Protests Planned As Trump Set To Arrive In Ireland

Donald Trump is set to arrive in Ireland this afternoon for his first official trip as US President, as protesters gear up to oppose the visit.

His stay in Ireland follows a three-day state visit to the UK to attend events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

President Trump will attend a service in Portsmouth, the main departure point for the allied forces assault in 1944, before boarding Air Force One and flying to Ireland this afternoon where he is due to meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

The pair are set to address a number of issues including trade, US support for Northern Ireland, Brexit and immigration.

The Social Democrats have called on the public to turn out and demonstrate against the visit and President Trump's "regressive and demeaning politics" at organised protests over the next two days.

Speaking ahead of the visit, party co-leaders Róisín Shortall TD and Catherine Murphy TD said: "By inviting the US president on an official visit, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has legitimised his narrow and divisive brand of politics. Donald Trump's administration champions policies that are destroying the planet, undermining international cooperation and threatening global security and trade.

"The US president's policies are an affront to the values of decency and justice that Irish people hold dear. We urge people to turn out in force today in Clare and to join us tomorrow at the Stand Up to Trump protest at Dublin's Garden of Remembrance at 6pm.

"This is an opportunity to signal clearly to the Government and the rest of the world that we strongly oppose Trump's type of regressive and demeaning politics."



(JG/CM)