happen in this country, he argued, should be shaken by these events. “We need to raise awareness of this attack,” he said. “We don’t want this to happen to us here, sitting in Friday prayer at a mosque.”

Ryklief said that while far-right groups in Ireland are small, Islamophobia is a widespread problem. “I know many people who have experienced Islamophobia, especially ladies wearing headscarves,” he said.

Nonetheless, he emphasised that there are broader issues at stake: “Yes, we are saying ‘No’ to Islamophobia, but we are also saying ‘No’ to racism, no to hatred, no to fascism. We are expecting Muslims and non-Muslims to attend, it’s for everyone.”

Calling All Allies are working in collaboration with the Islamic Foundation of Ireland (IFI), better known as the Dublin Mosque on the South Circular Road, to publicise the event. The group has put up a post on the IFI Facebook page and is using IFI facilities to email mosques, as well as inter-faith and anti-racism groups around the country.

Students will gather at their various universities at 3pm, before uniting with the wider public for a demonstration at the Spire with talks from Muslim representatives.