The protest was organised against plans to convert the former orphanage to accommodate up to 260 displaced Ukrainian refugees before the end of the year
A group outside St. Joseph’s Laundry, Seatown Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Aidan Dullaghan/Newspics
A group at the St. Joseph’s Laundry, Seatown Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Aidan Dullaghan/Newspics
The scene at St. Joseph’s Laundry, Seatown Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Aidan Dullaghan/Newspics
St. Joseph’s Laundry, Seatown Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Aidan Dullaghan/Newspics
There was a heavy garda presence at a protest and counter-protest in Dundalk, Co Louth, on Sunday afternoon.
The protest at the former St Joseph’s orphanage and St Malachy’s Convent at Seatown Place and Castle Street was organised against plans to convert the former orphanage to accommodate up to 260 displaced Ukrainian refugees before the end of the year.
A campaign calling itself, ”Dundalk Says No”, called for protestors against the plans to attend the site at 5pm today.
A number of speakers including members of the Irish Freedom Party and the Irish People who were candidates in the recent local elections and failed to win one seat, addressed supporters and called for members of the public to stand up against what was happening in the town, criticising gardaí over the handling of the recent protests in Coolock in Dublin and urging people to register to vote against the present Government and their immigration policy in the upcoming General Election.
A group outside St. Joseph’s Laundry, Seatown Place on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Aidan Dullaghan/Newspics
For much of the time, chants including “immigrants welcome here” using bull-horns from the counter-demonstrators drowned out the speeches.
The small but noisy protest took place with those opposed to the plans taking the opposite side of the street on Seatown Place, while the orphanage side was lined by a counter demonstration behind a large banner, “Dundalk stands with immigrants’.
Dozens of uniformed gardaí and members of the Public Order Unit formed a buffer zone between the two groups and the protest ended peacefully after just over an hour.
