More than 120 protest over housing of asylum seekers in Finglas

Justice Minister Simon Harris recently said the new legislation will give a further legal basis if people are engaged in crime that is particularly hate aggravated. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Around 120 people gathered in north Dublin on Wednesday evening for another night of protests over the housing of asylum seekers in the area.

Traffic was backed up to the M50 as the protestors took to the streets carrying placards and calling for the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to “get out of office”.

However, unlike the scenes of demonstrators captured on video chanting racist slogans outside Finglas garda station recently, a much smaller crowd marched through the village last night.

The two-hour rally which consisted of a number of locals including women and men pushing children in buggies, was a more subdued event. The crowd carried placards that said “we are the majority polled who disagree with government policy on refugees” and “Leo out”.

Drivers coming from the busy M50 were disrupted as protestors blocked traffic going into Finglas during rush hour. The crowd met at the industrial estate on the Charlestown Road in the area at 6pm before marching through Finglas village, and back to the main road joining the M50.

One of the protestors, Alan Croghan, said he was there to “support the demonstrators” in a peaceful rally.

He told the Irish Examiner: “I’m from the Coolock Says No group and I’m here to support these people. We want nothing to do with anyone from the far right and as you can see we have gotten rid of them all. Less numbers changes nothing. 

There was no communication in the arrival of refugees and the working class areas can’t cope with the numbers, East Wall, Finglas, Ballymun and Drimnagh, we are all sticking together on this and not backing down.

On Thursday, a Cabinet committee is due to discuss how to better communicate with communities where refugees are to be placed in the hope that locals' concerns can be addressed.

More anti-immigration protests are expected to take place in the coming weeks as government plans to introduce new hate crime legislation. Justice Minister Simon Harris recently said the new legislation will give a further legal basis if people are engaged in crime that is particularly hate aggravated.

Mr Harris said: “I think some of what we have seen in recent days does meet that threshold."

He was speaking after The Ireland Thinks poll found that 56% of people believe Ireland has taken in too many refugees in the past year with 30% disagreeing and a further 14% unsure.