More than 10,000 people marched through Dublin in the ‘No Welcome For Trump’ protest, organised by the Irish Coalition Against Trump.
“The government and establishment may bend the knee, but we need you all to demonstrate that the ordinary people of Ireland will not stand by and be servile to this genocidal, warmongering pervert,” reads a post from the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Protesters held signs reading ‘Dump Trump’ and ‘Strike Against American Empire’, ‘Strike against the Billionaire Class’ and ‘No to Trump, No to NATO’. Protesters also adorned trump costumes and held up figures of the American president, with figures like Putin and Netanyahu behind him.
After a speech from Mothers Against Genocide, UCD’s Ailbhe Smyth, founding director of the Women’s Education, Resource and Research Centre, spoke to the crowd.
“Why on earth would we want to welcome this vile, obnoxious, vulgar man, found guilty of rape, in the US court of law?” she asked. “A supporter and donor and agitator-in-chief for Israel’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza. Let us remind ourselves of what misogyny means: it means hatred of women, of all women. This misogynist, racist, imperialist, homo-lesbo-transphobic man. He hates our guts; he hates me, he hates you. He hates me as a socialist who wants to take down capitalism, the source of his wealth.”
Chants at the protest included: “Donald Trump, you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide.”
When asked by RTÉ about US complicity in Israel’s genocide of Palestine, he stated that there was “very little” going on in Gaza. “We got all the hostages back, some living, some dead,” said Trump. “The parents of those dead hostages, they wanted their sons or daughters, but mostly their sons; they wanted their babies back. We got all of them back. We had 28 of them dead. There are a lot of good relationships taking place in Gaza; it’s quite amazing. I think we’ve done a great job.”
A national appeal also occurred at the protest for the Irish national football team players to boycott the game.
Trump travelled to Ireland to attend the Irish Open golf tournament in Doonbeg, County Clare. He met President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin this morning, before attending a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Farmleigh House.
UCD Professor Liam Kennedy spoke to CNN, saying, “Your president is not popular in Ireland. It’s a curious visit; it’s not a state visit. The president is coming to see a game of golf and have a few political meetings on the sidelines.”
Kennedy explained that Trump was kept at ‘great distance’ from the Irish public for reasons relating to his personal safety.
Trump also said during a joint press conference with the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, that a united Ireland would happen eventually, stating: “I don’t want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I’d love to see it unified. I think it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap if that happened. You know what? The way I look at it, it’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.”
Trump will be returning to America on the 13th of September.
Sophie Gliott – Editor