politics
Thousands Rally in Rome and Belfast as EU Migration Pact Takes Effect
Thousands marched in Rome on Saturday in competing demonstrations over immigration policy while thousands more in Belfast protested recent anti-immigrant violence. The events followed the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact and came after a Sudanese asylum seeker was charged in a stabbing.
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Tens of thousands of people participated in demonstrations across Europe on Saturday, including rival marches in Rome and a large anti-racism rally in Belfast. The events followed the European Union's implementation of its Migration and Asylum Pact, which standardizes migrant screening and asylum processing across member states.
In Rome, several thousand supporters of the "Remigration and Reconquest" citizens' initiative marched through the city center. Al Jazeera reported that participants carried banners calling for stricter migration policies. A separate demonstration organized by trade unions and left-wing groups took place elsewhere in the city at the same time.
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In Belfast, thousands marched in an anti-racism demonstration. Newsweek reported that the rally followed riots earlier in the week that began after a Sudanese asylum seeker was charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife in connection with a Monday stabbing.
The unrest resulted in cars and buildings being set on fire, attacks on properties believed to house migrants, and injuries to at least 12 police officers.
The demonstrations occurred one day after the EU pact took effect. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated earlier this month: "Sadly, today different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies.
