Ireland’s left-wing government plans to ban the wearing of balaclavas and other masks at protests amid growing anti-mass immigration protests in the country.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee plans to start banning masks at protests after local communities rose up against plans to house immigrants with taxpayer money.
McEntee’s spokesperson Said According to The Irish Times “The government will introduce measures to ban the wearing of masks at protests in situations where wearing a mask could be viewed as intimidating,” it said.
The use of face coverings, or balaclavas in particular, has long been used as a means of concealing one’s identity from authorities on the island of Ireland, notably by the paramilitary terrorist Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the decades-long sectarian conflict known as “The Troubles.”
As sectarian divisions remain, observers were stunned at the weekend as anti-immigration protesters in Dublin waving Irish flags joined protesters in Belfast waving the British Union Jack. GB News Northern Ireland reporter Dougie Beattie said he had never seen anything like it in his life.
In addition to the planned ban on face coverings at protests, the government has spent an extra 3.2 million euros on riot police equipment, including bulletproof vests, shields and more powerful pepper spray. The number of riot police vehicles is due to increase from 27 to 42 by the end of the year.
‘Irish Lives Matter’: Thousands protest against mass immigration in Dublinhttps://t.co/cFQtIWbj7S
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 7, 2024
As seen in the UK over the past week, anger over mass immigration in Ireland has often erupted into violence, including the setting fire to buildings meant to house immigrants, who are often young men.
In a strikingly similar situation to the UK last week, anti-immigrant protests in Dublin also turned violent in November after a reported homeless migrant stabbed three young children.
The Irish political establishment is focused on combating protests and violence over mass immigration, rather than seriously addressing the root causes of anger.
After the November riots, Limerick city councillor Abul Kalam Azad Talukder said those involved should be “shot in the head” or taken out in public and beaten “until they die”.
Irish Senator Seán Kyne echoed similar sentiments, saying: “The only response that people who engage in this kind of crime and violence can understand is a good, honest and appropriate beating.”
However, there has been relatively little attention paid to the issue of mass immigration. as a result 20 percent of the country is foreign born; More than twice as much The immigrant population was less than 5 million just 20 years ago. The immigration boom has pushed the country’s population above 5 million for the first time since 1851.
Large-scale, sudden, man-made population growth has not only fundamentally altered communities, but has also contributed to increasing the economic hardship faced by Indigenous peoples. Rising rents and Stagnant wages.
Eight in 10 people believe there are too many immigrants in Ireland https://t.co/O7hCpiXpHf
—Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 26, 2024
