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Irish Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Anti-racism and anti-immigration demonstrations held in Dublin city
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 gardaí 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 about 2pm. 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.' READ MORE 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 gardaí. 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. A mock-up photograph depicts MMA fighter Conor McGregor alongside Russian and US leaders Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Photograph: Collins Photos [ 'I know what happened in that room': the full story of the Conor McGregor case Opens in new window ] The anti-immigration group, which was the larger of the two, was thick with large Tricolour flags. 'Whose streets? Our streets' some sang. Several people were seen wearing 'Make Ireland Great Again' green caps and holding US and Donald Trump banners, and some signs critical of RTÉ. A United Against Racism demonstration on Dame Street, Dublin. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos 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. – PA
BreakingNews.ie
22-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Anti-racism and anti-immigration demonstrations held in Dublin city
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 gardaí erected extensive barriers to separate the two crowds. Advertisement 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. Photo: 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. Advertisement Officers formed a barrier between the demonstrations. Photo: 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. 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. Advertisement The two rallies chanted and gestured towards each other. Photo: 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. Advertisement
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Man faces prison for encouraging asylum hotel violence
A man who called for hotels housing asylum seekers to be burned down amid unrest at an anti-immigration demonstration is likely to face imprisonment, a judge has said. Joseph Haythorne, 26, posted on X on 4 August just as a protest outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, Rotherham, began to descend into Crown Court heard on Friday that Haythorne's post, from an anonymised account, was viewed by 1,100 people before he deleted an engineer from Ashford, Surrey, admitted publishing material intended to stir up racial hatred at a previous hearing and will be sentenced on Tuesday. Laura Marshall, prosecuting, said the post had included a link to a now-deleted post by the "perhaps divisive figure" Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy said the defendant's full post read: "Go on Rotherham. Burn any hotels [with asylum seekers]." 'Momentary lapse' Ms Marshall said the case had some similarities with the case of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed last year for calling for "mass deportation now", adding "set fire to all the... hotels [housing asylum seekers]... for all I care".The barrister also referenced the cases of Jordan Parlour and Tyler Kay, who both encouraged people on social media to attack Brasoveanu, defending Haythorne, said he posted the comment in a "momentary lapse of judgement which he regrets every day".She said there was no evidence he had deeply rooted views about immigration issues and was "more interested in football than politics".The barrister said a medical report concluded that his struggle with depression could have exacerbated his reaction to social media content about the murder of three girls in Southport and posts by the controversial influencer Andrew Tate. However, the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, told the court: "Somebody who is looking at Andrew Tate's social media posts, and then taking these actions, is not suffering from a momentary lapse of judgement."He called Haythorne's post "vile" and "dreadful racist nonsense", saying it "inflamed the situation - almost literally" at the hotel."He's tweeted this racist rubbish, 1,100 people see it in 17 minutes before he realised it was dreadful and then he takes it down."And, unfortunately, the damage is done."Judge Richardson told Haythorne: "I am reasonably confident that you will be going to prison."It is, however, very important that I calibrate this sentence with great care."Additional reporting by PA Media. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Irish fury over asylum crisis: How resentment is boiling over nationwide, with thousands attending latest anti-migrant protests following huge surge in refugees and country's pro-Palestine, anti-Israel stance
Thousands took to the streets of Cork over the weekend for two very different demonstrations - one a pro-Palestine march and the other described as a 'national protest for Ireland'. Some 3,000 people joined the latter, an anti-immigration rally organised by Ireland Says No - which attendees said signalled a feeling in the country that 'enough is enough'. Protesters, describing themselves as Irish patriots and nationalists, said they have two main grievances - 'mass migration' and a belief that they have been forgotten by the government. Footage of the march shows a sea of tricolour flags raised above the crowds, with chants including 'Ireland for the Irish' and 'Whose streets? Our streets!'. The rally's lead organiser, ultra-nationalist Dublin councillor Malachy Steenson, said that the size of the crowd would instill confidence in people who were concerned about airing their criticisms. 'We don't care what Brussels says,' he told the crowd, 'we are going to take this country and run it for the benefit of its people.' Speaking before local elections in November, he stated his view on how he felt this could be achieved: 'We need to close the borders and stop any more migrants coming in.' Recent figures show that Ireland is housing more than 33,000 applicants for what is known as 'international protection', up from 7,244 in 2017. According to official statistics, the number of Palestinians who applied in 2024 increased by more than 700 per cent from the previous year - when the conflict in Gaza erupted. The Irish government has been vocal in its support of the Palestinian people, officially recognising the Palestinian state last year and formally intervening in South Africa's International Court of Justice case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza. Both decisions drew condemnation from Israel. The Irish government was asked whether its show of support would strengthen Palestinian asylum claims, but refused to comment. The protests in Cork passed peacefully on Saturday, with police dividing the two marches with a barrier and organisers of each encouraging marchers to behave responsibly. Speaker Derek Blighe, the former president of the Ireland First party who failed to get elected to the Dail in November, told crowds that young Irish people felt they had no choice but to leave the country. He accused the government of putting 'diversity and climate and foreigners first' and said that nationalists wanted to give the Irish diaspora 'a homeland to return to'. As many as 150,000 people moved to Ireland in 2023-24, Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures revealed, the highest number in 17 years. Around 30,000 of these were returning Irish citizens. In terms of asylum seekers, alongside arrivals from Africa and the Middle East, 100,000 refugees flocked to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Each costs the country nearly £70 a day, according to estimates - a figure that has increased by a third in two years. Last month, around a thousand people joined a march in County Donegal's Letterkenny, while several hundred organised a counter-protest. Local independent councillor Seamus Treanor said people living in his ward did not feel safe in their own homes due to heightened levels of anti-social behaviour. 