OPPOSITION PARTIES HAVE called for protests after the announcement that US president Donald Trump will visit Ireland in November.
The visit, which was announced last night, will be made as part of a trip by Trump to Europe to mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in World War I.
“While in Europe, the President also will visit Ireland to renew the deep and historic ties between our two nations,” the White House said in a statement.
In a statement yesterday evening, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said it will be a “brief visit”.
“The Taoiseach understands that President Trump will stop in Ireland for a brief visit on his way to or from the Armistice commemorations in Paris. it will be an opportunity to follow up on the issues discussed in the White House in March including migration, trade, climate change and human rights issues,” the statement said.
Calls for protests
A number of opposition parties have expressed their dissatisfaction over the announced visit of president Trump.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has called for Irish people to show their rejection of the Trump administration’s policies by turning out to protest around the country.
“Donald Trump’s administration champions policies that are destroying our planet, destabilising international order, and reaching new political depths by appealing to racism, misogyny, xenophobia and hatred,” Ryan said.
“These policies do not reflect the Irish people’s values – we need to show him and the world that this is not normal.
“We’re calling on the Irish people to tell our government to cancel this visit, and for them to demonstrate in never-before-seen numbers should they fail to do so,” he said.
Labour leader Brendan Howlin said in a tweet last night that the party will “join with likeminded people to oppose this visit”.
The Labour Party added in a statement on Twitter: “We are an open and tolerant nation. Trump’s values are not our values, and there should be no welcome mat laid out for a man of his world-view.”
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said that Trump’s “hate-filled, dangerous politics” are not welcome in Ireland.
“I would urge all who oppose war & racism & who care about equality & the plant to join the protests that we will certainly organise,” he said on Twitter.
The Workers’ Party confirmed in a statement that it will organise protests against the planned visit of Trump this coming November.
‘Always welcome in Ireland’
Trump said last year he hoped to come to Ireland after he held a meeting with former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
“I really love Ireland, I’ll be there absolutely,” Trump said in response to a question in March 2017.
On his first visit to Washington as Taoiseach this year, Leo Varadkar said the invite to Trump still stood.
Tweeting in response to the White House’s announcement yesterday evening, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said that “the US President is always welcome in Ireland”.
“We understand that President Trump will stop in Ireland for a brief visit on his way to or from the Armistice commemorations in Paris on 11 November,” Coveney said in a follow-up tweet without giving any further details.
“The President’s participation in this event will highlight the sacrifices that Americans have made, not only during World War I but also in the century since, in the name of liberty,” the White House said.
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