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Ireland·Energy·Protests·Trade & Economy

Fuel price protests paralyse Ireland as government deploys army and survives confidence vote

Thursday, 16 April 2026, 10:08 · 1 min read

Truck and tractor convoys have blocked major roads, ports, and fuel depots across the Republic of Ireland for over ten days, triggered by a roughly 28 percent rise in diesel prices following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February and Iran's subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes. The Irish government deployed the army and police to clear blockades at critical infrastructure, including the country's only oil refinery near Whitegate in County Cork, and announced nearly $600 million in relief measures, including a 10 percent fuel duty cut and a postponement of a planned carbon tax. The ruling coalition survived a no-confidence motion tabled by opposition party Sinn Féin, though the crisis cost it a junior minister, and analysts warn the unrest is exposing deep rural-urban divisions and could provide an opening for right-wing populist movements to gain a foothold in Ireland.

Sources
Al Jazeera EnglishWhy are fuel price protests sweeping the Republic of Ireland? ↗︎NPR WorldFuel protests have Ireland's government facing possible no-confidence vote ↗︎
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