'I want to get one thing straight - the reason we have a housing problem in this county is because our government opened our borders, and invited the whole third world to come in. 'They came in their tens of thousands, and communities like Carrickmacross are suffering the consequences.' At the end of last year the Irish Refugee Council revealed there were a record 3,001 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland. Pictures of encampments in Dublin and reports last year that a former paint factory was being turned into accommodation for 550 asylum seekers sparked fury among anti-immigration campaigners. Gardai clashed with hundreds of people at the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock last July. A number of fires were started at the site and dramatic photos showed a digger in flames. The police force charged 15 people in relation to the public order incidents at the north Dublin site. In November 2023, right wing figures including MMA star Conor McGregor ramped up fury over online misinformation and unsubstantiated rumours that a Algerian migrant had stabbed three children outside a kindergarten in Dublin. Riots exploded in the city, with a bus and tram torched and property destroyed as around 500 thugs rampaged across the city. Some of the rioters started a fire on the ground floor of a Holiday Inn Express following rumours that migrants were staying there. Others reportedly petrol-bombed a nearby refugee centre, with fire crews who responded being 'pelted with projectiles' and beaten with iron rods. Police officers were also attacked, with around 50 sustaining injuries, while one cab driver was punched and dragged from his taxi. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the November 2023 riots, with 66 charged. While anti-immigration protests in Ireland have been peaceful in recent weeks, Dublin saw another wave of violence in February, again seemingly fuelled by anger over migration levels. Shocking videos showed Dublin descending into chaos - with knife fights on the streets and mass brawls erupting in residential roads. There were similar scenes of violence in Northern Ireland on Monday night. Anti-immigration riots erupted in Ballymena after two teenagers of Romanian descent appeared in court accused of attempting to rape a local girl. Social media footage showed homes in Co Antrim on fire after a masked mob lit curtains after windows and doors of terraced properties in the town were caved in. Four houses were destroyed after 2,500 people gathered in the Harryville area. Two more properties were also damaged and 15 police officers hospitalised. Police have said the violence is being investigated as racially-motivated hate attacks.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Earthquake felt by thousands rattles California as anti-ICE raid protests hit San Francisco
Thousands of Californians were rattled by an earthquake Sunday evening. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude 3.3 quake at 9:30pm PT (12:30am ET), centered about 22 miles north of San Francisco. More than 4,100 people reported feeling the tremor, with reports stretching as far north as Vallejo. The epicenter was located in Pinole, near the Hayward Fault, a 74-mile fault line that runs along the base of the East Bay hills. While the 800-mile-long San Andreas Fault typically draws the most attention in seismic research, scientists warn that the Hayward Fault may also be overdue for a major event. Experts say there is growing concern about the potential for an earthquake greater than magnitude 7.0 in the coming years — the last time it blew was 1886. A USGS simulation known as the HayWired Scenario suggests that a magnitude 7.0 quake on the Hayward Fault could cause between 800 and 2,500 deaths across major Bay Area cities such as San Francisco and Oakland. The smaller Sunday quake hit around the same time as anti-immigration raid protests filled the streets of San Francisco. At least 60 people were arrested Sunday evening after the demonstration turned violent. Shaking from the earthquake was reportedly felt about 20 miles south as protests erupted in downtown San Francisco. There have been no reports of injuries or damages as a result of the earthquake but, according to the 4,194 people who reported feeling shaking. The quake came hours before crowds hit the streets of San Francisco in what they say was solidarity with protests in Los Angeles. The protest was said to have begun peacefully at 6pm PT near a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Sansome Street, but the crowd became tense as it stood toe-to-toe with police. Officers began making arrests several hours later after protestors started vandalizing buildings and shattering windows. Mayor Daniel Lurie said: 'Everyone in this country has a right to make their voice heard peacefully, and local law enforcement will always protect that right and the rights of everyone in our city to be safe. 'But we will never tolerate violent and destructive behavior. … Violence directed at law enforcement or public servants is never acceptable.' Local reports suggested those marching in San Francisco wanted to show solidarity with the protests in Los Angeles. At least three officers have been injured. Nancy Kato, a protester in San Francisco, told ABC 7News: 'We've been watching what's going on in LA, and we're like, no. 'The whole thing about going after immigrants and people who are undocumented, the most vulnerable of our populations that is so wrong.' The protests in Los Angeles broke out on Friday, triggered by immigration raids that resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. Tensions escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a sprawling city of four million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents. The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were 'overwhelmed' by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble. Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. Trump responded to McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks.
