Anti-immigration march draws large crowds to the streets of Dublin

Protesters marched on O’Connell Street as part of an anti-immigration march in the city centre

AN anti-immigration march which took place in Dublin yesterday afternoon drew a large crowd to the streets of the capital.

From 3pm protestors opposing Ireland’s asylum seeker policies walked from the Garden of Remembrance and along O'Connell Street waving placards with a range of messages, that included ‘no passports, no entry’ and ‘we want our children to be safe’.

Protesters marched on O’Connell Street as part of an anti-immigration march in Dublin city

There was a strong garda presence for the march, which met with counter-demonstrators as it reached the GPO.

A counter-protest gathered outside the GPO

Bearing signs which read ‘refugees welcome’ and ‘economic migrants are not refugees’, the counter-protestors were kept at a distance from the marchers by a line formed by Gardai to separate the two groups.

There was a large Garda presence at the protest

The march moved onto Customs House Quay, where a rally took place that featured speakers that included candidates in the upcoming local and European elections.