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Thousands of people took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday, calling U.S. President Donald Trump a "warmonger" and a "racist" as he boarded a plane to Shannon Airport.
The protest, which moved from Parnell Square to Molesworth Street near Leinster House, aimed to show Trump he wasn't welcome and to signal that the Irish government was wrong to host him.
Organizers put the number attending at 25,000, though it was likely much less. The crowd spread across more than a kilometre as they walked from the Garden of Remembrance to the Dail.
Speaking on stage on Molesworth Street, activist Ailbhe Smyth said, to applause, that Trump has a “lust for power” and will “trample on everything we stand for.”
A poll conducted by Ireland Thinks and the Sunday Independent found 69% of those surveyed didn’t welcome the visit.
At an earlier press conference, Trump said a unified Ireland would be "fantastic," wading into a complex and politically charged subject during his weekend visit to a tournament at his Irish golf course.
Several protesters pointed to the remark as further reason for their anger, while others said Trump should not have been invited to begin with.
Trump said he “didn’t know” a protest was planned. “It’s a friendly protest, I’d say, but we have a great relationship with Ireland,” he said. “The United States and Ireland have a fantastic relationship, a very profitable one for Ireland – less profitable for us, to be honest with you.”
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