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'This will bring us back to the dark ages': Anti-racism group hits out at National Party

National Party leader Justin Barrett was on Today FM this afternoon and said he’d like to see all immigrants leave Ireland.

Justin Barret Nice Treaty National Party leader Justin Barrett PA Archive / PA Images PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images

THE IRISH branch of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) has warned of the dangers of the new National Party.

The new party, which is headed by Justin Barrett and which describes itself as being the “true spirit of the Republic”, confirmed that the Merrion Hotel in Dublin cancelled their event yesterday. The party has not yet rescheduled its launch date.

ENAR Ireland’s director Shane O’Curry said the decision to block the launch of the party was “appropriate, proportionate and legitimate”.

Barrett was interviewed by Matt Cooper on Today FM this evening and said he would like to see all immigrants deported from Ireland. He claimed cheap labour from Eastern Europe ruined the Irish economy.

Barrett told Cooper he should have been more careful deciding which events to go to after he was pictured an extreme right-wing event in Germany in 2002. At the time, he was campaigning on the No to Nice campaign and was the guest of honour at the rally.

Dublin anti-racism demonstration Garda Public Order Unit clash with with protesters in Dublin last year as anti-Islam group Pegida tried to demonstrate. Niall Carson / PA Niall Carson / PA / PA

The founding of the group has been strongly criticised on social media.

ENAR Ireland boss O’Curry said it is easy to see what this party stands for.

He told TheJournal.ie: “I think if you look into the personality behind the so-called party and the rhetoric and the track record of people involved, you can see what kind of people they are.

Without a doubt, this is a fascist party and I think that should be the term reserved for organisations which meet certain criteria and this one does.

“The decision to block his party launch was appropriate, proportionate and legitimate. As a society, we value freedom of speech but all freedoms have limits.

“Matt Cooper and the Last Word have been foolishly irresponsible in allowing him on. This is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.This will bring us back to the dark ages.”

O’Curry said there has been an increase in reports of racist incidents since Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. However, he said it was still too early to say if these can be linked.

Very little is known about the new party, which registered with the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) as a Third Party on 9 August of this year.

Justin Barrett and James Reynolds, who is identified as the party’s deputy-president, are the only two people identified with the National Party since the announcement of its launch on Tuesday.

ENAR Ireland runs a webpage where incidents of racism can be reported online. You can find it here.

With reporting by Sean Murray

Read: SIPTU has authorised its 60,000 members to ballot on industrial and strike action >

Read: There’s trouble between Fine Gael and the Independent Alliance again… this time it’s over alcohol >

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255 Comments
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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
    Favourite George Vladisavljevic
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    Sep 30th 2022, 12:12 PM

    Liquid natural gas, fracked gas, increased coal burning for power plants. Reopening of nuclear plants, shipping more and more natural gas, oil and coal from around the world, mostly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we are going to get penalised and fined for the peatlands.

    Someone really needs to grow a pair and tell the EU Commision to sod off and that we are living in very challenging times.

    271
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    Mute Ciaran O'Mara
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    Sep 30th 2022, 12:24 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: I disagree. Ireland has broken the law for many years. We were warned in 2011 to stop it. The Commission has been far to slow in enforcing the rules. It is shameful that we won’t protect our own heritage.

    98
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    Mute Alan Kenny
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    Sep 30th 2022, 12:55 PM

    @Ciaran O’Mara: They have been happy to pay the fine due to VRT. Ah sure why don’t they buy some energy credits. It’s a shambles, designed by people who will never be affected by their policies

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    Mute Peter Donoghue
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    Sep 30th 2022, 2:55 PM

    @Ciaran O’Mara: define what you mean by heritage ?

    19
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    Mute Urban Living Dublin
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    Sep 30th 2022, 3:22 PM

    @Peter Donoghue: natural heritage perhaps? Our greatest sources of biodiversity and largest carbon sinks?

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Sep 30th 2022, 6:44 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: no someone needs to stand up to greedy culchies wrecking SACs

    8
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    Mute Alan Kenny
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    Sep 30th 2022, 12:21 PM

    Bord Na Monas industrial scale cutting of the bogs has caused this. Now the farmer suffers. Always the way.

    110
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Sep 30th 2022, 1:33 PM

    Keep cutting lads. Centuries old custom of heating dwellings

    107
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    Mute Michael Keegan
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    Sep 30th 2022, 2:32 PM

    @Dave Barrett: when are the disadvantaged in Dublin getting their turf

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    Mute Urban Living Dublin
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    Sep 30th 2022, 3:20 PM

    @Dave Barrett: no more modern amenities for you so. Replace that Avensis with a horse and cart and pull the copper wire out of your house, candles only from now on. And wait, what are you doing on the Journal.ie? Shouldn’t you be sending handwritten letters to the Dublin Penny Journal instead?

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    Mute Peter Donoghue
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    Sep 30th 2022, 2:49 PM

    Friends of Irish Environment (FIE) have little to be at !! .. reporting people . What active activity are they ever engaged in ? .
    As for the EU – We the people of Ireland should have the right to make and enforce our own rules, instead of a band of Nazi’ shoving legislation down our throats

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    Mute Daniel Morrissey
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    Sep 30th 2022, 7:51 PM

    An absolute farce… all about control from the EU.. stop cutting the turf lads.. we need your carbon credits for the data centres…
    Off topic… Will the Italian’s make an attempt at getting out of the EU…

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    Mute Kenny Hyslop
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    Sep 30th 2022, 1:22 PM

    Arrest the people doing it, take their companies, close them down and put them in prison.
    Oh no wait, this is Ireland.
    Do nothing and say you can’t fix it overnight, 12 years later.

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    Mute Ken Red
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    Sep 30th 2022, 8:54 PM

    What ever about people burning for heat, their is also the industrial scale harvesting of peat for gardens in the UK Westfield and others

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