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Large-scale protests planned as Donald Trump announces visit to Ireland

US president will make Irish trip after visit to France for Armistice Day commemorations

Adam Forrest
Saturday 01 September 2018 08:18 EDT
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Donald Trump will make his first presidential visit to Ireland in November, the White House has confirmed.

The announcement has already sparked plans for anti-Trump protests, with the Green Party in Ireland calling for “large scale public demonstrations” against the US president.

The party revealed details of a “Not Welcome in Ireland!” protest in Dublin on 10 November.

Eamon Ryan, Green Party leader, urged people to “show their disgust and rejection of the Trump administration’s policies by turning out, as we did during the Iraq War in 2003, in large-scale mass protest around the country.”

Ireland’s prime minister Leo Varadkar made the invitation during his visit to the White House to meet Mr Trump in March.

The taoiseach’s office said the pair’s second meeting in November would be a chance to discuss trade, immigration and other issues.

Mr Trump is expected to make the trip either before or after his visit to Paris to take part in Armistice Day (November 11) commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

"While in Europe, the President will also visit Ireland to renew the deep and historic ties between our two nations,” the White House said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the taoiseach said Mr Trump “will stop in Ireland for a brief visit on his way to or from the Armistice commemorations in Paris”.

“It will be an opportunity to follow up on the issues discussed in the White House in March including migration, trade, climate change and human rights issues.”

The Irish Labour leader Brendan Howlin said on Twitter that his party would “join with likeminded people to oppose this visit”.

Colum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), said: “You’re not welcome here @realDonaldTrump”.

More than 100,000 people took part in anti-Trump protests in London in July during the US president’s UK visit.

Precise timings of the November visit have not been revealed, and it is not yet know whether Mr Trump will visit Northern Ireland as part of the trip.

The US president owns a golf course – Trump Doonbeg – in County Clare. He bought the resort in February 2014, but has not visited Doonbeg since May that year.

During Mr Varadkar’s US trip in March, he admitted he had he spoken to Clare County Council about a planning application for a wind farm near the Doonbeg course in 2014, while he was tourism minister.

Mr Varadkar said he had expressed concern a wind farm would impact on tourism in the area.

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