Main protest speaker resigns from Irish Freedom Party
The main speaker at last Thursday night’s protest against asylum seekers and refugees being housed in tents in Columb Barracks tweeted his resignation from a right wing political group hours after he was questioned about his membership by the Westmeath Examiner.
When contacted by the paper on Sunday evening to discuss his membership of the Irish Freedom Party and why he didn’t mention it when he spoke to our reporters on Thursday evening ahead of the protest, which more than 300 people attended, Patrick Hussey said that he was at the meeting “as an individual and not as a member of a political party”.
At around midnight on Sunday, Mr Hussey tweeted that “I have as of today 5th Feb 2023 resigned my membership in the Irish Freedom party”.
“This is so that I can be a fully independent voice in the situation going on in Mullingar at the moment. (I had joined only in Nov ’22).”
When asked about the timing of the announcement of his resignation from the Irish Freedom Party just hours after speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Mr Hussey said he had tendered his resignation at around noon on Sunday.
In an email to the paper yesterday, Monday, he said that he had decided to resign after he became aware of “threats” over the weekend from “antifa” (anti-fascist) activists on Twitter relating to his links to the Irish Freedom Party.
“I wanted to be clear that I am attending these protests only as a private independent citizen.
“I am from a Fine Gael background and I have also been a member of Fine Gael in the past. I hold very moderate centre right political views. I am a libertarian politically. My Interest in the Irish Freedom Party comes from my view which is contrary with Fine Gael’s, that Ireland should leave the EU. I support an Irexit.”
Hours before he announced his resignation from the Irish Freedom Party on Twitter, Mr Hussey shared a video on the social media platform about reports that community groups who use Columb Barracks had been told that “they were no longer allowed on the premises”.
When asked on Monday morning why he shared a video with unsubstantiated claims, despite the fact that both local government TDs, Robert Troy and Peter Burke, has issued statements days before assuring the community groups that they would be able to continue operating out of the barracks, Mr Hussey said that it had been shared by many people around Mullingar and that he “assumed” that “was the reason why the gates of the barracks were closed”.
He said that it was a “casual assumption that proved to be wrong” once more up to date information became available.
Some 300 people attended a protest in front of Columb barracks on Monday afternoon organised by the group Concerned Residents of Mullingar/ Mullingar Says No, who also organised the protests on Thursday and one on Saturday afternoon that attracted a smaller crowd.
In a statement released to the media before yesterday’s protest, the group said they believe “that there may be some counter protesters or agitators coming to disrupt future protests or to cause trouble”.
“The two assemblies at the gates of Columb Barracks to date have been very peaceful and law abiding, and we intend for any further gatherings to be likewise peaceful. We believe that there may be some counter protesters or agitators coming to disrupt future protests or to cause trouble. We condemn any such actions. We call on all those gathered with us to keep their identities visible and not wear any kind of mask or to behave in any illegal way whatsoever. We are holding a dignified and peaceful gathering in accordance with our rights.
“The organisers of these protests have not sanctioned or encouraged any protesters to be in the vicinity of the barracks gates during times that we are not protesting.
“We want to facilitate entry to the barracks for any users of services obtained in the barracks. We hope to have this restored as soon as possible. We would ask the barracks authorities to open the gates and allow service users to enter when necessary. We have not asked anyone to remain at the gates after protests have ended.” (See page 2 for the group’s full statement.)
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner before yesterday’s protest, a garda spokesperson said that Thursday evening’s and Saturday afternoon’s protests were “peaceful” and that there were no reports of anti-social behaviour.
Read more on pages 2 & 3