Anti-racism and anti-immigration marches shut down O'Connell Bridge in Dublin
The protest and counter-rally took place in Dublin (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)
An anti-racism rally and an anti-immigration demonstration were held in Dublin city on Sunday.
O'Connell Bridge was closed for a time on Sunday afternoon as the Gardai erected extensive barriers to separate the two crowds.
The United Against Racism rally began at the Central Plaza on Dame Street, marching through the city to O'Connell Bridge at around 2pm.
An anti-racism rally was held to counter the anti-immigration demo (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)
Several protesters carried signs saying: 'Blame the Government, not migrants'; and: 'Dublin stands against racism'. They also chanted: 'Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here.'
The anti-immigration protest marched down O'Connell Street and turned left at O'Connell bridge before continuing along the quays.
Participants from both sides shouted and gestured towards each other from across the empty space between the barriers created by gardai.
Officers formed a barrier between the demonstrations (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)
At one point, the anti-racism rally chanted at the anti-immigration group: 'You say protect women, that's a lie' and referenced a photo being carried by one person of MMA fighter Conor McGregor, who lost a civil trial where a Dublin woman accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel.
The anti-immigration group, which was the larger of the two, was thick with large tricolour flags.
The protest and counter-rally took place in Dublin (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)
News in 90 Seconds - June 22nd
It chanted 'ole ole' and: 'Whose streets? Our streets'.
Several people were seen wearing 'Make Ireland Great Again' green caps and holding US or 'Trump' flags, and some signs critical of RTE.
The two rallies chanted and gestured towards each other (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)
At one point, the famous rebel song 'Oro 'Se do bheatha 'bhaile' was played by the anti-racism rally over a speaker, and prompted some participants in the anti-immigration group to sing along and applaud at the end.
There was an extensive Garda presence at the location where the two protest groups were due to cross paths.
The Garda Mounted Support Unit, the Public Order Unit, and Garda members from outside the Dublin Metropolitan Region were in attendance.
One Garda member was heard telling a member of the public he could not give directions as he was brought in from a region outside Dublin to police the protest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Man (20s) and teen charged after firebomb attack on family's home in Ballyfermot
The family had been injured and their dog burned to death after their home was targeted in the early morning attack A man in his 20s and a teenager have been arrested and charged by gardai investigating the firebomb attack on an innocent family's home in Ballyfermot, Dublin 10. Both were quizzed at Garda stations in Dublin by gardaí investigating an act of 'criminal damage by fire' that occurred at a residence on Landen Road on Wednesday, May 21. The Curran family had been injured and their dog burned to death after their home was targeted in the early morning attack. Detectives believe it was carried out as part of a worsening city feud involving a young drug dealer and junior associates of gangster Brian Rattigan. In an update released on Thursday night, a Garda spokesperson confirmed that the man and the teenager had both been charged in relation to the incident. A spokesperson said: 'One male, aged in his 20s is due to appear before Criminal Courts of Justice tomorrow morning Friday 4th July, 2025 at 10.30am. 'The second male, a juvenile in his teens, is due to appear before the Children's Court tomorrow morning Friday 4th July, 2025 at 10.30am. Investigations ongoing.' Breda Curran recalled hearing her husband Pat's screams from the sitting room at 2am, where he had been due to having difficulties sleeping. The fire-damaged Curran home News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 3 "I heard a big crashing sound… I jumped up and ran down the stairs. I could feel the heat coming up the stairs and it wasn't a normal heat,' Ms Curran said. The couple and their son ran out of the house into the garden, where they noticed that their sitting room window had a hole in it. Ms Curran told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that she grabbed their garden hose and ran back in because their dog had been sleeping in the sitting room. "We were calling his name, but the heat wouldn't let us back in. When we went into the sitting room door, the fire was everywhere,' she recalled. "The whole place was up in flames… we tried to call the dog but it was too late. We just heard him whimpering and then everything went silent.' She told how the family then stood out on the road, and watched on as their home burned to the ground. Mr Curran recalled his own perspective, waking up in the sitting room to breaking glass and seeing a line of fire right in front of him. "It was like waking up in hell… I don't know how I didn't go on fire. All I done was I started screaming, 'Breda, Breda, Breda.' "The thought came into my head, 'what did I do', I thought I was after falling asleep, did I do something to cause this? "This is evil that came to our house,' Mr Curran said. The Ballyfermot couple said being from old stock themselves, they did not have their home insured and would have felt a 'little bit more secure' if it had been. "I don't know if I can even come back here. I don't know if I would feel safe here. I just feel totally different now. I loved me home,' Ms Curran said. She told how she does shift work and would come home, clean up, have a shower and feed the dog. The couple said they don't drink or smoke, and spend their time watching Netflix in the evening. 'All I can think now is, what was all that for? It's gone,' Ms Curran said. They thanked their neighbours, who, since the attack, have been coming over and empathising and even handed the couple money in envelopes. "Strangers come up to us often,' Mr Curran said. 'I have to say, the community spirit in Ballyfermot, it is never talked about. But the respect, compassion, goodwill that is after coming from this community is something to be admired and it keeps me going.'
