Why we can’t afford to stay silent during Trump’s visit to Ireland

In the last few days there has been widespread suggestion that we should ignore Trump and not organise or attend protests against him during his November visit to Ireland — a deeply flawed idea. The logic behind it is as follows: Trump likes attention and controversy. To protest Trump is to give him attention. And we shouldn’t give him attention. Therefore, supposedly the best way to treat his visit is with complete silence, the logic goes.
What underlies this position is, at some level, the idea that protesting him is futile and unnecessary.
This position has been put forward by many in the media, including the Rubberbandit’s Blindboy and Fergus Findlay at the Irish Examiner. This analysis of the situation largely underestimates the magnitude of what is at stake in the world today, and seriously disregards the importance of struggle and protest in general.
When the ‘stay silent’ argument is made, it is grounded in the idea that protesting against Donald Trump will not upset him and will only fuel his ego. It should be clear that whether or not the protests upset Trump is neither here nor there. The point of these protests is to send a clear message to the wider community. The point is not to upset Trump and the protests are not a response to the day-to-day scandals which erupt; they are a response to his hard-right political ideology. Below are some reasons that we can’t afford to stay silent during the visit.
Firstly, protesting Donald Trump sends a clear message to the leaders of Ireland that we will not under any circumstances stand for them cosying up to racists and bigots — even if that person represents a country with which Ireland has economic ties. We need to pressure the Irish leadership to take a stance against people who so vocally embody the politics of hatred and division. If we stay silent, the politics of Donald Trump will be further normalised and mainstream politics will drift ever further to the right.
Secondly, protesting Donald Trump sends an important message of solidarity to the groups around the world on the receiving end of Trump’s hatred: immigrant communities, refugees, Muslims, the disabled, women, and people of colour — to name a few. Showing solidarity with the plight of oppressed communities has always been important. Staying silent means we can’t stand with these communities.
Thirdly, if we don’t protest Donald Trump, the only gatherings in Irish cities will be those organised by his supporters. These will be demonstrations grounded in xenophobia and racism. By not organising protests against Trump, his far-right supporters will take to the streets unopposed, using the space to grow their toxic brand of politics. By building large demonstrations against Trump which dwarf gatherings of supporters, we send a message far and wide that Trump’s politics will not take hold wherever he visits.
Lastly, if we stay silent, Trump will claim a victory. He will tell the world that during his visit to Ireland, the state welcomed him with open arms, supporters came to the streets and everyone else stayed silent — and he would be correct in saying so. What kind of message will this send to the world?
These are just a few reasons why staying silent when confronted with Trump’s visit is a terrible idea. Around Europe and in the US, mainstream politics are taking a frightening lurch to the right as ‘centrist’ politicians attempt to quell the growth of the far-right (by adopting anti-immigrant rhetoric, putting up barriers to refugees and speaking the language of ‘looking after their own’). Fascist groups now regularly march through a number of European cities for the purpose of terrifying minority and immigrant communities.
This is the context of the world in which Donald Trump’s visit to Ireland will take place. One thing is for sure: if we don’t publicly register opposition to Trump, Trump wins. And the strongest way we can register our opposition is by using our combined power and gathering in large demonstrations. Staying silent is not an option for anyone who wants to push back against and stop the growth of Trump’s politics.
