Popular discontent against mass immigration in Ireland reached new heights on Monday as thousands rallied in Dublin against the country’s lax migration and asylum policies.
The protest—the latest iteration in the ongoing wave of populist anger sweeping the Republic in recent months—was organised by a loose coalition of political parties and factions.
Gathering adjacent to Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance before making its way to the banks of the Liffey, the protest easily outnumbered a left-wing counter-demonstration. It was addressed by political activist and European election candidate Malachy Steenson, who shot to national prominence after helping kickstart the campaign on migration in November 2022.
Chants of “Sinn Féin are traitors”—a reference to the country’s primary left-wing opposition party—were heard as Steenson declared the crowd was “on the right side of history” concerning the Republic’s current immigration woes.
Speaking to The European Conservative, Steenson said that Monday’s protest highlighted the arrival of a new “grassroots nationalist movement.” He added that, although the government had recently given token concessions to the protesters, “the Irish people will not be conned again by those who give allegiance to the EU before their own Nation.”
Monday’s demonstration occurred without any major incident. Eleven protesters who were detained for alleged public order offences were released shortly thereafter. The rally came one day after another suspected arson attack on a planned asylum centre in south Dublin. Local communities across Ireland have had repeated confrontations with authorities over the arrival of asylum seekers in their area.
Long a taboo in Irish politics, migration has become the leading issue in the aftermath of November’s Dublin riots following a stabbing rampage by an Algerian immigrant. Over a third of voters are now open to voting for a right-wing populist party ahead of a busy cycle of local, European and likely national elections all within the next 12 months.
Following on from the emergence of Dutch-style farmer protests the recent political upheaval in Ireland has resulted in the government making token concessions on asylum issues, while a right-wing bloc of populist TDs (MPs) looks set to form in the Irish Parliament (Dáil) in response to the changing public mood.
