Taoiseach criticises Dublin protesters and ‘narrow nationalism'
Thousands of people participated in an anti-immigration protest in Dublin city centre on Saturday.
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There was a heightened police presence in the Irish capital for the protest and counter demonstration which disrupted traffic on some of the main thoroughfares through the city.
Public order units, mounted gardai and a helicopter were involved in policing the two rallies.
Gardaí said no major incidents occurred but three people were arrested for public order offences.
Made up of disparate groups, the main protest was generally organised against the sitting Irish Government and its policies on immigration and housing in particular.
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People take part in an anti-immigration protest in Dublin City centre (Conor O Mearain/PA)
The demonstration was also convened to mark the 1916 Easter Rising – 109 years after the armed rebellion against British rule in Ireland.
On Sunday, the Taoiseach attended the annual commemoration of the Rising held by his Fianna Fáil party at Arbour Hill Cemetery.
Asked by reporters about the protesters also invoking the the memory of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, Micheál Martin said: 'The message of the 1916 proclamation is an inclusive, internationalist vision, not one that is narrow.
'It never had at its core a narrow nationalism. It was very internationalist. It was inclusive, it was open.
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'And that's the spirit which Fianna Fáil will be continuing – and that's a very important point.
'We don't believe in a narrow nationalism, and we are part of modern European society, members of the European Union since the early 1970s and that's brought great transformation to the country.
'We have a thriving economy in Ireland, and I would be very cautious about those who are advocating – those yesterday and some who would advocate – policies that in my view would be detrimental to the future of the country and of our people.'
Asked if the size of the thousands-strong rally was a concern for him, Mr Martin said: 'We just had a general election, we've had a local election before that.
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'And I think the ballot box is the key determinant of the organisation of society who gets elected into Government, who gets elected to local councils – and I think it has to be based on ideas and policies.
'We believe we have a stronger set of ideas than perhaps those who articulated yesterday.'
Asked about the demonstration's charge that the Government was failing on housing, Mr Martin said he 'did not accept the negativity' of speakers in the protest yesterday.
The Taoiseach said housing remains the 'big social issue' in Ireland right now but said Government was focused on 'solutions rather than rhetoric'.
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'In terms of the last five years, for example, the amounts of social housing spent has been way, way in excess of anything built in the previous two or three decades – but we need to build more.'
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He added: 'But I think this Government has come through and the previous Government came through some very serious challenges, from Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine to the inflationary crisis that was caused by that, through Brexit, and has positioned the Irish economic model well.
'I don't accept the negativity from those who spoke yesterday in respect of where modern Ireland is today.
'The level of opportunity in modern Ireland today, again, is far in excess of anything previous generations experienced.'
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