Dublin Sees Anti-Immigration Protests and Counter-Demonstrations; Three Arrested

Three individuals were arrested for public order offenses during protests that took place in Dublin city center on Saturday.

A significant anti-immigration demonstration drew thousands of participants, while a counter-protest organized by United Against Racism gathered outside the General Post Office. The events prompted a substantial police presence along O’Connell Street and caused disruptions to Luas tram services.

Gardaí confirmed the arrests but stated that “no major incidents of note occurred” during their policing of multiple public gatherings in the city center on Saturday afternoon. No additional information regarding the arrests was provided.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin addressed the protests while attending the Fianna Fáil 1916 Commemoration at Arbour Hill Cemetery on Sunday.

“I don’t accept the negativity from those who spoke yesterday in respect of where modern Ireland is today,” Martin said. “The level of opportunity in modern Ireland is far in excess of anything previous generations experienced.”

Prior to the demonstration, MMA fighter Conor McGregor appeared in a video filmed at the Garden of Remembrance wearing a three-piece suit. He advised protest leaders to “be calm, be clear, and speak with dignity” and characterized the event as a protest against “the failure of the Irish government and our full disapproval of it.”

Responding to protesters’ concerns about housing issues, the Taoiseach acknowledged that housing is “the big social issue of our day” but emphasized that the government is “focused on solutions to that.”

“We just had a general election. We’ve had a local election before that, and I think the ballot boxes are the key determinant of the organization of society…who gets elected into government. We believe we have a stronger set of ideas than perhaps those who articulated yesterday,” Martin stated.

During his speech at the commemoration, Martin emphasized that the “1916 proclamation is an inclusive, internationalist vision, not one that is narrow” and that “it never had narrow nationalism at its core.”

“We don’t believe in a narrow nationalism, and we are part of modern European society. We’ve been members of the European Union since the early 1970s. It has brought great transformation to the country. We have a thriving economy in Ireland,” he said.

“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,” he added.

McGregor, who recently indicated his intention to run in the Irish presidential election, is currently appealing a civil jury verdict from November that found him responsible for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in 2018 and awarded her nearly €250,000 in damages. His presidential candidacy faces significant obstacles, as candidates must secure nominations from either 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities.

Although McGregor appeared in the pre-protest video, he was not observed among the demonstrators and did not return to address the rally when it assembled outside the Custom House.

Several local politicians delivered speeches at the event, including Dublin City councillors Malachy Steenson, Gavin Pepper, and Philip Sutcliffe, alongside Fingal councillor Patrick Quinlan. Various anti-immigration activists were also in attendance.

The thousands of protesters who marched down O’Connell Street carried numerous tricolor flags, with some wearing green “Make Ireland Great Again” baseball caps. Participants displayed signs with messages such as “Irish lives matter,” “Coolock Says No,” and “Ireland is Full.” One banner featured images of McGregor, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Chants heard during the protest included “Get them out” and “Ireland for the Irish.” Both the main protest and counter-demonstration chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets.”