Protests against President Clinton's visit took place in several cities in the State yesterday, most of them organised by the Socialist Workers' Party. In Dublin last night, about 250 protesters gathered outside Government Buildings.
Carrying placards bearing the message "No Welcome for Bomber Clinton" and "Go Home Clinton, You Two-Faced Terrorist", the crowd included the Green Party MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, and veteran left-wing activist Dr John De Courcy Ireland.
Representatives of the Socialist Workers' Movement and the Irish Republican Socialist Party also attended the protest, which was aimed against the recent US attacks in Afghanistan and Sudan.
Ms McKenna said Mr Clinton should be informed "loud and clear" that Ireland did not accept American foreign policy which meant peace for this State while people in other parts of the world did not matter.
By ordering the missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan, the US President had basically declared war on the Arab world, showing their lives did not count and were not as valuable as Irish lives.
Her party colleague, Mr John Gormley TD, said Mr Clinton should be reprimanded for ignoring the minimal rules of international law.
There were serious question marks hanging over the claim by the US administration that its target in Sudan was military and it was essential an international inquiry took place, he said.
Mr Gormley said there was widespread recognition of the positive role Mr Clinton had played in the peace process "but this must not prevent us from speaking out against his attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan which are viewed by many as acts of state terrorism".
Mr Joe Higgins, the Socialist Party TD, said that for leaders of the political establishment in Ireland to loudly condemn the Omagh atrocity while not uttering a single word of rebuke against President Clinton's actions in Sudan and Afghanistan amounted to "nauseating hypocrisy".
Senator Brendan Ryan said it was a pity there were so few members of the Irish political process who were prepared to say that if it was wrong to kill innocent people in Northern Ireland, it was wrong to bomb Afghanistan and the rest of the world. In Derry, 14 people took part in a rally in the Diamond at lunchtime. The rally, organised by the Socialist Workers' Party, was good-natured and captured the attention of a group of 30 American tourists whose bus arrived in the Diamond at the war memorial just as the rally started.
"I didn't expect this in Derry, but I guess that's democracy for you. We have lots of them at home against President Clinton, so why not one here?" said one of the touring party.
In Galway, a dozen or so people congregated outside Moons Corner in protest at the Clinton visit, chanting "Bill Clinton, USA, how many bombs did you drop today?"
There was little interest from passers-by, but a petition criticising the Taoiseach's welcome for the US President after the recent bombings in Afghanistan and Sudan collected about 150 signatures. It will be sent to Mr Ahern.
In Cork, members of the Socialist Workers' Party also held a small protest and had a petition for signing.