Some 73 of the anti-immigrant protests took place in the period to February 23rd. However, in the following three months, to May 19th, the number of protests was lower at 54 events. And in the three months since then numbers have fallen further with 42 events held. That means three or four anti-immigration protests have been held each week in Dublin in the last three months – often at the same location daily – compared to nine or 10 events per week in the first months of the year.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland said while it was “a good thing” that fewer protests were happening in the Republic compared to the start of the year, many such events were still happening and they may increase again in the future. It added that protests had led to a lot of fear for those people living in hotels and other centres which were being targeted.
Garda sources said members of the far-right began organising the events against the presence of migrants in communities after the Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in very large numbers of Ukrainians coming to the Republic fleeing the war. The same sources said once it became clear late last year the need to house tens of thousands Ukrainians was significantly exacerbating the housing crisis, this was “seized upon” by a “hard core” in the far-right.