Dublin City Council asked to clarify refusal of anti-Trump protest posters
Thursday 10 September 2026
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has questioned Dublin City Council's decision to refuse permission for two protest poster designs.
Dublin City Council has been asked by a human rights group to explain why it refused permission for anti-Trump protest posters in the capital.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has written to the council after two poster designs advertising an upcoming demonstration were rejected. The Irish Neutrality League (INL), which is organising the protest, had applied to the local authority to erect posters in Dublin ahead of a scheduled visit by US President Donald Trump.
According to the INL, the council rejected two poster designs that featured Trump's image, including one displaying his image inside a red crossed-out circle. A third poster design that did not include Trump's image was approved.
In its letter to the council, the ICCL argued that the right to freedom of expression is protected under the Irish Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. The group stated that the prohibited materials were directly connected to an imminent public demonstration concerning matters of political interest.
The demonstration is planned to take place at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin to coincide with a two-day presidential visit, during which Trump is scheduled to meet President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and attend the Irish Open in Doonbeg, County Clare.