Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant was on the ground in the city of Cork on Saturday as thousands of demonstrators voiced their opposition to mass immigration and other government policies at the National Protest For Ireland.

Ezra spoke with the organizer of the protest, Derek Blighe, about why he decided to hold the demonstration and the impact of unrestrained immigration on Ireland.

"I lived in Canada for 10 years, and I came back to Ireland, and I went woah, what is happening. Wokeness, mass immigration had absolutely changed my country completely," he said.

"Ireland used to be a conservative country, it used to be a safe country, it used to have high trust. Now the streets are dangerous, children can't walk the streets, women can't walk the streets," Blighe added.

Here’s our drone filming the anti-immigration march in Cork, Ireland today. pic.twitter.com/j5fAWYbA8b

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) June 7, 2025

According to reporting from Gript, at least 22% of the current population of Ireland was born overseas, and protests have broken out across the country over further plans to bring in large numbers of asylum seekers.

Blighe went on: "This used to be a country where you would leave your car open, you would leave your front door open at night. You could leave your children in a pram at the front of a shop. You cannot do that anymore. There are stabbings, there are rapes, young people can't find housing ... Ireland has changed massively."

Saturday's protest saw approximately 4000 demonstrators, with speakers at the event condemning the Irish government for creating a housing crisis and neglecting increasing public safety issues.

According to Ireland's Central Statistics Office, immigration in the year leading up to April 2024 hit a 17-year high, with nearly 150,000 people immigrating to the country.

Please support our independent journalism on Ireland's migrant crisis!

Ireland is at a breaking point over mass immigration — and Ezra Levant is flying overnight with his cameraman Syd to Cork, where a major protest against Ireland’s open-border policies is set to take place. For over a year, Rebel News has reported on the government’s secretive and extreme immigration agenda, and the growing grassroots resistance to it. With no political party representing the public’s views and state media smearing dissenters as “racist,” independent journalism is more important than ever. This trip costs about CAD$2,500 — if you can, please chip in to support our coverage.

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