Thousands across Ireland set to protest Donald Trump’s visit
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Thousands across Ireland set to protest Donald Trump’s visit

THOUSANDS OF people have taken to the streets of Ireland ahead of Donald Trump’s visit.

The President is set to arrive in the Republic this Wednesday, June 5th, and will stay at Mr Trump’s hotel and golf resort in Doonbeg, Co Clare.

However, planned protests outside the Irish Parliament are already in full swing, led by the protest group Stop Trump Ireland.

"We are sending a simple message that Donald Trump and his toxic views are not welcome in Ireland," protest organiser Memet Uludag told the Press Association.

“We are using our democratic right to object to his visit, and we would like to say there is a different Ireland which is not in agreement with what Trump represents globally.

“I think there is a very significant opposition to Trump’s visits from a very broad nature of people opposing his views and what he represents, and this is not protesting against the American people, today we saw American people actually joining with us in this photo call.

“We stand in solidarity with American women, Black Lives Matter, with the Me Too campaign, with the Mexicans who are separated from their children at the border.”

"There will be a protest in Shannon between 6-8pm, there are also events in Galway, Cork, Sligo, Derry and Belfast but we think Dublin will be the biggest event and we are expecting 4-6,000 people at that," he added.

Those protesting Trump include members of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Irish Anti-War Movement.

Elsewhere, the infamous Donald Trump baby blimp is set to fly over Dublin as part of a major demonstration against the President’s visit while the protest group Together Against Trump are set to hold an outdoor event in Galway’s Eyre Square.

Belfast City Hall is also organising a protest led by the the ExAct group of US residents living in Northern Ireland while a Shannonwatch peace camp is being erected at Shannon airport for the duration of his visit.

Meanwhile, a petition featuring 100,000 signatures is also set to be delivered to Doonbeg by Friends of the Irish Environment in opposition to the construction of a coastal defence at the President’s golf course.

President Trump is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Irish premier Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport during his visit.