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Harris says Ireland and US should work ‘every hour' on tariff deal
Ireland and the US should 'use every hour' to reach a zero-for-zero tariff settlement in as many areas as possible, the Tánaiste has told the new US ambassador. On the eve of US Independence Day on Friday, new ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh hosted Fourth of July celebrations on the lawn of the Deerfield Residence in Phoenix Park. Simon Harris was among guests at Mr Walsh's first public appearance since presenting his credentials to President Michael D Higgins on Tuesday. Outside the star-spangled celebration, scores of protesters gathered outside the main entrance to the estate chanting: 'They feast, Gaza starves.' The demonstrators gathered to shout 'shame' at attendees over the US Government's military support for Israel's war in Gaza. Protesters outside the US Ambassador Deerfield Residence in Phoenix Park (Brian Lawless/PA) Barriers erected as part of a heightened security presence around the residence were adorned with pro-Palestinian banners and posters calling for an end for US military use of Shannon Airport. Inside, the US Embassy had invited 2,500 guests which included members of the Oireachtas, media figures, and business leaders. Shortly after 8pm, as a band played James Bond theme Live And Let Die, the ambassador walked out of the residence to the garden party with Riverdance creator Michael Flatley. Mr Harris shook hands with Mr Flatley outside a hotdog stand, having already met the ambassador inside the residence. All three took to the stage for renditions of the US and Irish national anthems, a colour guard, speeches and Flatley performing on a flute. Mr Walsh told those gathered: 'I have been told that this is the best job in the entire world — and having been here a week, and I feel like that's the truth.' Mr Walsh told the crowd that the gathering for the US's 249th Independence Day was an opportunity to deepen relationships between the two countries. He said he and his family were happy to make the residence his new home, although they were still figuring out the light switches. US Marines flag bearers as the new US Ambassador to Ireland Edward S Walsh hosts July 4 celebrations at Deerfield Residence in Phoenix Park (Brian Lawless/PA) Expressing gratitude to US president Donald Trump for appointing him to the role, he said he would work to strengthen the relationships between the US and Ireland. 'I stand before you as a businessman, a family man, and someone who deeply values the ties that bind communities together, from the boardroom to the golf course. 'As the new US ambassador to Ireland, I look forward to building lasting relationships, communicating openly, and embracing all that brings our peoples together.' He relayed an anecdote from his grandmother that: 'God made the Germans to be serious, the French sophisticated, the Italians passionate — but no one was having fun, so he created the Irishman.' To a muted response, he said: 'You can cheer for that one.' Having received a more enthusiastic reaction, Mr Walsh concluded his speech by asking the audience to 'cheers' for the support of his family, Mr Trump, and Ireland. Mr Walsh introduced his wife Lynn; his daughter Maggie and her husband, Matthew Kelly; and his daughter Anna and her fiance, Pat Beljan. His daughter Rachel was at home in New Jersey with her husband, Joe McGrath, and their two children. Mr Harris said the US and Ireland have been 'intertwined in each other's stories' through a shared history and cultural exchange, adding that Americans had played an important role in the Northern Ireland peace process. He said the economic relationship between the two countries was of 'immense mutual benefit'. 'As I speak tonight, I am conscious that we are just days away from the deadline when the US pause on placing tariffs on EU goods, and therefore on Irish goods, will be reached.' He added: 'Let's use every hour between then to reach a deal.' The new US ambassador to Ireland Edward S Walsh (left), with Michael Flatley (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Harris said Ireland wanted to see a 'zero-for-zero' tariff approach in as many areas as possible, adding that uncertainty and instability 'helps no one'. 