Protesters spoil the party for new right-wing group
Paul O Marcacahain from the Identity Ireland Party argues with Kate O'Connell at the launch of the Identity Ireland, a Pro Sovereignty party in Buswells Hotel
Peter O Loughlin
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The launch of a right-wing party descended into chaos after an anti-racism group staged a protest at the event.
Identity Ireland - which is seeking to bring an end to mass immigration and multiculturalism - held a press conference in Buswells Hotel in Dublin yesterday to announce it had officially become a political party.
However, after the group's leaders introduced themselves, members of an anti-racism group accused the party of knowingly holding the launch on the fourth anniversary of the massacre of 77 people in Norway by far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.
Tragedy
In response, Identity Ireland denied it held the event to coincide with the anniversary of the tragedy.
During the demonstration, a protester laid a wreath for the victims of the mass murder beside members of the new party.
Identity Ireland members then clashed with the protesters, calling them thugs and accusing them of harassing their fledgling political movement.
A member of the political party then called hotel staff and asked them to remove the protesters from the press conference.
Speaking to the media after the demonstration, a member of Identity Ireland insisted there was a difference between people who were ethnically Irish and Irish citizens.
Founding member Peter O'Loughlin, who is a primary school teacher, said 90pc of immigrants seeking asylum in Ireland are "bogus" and are instead economic immigrants.
He said mass immigration - which Ireland engaged in "with gusto" - is putting "huge strain" on our health and social welfare system.
Sovereignty
The group is opposed to the European Union in its current form, and Mr O'Loughlin said the euro was a "political tool used to rob us of our sovereignty".
He said the group will run a "handful" of candidates in the next election but admitted it was hard to get people to engage with the party because they feared being branded racists.
He said the party did not take a position on social issues such as abortion or the marriage equality referendum.