Thousands March In Dublin Against Ireland's Mass Migration Policies As Mcgregor Pursues Presidential Bid

Thousands of group participated successful a march against Ireland's wide migration policies successful nan country's superior of Dublin connected Saturday. 

UFC champion Conor McGregor – who is considering a imaginable statesmanlike bid successful his autochthonal Ireland – posted a video connection beforehand from Dublin's Garden of Remembrance, wherever nan march began hours later. 

"Hello everyone successful Ireland. April 26th, 2025 - A large time present for our country. "A historical period for Ireland since 1916," McGregor said, referring to nan caller day of nan twelvemonth of nan Easter Rising against British rule. 

"Over 100 years ago, our brave men and women made nan eventual sacrifice truthful that we could unrecorded free today. So fto america punctual ourselves why we are here. And besides why we are not here," McGregor said. "We are not present to build hatred amongst each other. We are not present to sow division. We are present to commemorate nan valiant heroes who went earlier us. We grant their spirit, we grant their fight." 

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Thousands of protesters opposed nan Irish government's wide migration policies successful a march done Dublin's metropolis halfway connected Saturday, April 26, 2025. (Conor O Mearain/PA Images via Getty Images)

McGregor said nan protestation would beryllium intended "to radiance our ray connected nan failure of Ireland's government and our afloat disapproval of it."

"Be respectful, beryllium proud, beryllium united," McGregor said. "Because together, we will beryllium heard, and arsenic one, we will beryllium victorious successful our mission. To those starring their march and speaking for nan tens of thousands opinionated down you: beryllium calm, beryllium clear."

"Speak pinch dignity - we want to perceive your voice. Together we rise, together we win," he added. "God bless america all. God bless Ireland."

The large-scale objection kicked disconnected connected Saturday day successful nan garden, arsenic crowds carrying tri-color flags headed down O'Connell Street. 

Some protesters carried placards reference "Irish Lives Matter" and "Ireland is Full," and galore wore greenish hats pinch nan connection "Make Ireland Great Again." 

Irish police, known arsenic gardaí, showed a heightened beingness successful nan capital, maintaining a cordoned-off statement betwixt nan marchers and a smaller group of counter-protesters who gathered successful beforehand of nan General Post Office (GPO). 

"Over 106,000 Irish men, women and children attended yesterday’s rally," McGregor wrote connected X connected Sunday, sharing aerial photos of protesters waving tri-color flags. "Not 1 societal bid incident to report. Tremendous! Onward for Ireland!"

Police later said "no awesome incidents" happened Saturday, though 3 group had been arrested for "public bid offenses," according to nan Irish nationalist broadcaster RTE. Police declined to supply further information. 

The counter-protest was organized by United Against Racism and was backed by members of guidance parties including Sinn Féin, Labor, People Before Profit, nan Social Democrats, nan Socialist Party and nan Green Party, according to The Irish Times.

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They held banners that read, "Boycott Apartheid Israel" and "Dublin Stands Against Racism," according to photos from nan scene. 

Gardai connected work adjacent a counter-protest astatine nan GPO connected Saturday, April 26, 2025.  (Conor O Mearain/PA Images via Getty Images)

McGregor first announced his liking successful moving for president of Ireland aft gathering pinch President Donald Trump on St. Patrick's Day, though nan combatant has suggested nan country's information process is stacked against outsiders for illustration himself. 

Those who said astatine nan march included Dublin City councilors Gavin Pepper, Philip Sutcliffe and Malachy Steenson and Fingal councilor Patrick Quinlan, according to Breakingnews.ie.

"The truth of nan matter is we’re bringing successful thousands and thousands of group and putting them up successful hotels while our ain group are being near to rot… We’ve had capable of this successful Ireland," Pepper said to a cheering Dublin crowd, according to a video shared connected X. "Irish group travel first successful our ain country. It’s clip for wide deportation. The traitors of Sinn Féin do not care." 

The premier curate of Ireland, who holds nan title of taoiseach, Micheál Martin, told reporters connected Sunday that he did not "accept nan negativity from those who said yesterday successful respect of wherever modern Ireland is today," according to a video shared online by Susanne Delaney, a contributor to nan anti-globalist outlet Irish Inquiry. 

"The level of opportunity successful modern Ireland coming again is acold successful excess of thing erstwhile generations knowledgeable successful position of acquisition completion and truthful on," Martin, who besides met pinch Trump successful nan Oval Office earlier successful March, said. "The large societal rumor of our time is housing, but we're focused connected solutions to that and little truthful connected nan rhetoric of it." 

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Asked astir nan increasing size of nan "Irish nationalist" movement, Martin said nan "ballot container is nan cardinal metric, nan cardinal determinant of nan statement of society, who gets elected into government, who gets elected into section councils." 

"And I deliberation it has to beryllium based connected ideas and policies," he said. "We judge we person a stronger group of ideas than possibly those who articulated yesterday."