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BreakingNews.ie
11-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Row breaks out at protest over Government plans to buy CityWest Hotel
A row erupted between TD Paul Gogarty, two councillors and protesters demonstrating outside the Dáil over Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel. The State is to buy the Citywest Hotel to be used as part of the country's immigration system, according to the Business Post. Advertisement Around two dozen protesters gathered outside Leinster House on Wednesday holding signs that read 'Public consultation, not secret conversation' and 'Save Citywest Hotel from being purchased by our Government'. Locals who protested raised concerns about losing a significant amenity in the area. Dublin city councillors Malachy Steenson and Gavin Pepper, who do not represent the electoral area Citywest is located in, were also seen at the protest. As Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West Paul Gogarty addressed the crowd by megaphone, a row broke out between protesters, Mr Gogarty, Mr Steenson and Mr Pepper. Advertisement Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West Paul Gogarty (left) speaks to protesters with Dublin councillor Malachy Steenson (right) as people demonstrate outside Leinster House (Brian Lawless/PA) Asked whether there was some confusion over how his comments had been taken, Mr Gogarty said 'maybe one or two people jumped the gun there'. 'But I felt it was important to say what I stand for first of all, which is respect towards everyone whether or not they are economic migrants abusing the asylum system, genuine people fleeing persecution or IT professionals coming to this country.' Bernie Cronin, from Clondalkin, said 200 people attended a meeting two weeks ago where concerns were raised about the Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel. Mr Cronin, who is a former member of Fine Gael and a current member of Independent Ireland, said it has been the area's 'greatest amenity' for 40 years. Advertisement People demonstrating outside Leinster House in Dublin over Government plans to buy Citywest Hotel (Brian Lawless/PA) 'If the Government buys it, it will never come back to the people of Saggart and the surrounding districts as the superb and magnificent luxury hotel that it has been for 40 years,' he said. He said locals have 'no concern' about its current use as an IPAS centre for housing asylum seekers. Mr Cronin said there have been concerns by the group that others could 'hijack what we are trying to do'. Asked about 'outside elements' at the protest, Mr Cronin said: 'They don't help us. They don't help us and I know that's a concern.' Advertisement 'It's not a question about race, it's about space,' Saggart resident Susan Murphy said. 'We don't have the space, we have two shops, one chemist, one post office, no Garda station. We cannot accommodate groups and groups of people. 'If the Government buys Citywest Hotel, they have free rein to do whatever they want with all the land there, which isn't fair on the residents here. Another local, Karen Tracey, said the village was already 'overwhelmed' and it was difficult to get a GP appointment or school place. Advertisement 'Within a five-minute walk within the hotel, there's about 8,000 new homes, not all of them have been occupied just yet and when they are occupied you can imagine how overwhelmed we'll be without this.'
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Councillors Gavin Pepper and Malachy Steenson shout down TD during protest against Citywest Hotel sale
Paul Gogarty, Independent TD for Dublin Mid-West, faced angry criticism from two Dublin City councillors during a protest against the planned State purchase of Citywest Hotel in Dublin. The protest took place outside Leinster House on Wednesday. Mr Gogarty had been addressing a group of protesters objecting to the prospective purchase of the hotel, which is being used to accommodate people seeking international protection. Speaking after the exchanges, Mr Gogarty said he supported the protesters' right to seek greater consultation from the Government about the purchase. He outlined that he had opened his remarks with a 'preamble', saying that he did not condone any form of racism or abuse. 'I wasn't allowed to finish my preamble,' he said. READ MORE Mr Gogarty was challenged by at least one protester, as well as by Independent councillors Malachy Steenson and Gavin Pepper. Mr Pepper told Mr Gogarty that he was 'a disgrace'. Mr Steenson angrily challenged the former Green Party TD, asking him: 'Who are you calling far right?' Speaking afterwards, Mr Gogarty said that the protesters were entitled to object to the proposed Government plans to purchase the Citywest campus. 'There never is proper consultation with communities,' he said. 'It's always telling people after the event what's happened.' Mr Pepper told reporters Mr Gogarty was 'putting people down and trying to call them racist and far right, as always. They don't want to hear what the communities have to say.' 'I'm supporting the people that want their hotel back, that's what we're out to support,' Mr Pepper said when it was put to him that he was not a representative for the local area. He is a councillor for the Ballymun-Finglas area. 