An Independent TD has said that the protest march against mass immigration that took place in Dublin city centre at the weekend, and was attended by “tens of thousands of people”, is merely the “tip of a very large and expanding iceberg”.
Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan said protestors were there to “highlight their opposition to unsustainable levels of immigration and their criticism of government’s failure to take sufficiently robust measures to drastically reduce the numbers of those entering the state through the international protection system.”
“Tens of thousands marching to highlight immigration concerns is only the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
“What we saw at the weekend was an increasingly coordinated and highly effective campaign to mobilise the silent majority who are extraordinarily angry at the unwillingness of government to acknowledge the damage that mass immigration has caused, both economically in terms of the billions being shovelled into the off shore accounts of opportunistic ‘accommodation providers’ and socially through the indisputable breakdown in a sense of safety that communities now feel,” said Deputy Nolan.
“The so-called ‘fringe’ are moving the dial on this issue to the centre of mainstream political discourse. They have achieved that through a relentless and unapologetic stance that has pushed back against all attempts by the political chattering class to characterise them as being a threat to social cohesion. People are now highly alert to the level of manipulation and gaslighting that has taken place, and they are furious.”
“The real threat to our democracy is coming from successive governments who continue to treat entire communities who voice objections with unconcealed disdain.”
“Enough is enough. We have been trapped in a housing and services collapse for the better part of a decade now. The immigration system which has basically been ruthlessly exploited by economic migrants has only escalated and deepened that collapse.”
“The ‘reforms’ of the asylum and international protection process are taking place too slowly, and they are too disjointed. We need to get to the point where the state, far from buying up hotels like City West, is instead focused on developing detention or holding facilities where those entering the state illegally are held until they can be retuned on the next available flight.”
“Everybody knows, including government, that the vast majority entering the system are not genuine asylum seekers. They are here to exploit our systemic laxity and our foolish approach to compassion that is costing the people of this state hundreds of millions every single quarter,” she said.
The Department of Integration has been asked for a response to Deputy Nolan’s comments.
Saturday’s march heard a call for the government to pause migration while the crisis in housing and healthcare continues – while speakers said that public anger was growing because Irish people felt they were not being put first in their own country.
At Custom House Quay the crowd sang along to ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and ‘Grace’ before a singer was introduced to the stage and led thousands in a rendition of Óro Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile, an anthem brought to nation attention by 1916 leader, Pádraig Mac Piarais.
A counter protest on Saturday met a counter-demonstration of several hundred organised by the United Against Racism group which gathered on O’Connell Bridge separated by barriers and Gardaí as the marchers passed.
Trade unions, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, People Before Profit, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, the Socialist Party, LGBTQ+ groups and students unions were present. They chanted ‘refugees are welcome here’, ‘trans rights are human rights’, and were condemnatory of MMA fighter Conor McGregor.