'With some of the most important voices in the Irish and US business communities here tonight, let me say again loud and clear – we want and we need to see an agreement reached between the EU and the US.' Adding that 'true friendship is not measured by constant agreement', the Tánaiste changed direction in his speech to express Ireland's concerns about the 'ongoing situation in Gaza'. 'Ireland has always unreservedly condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation. 'We stand for Israel's right to live in peace.' He added: 'But we also want the bombs to stop, the killing to stop and we, as I know you do, want to see a ceasefire where humanitarian aid can get to people suffering.' Mr Harris said Ireland would honour its history by putting its reputation on the line in the search for peace, adding that its concerns in Gaza reflect a 'heartfelt commitment to humanitarian principles'. He told the ambassador that Ireland and the US had the ability to engage honestly and respectively even when perspectives differ. 'When friends speak candidly to one another, it strengthen rather than weakens their bond.' Read More No use crying over spilt stout: Taoiseach rallies after faux pas in Tokyo
Sunday World
7 hours ago
- Sunday World
Man arrested in murder of Josephine Ray previously denied involvement in pensioner's death
Hasan Ali Gori has been in a relationship with Ms Ray's daughter, Mary Ray. A man who has protested his innocence in relation to the murder of pensioner Josephine 'Josie' Ray was re-arrested today in connection with her killing. Hasan Ali Gori, who is in his 50s, was arrested by Gardaí in Limerick City. Mr Ali Gori was taken to a garda station for questioning about the murder of the 89-year old. Mr Ali Gori has been in a relationship with Ms Ray's daughter, Mary Ray. They were both previously arrested in connection with the death of Josephine Ray. Both have said they had no involvement in the murder. It's understood that the pensioner was assaulted and strangled. Her body was found in bed at her home at St Joseph's Park, Nenagh, on August 4, 2024. News in 90 Seconds - Thursday, July 3 It recently emerged that Mr Ali Gori and Mary Ray have been living rough at rat-infested wetlands at Limerick City. In an interview conducted at their makeshift homeless campsite last April, Mr Ali Gori and Ms Ray said they had no involvement in Josephine Ray's killing. 'I have nothing to do with this death, how is somebody accusing me of murder. I didn't do anything to anybody,' Mr Ali Gori said. Mary Ray was also adamant she was not involved in her mother's murder: 'No I hadn't, no I hadn't, no, no, I had not, no, no.' With rats scurrying around her, Ms Ray said: 'My mother loved me, she was mad about me, we lived together. It's very hard for me, I miss her terrible, so much.' The couple were previously arrested on the day of her funeral, last September. Mary Ray said she found her mother's lifeless body in bed but she said she initially thought her mother was asleep. 'I got an awful fright. Her glasses were off in the bed…I said, 'Mother, get up for your tea'. 'But she wasn't moving. I said, there's something wrong with her, she must be dead.' Garda interactions with Josephine Ray at her home in the days before her death have been referred to Fiosru, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman, including a Garda response at her house following a report of a disturbance less than 24-hours prior to her death. Josephine Ray was reportedly alive when Gardaí called to her home on August 3, during which a number of people were present at her home. It is understood Gardaí had also been called to her home on several occasions during the months prior to her death in response to a number of different alleged complaints. A statement released by Gardaí today said: 'A male in his 50s was arrested today in relation to this investigation. He is currently being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. 'Gardaí in Nenagh continue to investigate all the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman, whose body was discovered at a residence at St Joseph's Park, Nenagh, County Tipperary, on the afternoon of Sunday, August 4, 2024. 'Investigations are ongoing.'
