Disco at the Dáil to protest US Vice-President Mike Pence’s visit
Amnesty Ireland are hoping to host a disco at Dáil Éireann to protest US Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Ireland/
The visit has been moved forward, and Amnesty has began crowdfunding to organise the event in time.
On their crowdfunding page, they said:
“He’ll be in Dublin on the 3rd of September. We want to have a Disco outside the Dáil (at 1pm) in protest. A celebration of all the people that Pence and Trump’s cruel policies are hurting; women, refugees, migrants, and LGBTI people."
Hey @VP Mike Pence, you might have heard we’re having a disco outside the Dáil tomorrow at 1pm when you’re here, and you’re invited!
Come and see what it means to be Irish these days – we are a country that wants to love and accept people! pic.twitter.com/ypQJcBPPAm
— Amnesty Ireland (@AmnestyIreland) September 2, 2019
They continued;
“We want to show him, and people that support him, that we’re a different country now and that he can’t go back to the USA and say that Ireland supports him, Trump or their policies of hate.
“We’re going to need plenty of colourful banners, a sound system for music, a stage for dancing and maybe even a disco ball! Leftover funds will go to support our other related campaigns.
“And we’re going to invite Mr Pence to our disco. We hope he RSVP’s.”
Pence is renowned for defending the horrible conditions in US immigrant detention centres recently, and tweeted his excitement at the prospect of celebrating his "Irish roots".
Of course, many Twitter users were highly disgusted at the hypocrisy. His grandfather immigrated to the US from Co. Sligo in 1923, so his anti-immigrant views are even more ridiculous.
Pence’s trip is expected to cost up to €10 million in security costs.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner Matt Barrett attended a breakfast with Pence and his wife Karen, which must have been awkward considering the Vice President’s track record on LGBT+ rights.
Hey @VP, we haven’t received your RSVP to our disco outside the Dáil today at 1pm.
Come along for a dance. Don’t be shy! pic.twitter.com/EmljA2TLsv
— Amnesty Ireland (@AmnestyIreland) September 3, 2019
Pence voted against hate crime laws during his stint in Congress, and has allegedly endorsed cruel gay conversion therapy. His wife also teaches in a school which refuses to accept LGBTI pupils.
Pence opposed the repeal of the US military’s controversial 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' policy in 2010, citing that he did not want to see the military become ‘a backdrop for social experimentation’. Wow.
To make Disco at the Dáil happen, donate here. You can find full details of the event here.
Feature image: Twitter/@AmnestyIreland