A small faction of right-wing individuals held a protest against immigration at the residence of Taoiseach Simon Harris in County Wicklow on a Thursday night. Positioned in front of the Greystones house where Mr Harris, his spouse and two little children reside, this faction exhibited posters expressing anti-immigration sentiments. This is not their first protest, as they have participated in many over the course of the past weeks. Recent activities include a demonstration in Newtownmountkennedy ending in a scuffle with the police, a gathering at a marked location in Crooksling intended for refugees seeking asylum, and a protest in front of Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman’s house where banners were displayed.
It was revealed that one of the attendees at Thursday’s protest in front of the Taoiseach’s residence has been scrutinised by the police for a presumably playing a role in the Dublin riots that happened in November. The incident that brought about this suspicion involved a case of arson on a police vehicle.
The faction has taken their protests further by extending it to the homes of individuals who provide essential services related to lodging for asylum seekers. Speaking from Belfast, Mr Harris declared that people’s homes and families “should be respected as private”.
From in front of Stormont Castle on Friday morning, with his children tucked in, he addressed the media about his experience with the protesters outside his County Wicklow residence. In his inaugural visit to Northern Ireland as Taoiseach, he had a meeting with both First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. Upon being asked to remark on the protest, he stated “I refuse to acknowledge such activities as protests”. “I firmly believe that regardless of who it is, whether it’s me or an opponent in politics or anybody else, people’s homes and families ought to be respected and left undisturbed,” he added. “when this incident happened, it was my children’s bedtime. It’s just not acceptable.” Ms O’Neill voiced her condemnation of the incident claiming it was “utterly unfitting”. “The Taoiseach has two young children, and your home should be a safe haven,” she commented.
Reportedly, limited police observation has been applied to several members of the group who gathered at the Taoiseach’s residence on recent occasions.
There is a small group of protesters who regularly make appearances at almost all affairs. They usually avoid acting in ways that could potentially lead to their arrest. Lately, the Gardaí have grown increasingly worried about politicians receiving threats from right-wing extremists. Just last week, a bomb threat resulted in the evacuation of Minister for Justice Helen McEntee’s residential premises.
In addition, the Gardaí are probing into last week’s graffiti that ominously read “Paul Murphy RIP”, situated close to the People Before Profit TD’s home in Tallaght.
Prompted by events last year, the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, instructed that cabinet ministers should be accompanied by armed Gardaí for protection. In fact, even Mr. Harris’s own home has faced protestor incursions multiple times in the past.
A photograph from this past Thursday’s disturbance illustrates protestors with hidden faces obstructing the driveway of the Taoiseach’s residence. At the time, Mr. Harris was attending a funeral and wasn’t home, but his family was there. The Gardaí rushed to the location, leading the protestors to scatter, and no arrests had to be made.
The Gardaí clarified via statement that it was informed of a gathering outside an unspecified home in Greystones right after 7pm on Thursday. It was noted that the gathering lasted less than 10 minutes before the attendees dispersed. The Gardaí are currently investigating the whole situation surrounding this episode.