Dublin rally urges Govt to protect Ireland's neutrality
Demonstrators have marched through Dublin calling on the Government to protect Ireland's neutrality.
Around a thousand people walked from the Garden of Remembrance to Leinster House chanting "Save our neutrality, keep our Triple Lock".
Around a thousand people marched through Dublin city this afternoon calling on the government to protect Ireland's neutrality.
The protest was led by Opposition and Independent TDs, peace and anti-war groups and Palestine solidarity groups.
It arises from Government plans for new legislation that would change how Ireland decides to deploy members of the Defence Forces abroad to serve on international peacekeeping missions.
The General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 would remove what is known as the Triple Lock.
Under the current system, Ireland cannot send peacekeepers overseas without the go ahead from the United Nations, the Government and the Dáil.
The Government's plan is to take away the requirement for the UN's go ahead.
"We've a proud [peacekeeping] tradition ... why should we ask Vladimir Putin, a brutal aggressor for his permission as to where Irish men and women can go to peacekeeping. That is an out-of-date concept," Tánaiste Simon Harris said previously.
The plan would also increase the number of troops that can be deployed without a Dáil vote from 12 to 50.
The draft legislation will be examined over a period of eight weeks, after which a bill will be sent for Government approval.
This proposal has faced strong criticism from opposition politicians, who say the move undermines Ireland's neutrality.
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