A solidarity and unity rally is set to take place in Dublin on Saturday, November 23, calling for people from all over Ireland to push back against the far-right spreading hate and division. Organised by cross-sectoral alliance Le Chéile in collaboration with the Irish Council of Trade Unions, the demonstration will see people from all over the country gather in the Irish capital to stand in solidarity with minority communities.

Le Chéile is a coalition of political parties, unions, individuals and civil society groups, including LGBTQ+ organisations such as TENI and GCN. Working together to make Ireland a country where everyone can live without fear, the coalition recognises that women, LGBTQ+ people, migrants, and people of colour are among the primary targets of the growing far-right and that a solidarity movement is needed now more than ever in the country.

Calling for people to join their mission, Le Chéile is organising the Rally for Hope and Unity in Dublin on Saturday, November 23. Participants are invited to gather at the Larkin statue on O’Connell Street at 1pm and stand together against the far-right.

“The rise of far-right extremist groups in Ireland is deeply disturbing,” Le Chéile spokesperson and LGBTQ+ activist Ailbhe Smith said. “Cynical political actors are seeking to spread racism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia in our communities. They are seeking to divide communities and roll back hard won freedoms in the interests of their own personal gain. We cannot allow this virulent hatred to take root in our society, we must stand together in solidarity, with targeted minorities and the frontline workers being harassed and intimidated by far right actors .”

The coalition calls on people to fight together against poverty, discrimination, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, disablism, and fascism. “I urge people across the island of Ireland to join trade unionists, community groups and grassroots activists in saying no to hatred and division,” Convenor of Le Cheile Steph Hanlon said.

“Working class communities in Ireland are not racist. The far-right are going into communities and using a minority to spread misinformation, amplifying racist voices and portraying them as the general consensus. We saw this in action when they weaponised the tragic stabbing of a child in Parnell Square to spread misinformation and incite hatred, culminating in disgraceful scenes in Dublin city centre last November. And violent targeting of workers in libraries, schools, transport, retail, and security.”

Similar demonstrations took place last year, when 50,000 people gathered in Dublin for the #IrelandForAll rally, and earlier this year in March, when as many joined the #StandTogether national solidarity demonstration. At both rallies, people from all over Ireland called for better housing and healthcare for all and protested hatred, racism, and violence in the country.

In recent years, we have witnessed the deliberate scapegoating of minority groups by the far-right, who employ racist and homophobic tactics to create divisions in our society. Moreover, societal problems such as unaffordable housing and long waiting lists for public services have been exacerbated by the government’s refusal to deal with these issues.

In this context, community groups are calling on people to show up and stand in solidarity with all those who have been marginalised, discriminated against or let down by the state.