'I think it's unfair for me to be called far right and an agitator. Do you know what I think it is? It's classism and it punches down on people that want to speak out.' He accused Mr Gogarty of bringing up race in his comments on Wednesday morning. Protester Bernie Cronin, a former Fine Gael member who has joined Independent Ireland, said the protest arose out of a public meeting held in recent weeks at the Green Isle Hotel at Newlands Cross, Dublin. That meeting, attended by about 200 people, was held in reaction to Government plans to buy the Citywest Hotel. Mr Cronin said demonstrators were not objecting against the IPAS centre currently in operation in the hotel, but to the plans for the Government to purchase it, which he believed meant it would never be returned to its original use. He said he was not a resident of Saggart but lived in Clondalkin, adding that he and other residents had gathered 4,000 signatures from local people opposed to the purchase of the hotel by the State. He said the protesters were 'non-political' and he had spoken to Mr Gogarty beforehand to encourage him to address the group. He said that organisers of the protest had been concerned about 'outside parties that would hijack what we're trying to do'. '[Mr Gogarty] stood up and then he launched into [how] he would have no truck if any organisation was in any way anti-immigrants, anti-refugees, anti-Citywest.' He said that Mr Gogarty was challenged by one resident for these remarks. 'That then brought outside people, non-residents who then jumped in, and then we had mayhem.' 'We had no idea that he was going to come out with that,' he said, adding that he felt Mr Gogarty had made a mistake with his comments. Asked what he felt about so-called 'outside elements', Mr Cronin said: 'They don't help us.' He said Michael Collins, the Independent Ireland TD who had earlier addressed the protest, spoke without being interrupted. Susan Murphy, who identified herself as a resident of Saggart, said it was 'not a question about race'. 'It's about space,' she said, adding that amenties and facilities in the area were already stretched. 'If the Government buys Citywest Hotel, they have a free reign to do whatever they want with all the land there, which isn't fair on the residents here. Those other people did not speak for us,' she said.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Irish fury over asylum crisis: How resentment is boiling over nationwide, with thousands attending latest anti-migrant protests following huge surge in refugees and country's pro-Palestine, anti-Israel stance
Thousands took to the streets of Cork over the weekend for two very different demonstrations - one a pro-Palestine march and the other described as a 'national protest for Ireland'. Some 3,000 people joined the latter, an anti-immigration rally organised by Ireland Says No - which attendees said signalled a feeling in the country that 'enough is enough'. Protesters, describing themselves as Irish patriots and nationalists, said they have two main grievances - 'mass migration' and a belief that they have been forgotten by the government. Footage of the march shows a sea of tricolour flags raised above the crowds, with chants including 'Ireland for the Irish' and 'Whose streets? Our streets!'. The rally's lead organiser, ultra-nationalist Dublin councillor Malachy Steenson, said that the size of the crowd would instill confidence in people who were concerned about airing their criticisms. 'We don't care what Brussels says,' he told the crowd, 'we are going to take this country and run it for the benefit of its people.' Speaking before local elections in November, he stated his view on how he felt this could be achieved: 'We need to close the borders and stop any more migrants coming in.' Recent figures show that Ireland is housing more than 33,000 applicants for what is known as 'international protection', up from 7,244 in 2017. According to official statistics, the number of Palestinians who applied in 2024 increased by more than 700 per cent from the previous year - when the conflict in Gaza erupted. The Irish government has been vocal in its support of the Palestinian people, officially recognising the Palestinian state last year and formally intervening in South Africa's International Court of Justice case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza. Both decisions drew condemnation from Israel. The Irish government was asked whether its show of support would strengthen Palestinian asylum claims, but refused to comment. The protests in Cork passed peacefully on Saturday, with police dividing the two marches with a barrier and organisers of each encouraging marchers to behave responsibly. Speaker Derek Blighe, the former president of the Ireland First party who failed to get elected to the Dail in November, told crowds that young Irish people felt they had no choice but to leave the country. He accused the government of putting 'diversity and climate and foreigners first' and said that nationalists wanted to give the Irish diaspora 'a homeland to return to'. As many as 150,000 people moved to Ireland in 2023-24, Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures revealed, the highest number in 17 years. Around 30,000 of these were returning Irish citizens. In terms of asylum seekers, alongside arrivals from Africa and the Middle East, 100,000 refugees flocked to the country following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Each costs the country nearly £70 a day, according to estimates - a figure that has increased by a third in two years. Last month, around a thousand people joined a march in County Donegal's Letterkenny, while several hundred organised a counter-protest. Local independent councillor Seamus Treanor said people living in his ward did not feel safe in their own homes due to heightened levels of anti-social behaviour. 'I want to get one thing straight - the reason we have a housing problem in this county is because our government opened our borders, and invited the whole third world to come in. 