Immigration protestors kept apart by large garda operation in Donegal
A LARGE GARDA presence kept pro and anti-immigration protesters apart during separate gatherings in Letterkenny today.
A crowd of more than 1,500 gathered on both sides to make their voices heard.
A human chain of Gardaí which included officers in riot gear and members of the public order unit, separated vocal protesters who gathered at the town's Market Square.
The Air Support Unit surveyed protesters from a helicopter as garda medics also waited on standby.
The larger anti-immigration crowd of up to 1,200 protesters waved Tricolour flags and held anti-government banners as they marched from the town's Port Roundabout.
The crowd was diverted up the town's Church Lane so as to avoid a direct confrontation with their opposing protestors.
Gardaí earlier erected crowd control barriers to keep both gatherings away from eachother.
There were verbal exchanges from both sides but it is not understood there were any major incidents and no arrests were reported.
Co Donegal's biggest town was unusually quiet from early morning as Gardai implemented a crowd control strategy which saw roads blocked off and traffic diverted.
Among those who spoke on behalf of the Donegal United Against Racism rally which had a crowd of up to 300 supporters were former Donegal TD, Thomas Pringle, Senator Eileen Flynn and Donegal County Councillor Declan Meehan.
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Among those who spoke on behalf of those protesting about the arrival of immigrants into Donegal were former election candidate Kim McMenamin and Ciaran Tourish.
The town's Main Street remained closed to traffic for several hours on what should have been one of the busiest shopping days of the year, coinciding with the May Bank Holiday weekend.
President of the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, Mr Jimmy Stafford, said businesses felt frustrated by the lack of consultation.
He said 'Had our members known that the road was going to close from 10am, they may have made a decision to close or made alternative arrangements with staff. There was no consultation with the Chamber by the authorities.
'We accept that there is a right to protest. Everybody has a right to protest from either side. The issue for us is just the lack of consultation around what was going to happen today from a road closure perspective and no parking for cars.
'We welcome the Garda presence. The main thing is that the protests go off peacefully.
'Some of our members have spoken to me today. This should be one of their busiest days of the year. The May Bank Holiday is the kicking off of the summer period, there are a lot of tourists in down and the good weather. Their trade is decimated.
'Our members respect the right to protest from all sides. The lack of consultation is the thing for us.
'Had we been consulted around road closures, timing, parking and barriers, we could have put our members on notice.
'We have had a very good working relationship for years and we work very closely together – and we always have. There are learnings from this going forward around consultation and keeping us in the loop.
Another prominent Letterkenny businessman claimed the protest had cost traders 'millions in lost revenue' and suggested the protests could have been held on the edge of the town.
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