In the hopes of amplifying their objections to President Donald Trump and his policies, Irish and American progressive activists will host an event calling for human rights and welcoming immigrants on St. Patrick’s Day in New York City. It was especially important for Irish people to hold a rally on St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s national holiday, according to Sen. Ó Ríordáin, whose impassioned appeal for the Irish government to criticize Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric went viral in November. “We have a strong voice and we need to use it,” Ó Ríordáin said. Ó Ríordáin saw Trump’s election as the culmination of a nationalist wave sweeping Western countries that included the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union, commonly known as Brexit. After Trump implemented the first travel ban in January, Ó Ríordáin, King and others settled on doing an event on St. Patrick’s Day.

Source: Huffington Post March 11, 2017 20:37 UTC