'They came in their tens of thousands, and communities like Carrickmacross are suffering the consequences.' At the end of last year the Irish Refugee Council revealed there were a record 3,001 asylum seekers homeless in Ireland. Pictures of encampments in Dublin and reports last year that a former paint factory was being turned into accommodation for 550 asylum seekers sparked fury among anti-immigration campaigners. Gardai clashed with hundreds of people at the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock last July. A number of fires were started at the site and dramatic photos showed a digger in flames. The police force charged 15 people in relation to the public order incidents at the north Dublin site. In November 2023, right wing figures including MMA star Conor McGregor ramped up fury over online misinformation and unsubstantiated rumours that a Algerian migrant had stabbed three children outside a kindergarten in Dublin. Riots exploded in the city, with a bus and tram torched and property destroyed as around 500 thugs rampaged across the city. Some of the rioters started a fire on the ground floor of a Holiday Inn Express following rumours that migrants were staying there. Others reportedly petrol-bombed a nearby refugee centre, with fire crews who responded being 'pelted with projectiles' and beaten with iron rods. Police officers were also attacked, with around 50 sustaining injuries, while one cab driver was punched and dragged from his taxi. To date, 85 people have been arrested in connection with the November 2023 riots, with 66 charged. While anti-immigration protests in Ireland have been peaceful in recent weeks, Dublin saw another wave of violence in February, again seemingly fuelled by anger over migration levels. Shocking videos showed Dublin descending into chaos - with knife fights on the streets and mass brawls erupting in residential roads. There were similar scenes of violence in Northern Ireland on Monday night. Anti-immigration riots erupted in Ballymena after two teenagers of Romanian descent appeared in court accused of attempting to rape a local girl. Social media footage showed homes in Co Antrim on fire after a masked mob lit curtains after windows and doors of terraced properties in the town were caved in. Four houses were destroyed after 2,500 people gathered in the Harryville area. Two more properties were also damaged and 15 police officers hospitalised. Police have said the violence is being investigated as racially-motivated hate attacks.
Spectator
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
What Micheal Martin gets wrong about the 1916 proclamation
As thousands of protesters thundered through central Dublin over Easter weekend, waving a sea of tricolour flags, Ireland's anti-immigration movement staked a bold claim. The legacy of the Easter Rising martyrs – who underwrote with their lives the founding of the Irish state – was theirs. 'We will be a true following on from our forefathers in 1916 who had a workers' revolution,' declared Malachy Steenson, a Dublin councillor and nationalist leader. This fusion of grassroots nationalism and potent revolutionary symbols powered the largest demonstration yet. A genie was out of the bottle, and the establishment took notice. It provoked a bitter historical tug-of-war as the government, mindful of the symbolic power of Ireland's formative heroes, scrambled to reclaim them.
Irish Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Three arrested for public order offences at Dublin anti-immigration protest
Three people were arrested for public order offences during a large anti-immigration march and counter demonstration in Dublin city centre on Saturday. The arrests were understood to be for minor matters, including failing to follow the direction of a garda. Despite the large numbers involved, the events passed off mostly peacefully. 'No major incidents of note occurred,' a garda spokesman said. Large numbers of gardaí maintained a cordon around the demonstrations and successfully prevented contact between the two groups. READ MORE The Garda Public Order Unit and Mounted Support Unit, along with a helicopter from the Garda Air Support Unit, were present throughout the day. The anti-immigration protest, described by organisers as an Easter Rising commemoration to pay respect to 'those who fought and gave their lives to preserve the Irish nation and create the Irish Republic', began at 2pm at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square. Thousands of people took part in an anti-immigration rally in Dublin, with a counter demonstration also taking place. Video: Sarah Burns United Against Racism – supported by a number of organisations and members of Opposition parties including Sinn Féin , Labour , People Before Profit , the Social Democrats , the Socialist Party and the Green Party – hosted a counter-protest at the nearby GPO at 1.30pm. There were some hostile and aggressive interactions between protesters as the anti-immigration rally passed by the antiracism demonstration at the GPO. The United Against Racism demonstration saw those gathered carry signs reading Stand Against Racism while chanting 'refugees are welcome' and 'whose streets – our streets'. [ Thousands take part in anti-immigration protest in Dublin Opens in new window ] The anti-immigration protest travelled down to Custom House Quay, with anti-immigrant speakers including Dublin city councillors Malachy Steenson, Gavin Pepper and Philip Sutcliffe as well as Fingal councillor Patrick Quinlan of the far-right National Party . Cllr Steenson spoke of 'really exciting times' and how 'we have moved this project on hugely'. He said Independent councillors such as himself and cllrs Pepper and Sutcliffe, who won seats on Dublin City Council last year, were using them to 'push forward our message that this country should be run by its people for its people'. Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor posted a video of himself and his family at the Garden of Remembrance in advance of the anti-immigration protest. In a post on X, Mr McGregor said it was 'a big day here for our country' and that the rally was to commemorate 'the valiant heroes who went before us'. He said the protest was also to 'shine our light on the failure of Ireland's Government and our full disapproval of it'. However, he did not address the crowd or take any visible part in the protest once it started.
