Anti-immigration protesters demonstrate outside offices of three TDs

Anti-immigration protesters demonstrated outside the offices of three TDs in Dublin on Thursday night.

The protests in Finglas took place after a public meeting where officials from the Department of Integration were engaging with residents and local politicians on proposals for a Ukrainian refugee centre in the area.

Gardaí were present at the protest outside the meeting.

Before it ended a group went into Finglas village and demonstrated outside the offices of Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall, Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe and Sinn Féin’s Dessie Ellis.

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There was nobody inside the offices at the time.

A video of the demonstration outside Ms Shortall’s office shows a small group of protesters using abusive language and shouting “out, out, out”.

A Garda spokesman said: “Gardaí were in attendance on Finglas Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, at approximately 6pm yesterday, 26th of January, 2023.

“No incidents were reported to An Garda Síochána in respect of this protest.”

There was a separate, larger protest outside Mr Ellis’s office earlier in the week.

“Finglas is a very diverse community and we’ve always welcomed people,” Mr Ellis said.

He said that “people have a right to protest” but raised concern about the language being used.

“People need to be careful they’re not getting caught up in this, ordinary people who in some cases have a right to complain,” he said, adding that they need to “be very careful that they’re not being used by others”.

In reference to separate anti-immigration protests elsewhere in recent weeks, Mr Ellis said nobody should be protesting at locations where refugees or asylum seekers are staying.

The Dublin North-West TD said this is putting pressure on people who have arrived from war-torn countries or who are fleeing famine, and that is unacceptable.

“If people have a grievance over different issues, whether it’s housing issues or policies in regards to the health service”, they should “take it to the right places”, he said.

Hundreds of people turned out to protest outside the Shelbourne hotel in Dublin last Saturday, with pro- and anti-immigration campaigners on opposite sides of the road.

The anti-immigration rally, Dublin Says No, attracted about 300 people, while the counter rally, made up of about 250 people, took place across the road.

Reception centres for refugees such as the one in East Wall have also been targeted for protests.