Justin Barrett | |
---|---|
Leader of the National Party (disputed) | |
Assumed office 16 November 2016 | |
Deputy | James Reynolds |
Leader of Youth Defence | |
In office 2000–[1][2][3][4][5] | |
Personal details | |
Born | [6] Cork, Ireland | 13 April 1971
Political party |
|
Spouse(s) | Rebecca Barrett[7] Bernadette Barrett (div.) |
Children | 8 |
Alma mater | Athlone Regional Technical College |
Known for |
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Other names | Justin Slevin[8][9][10] |
Justin Barrett (born 13 April 1971) is an Irish far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist,[11] and anti-abortion activist. As of April 2024, he was the leader of a group called Clann Éireann.[12] He was leader of the National Party from 2016 until a leadership rift in July 2023 with his former deputy leader James Reynolds led to a dispute with both men claiming to be leader of the party.
Barrett's activism began in the 1990s, with the anti-abortion campaign group Youth Defence. He campaigned against the Treaty of Nice in 2002 and founded the National Party in 2016. Barrett and the National Party campaigned for a No vote in the 2018 abortion referendum through the Abortion Never campaign,[13] which functioned as "an Irish nationalist anti-abortion campaign".[14] Barrett has never held or been elected to any public office. He contested the 2004 European Election as an independent, receiving 2.4% of the vote in the East constituency and failing to be elected. Barrett also contested the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election for the National Party, receiving 183 first-preference votes (0.68%), thus failing to be elected.
His early activism focused mostly on campaigning in Irish referendums from a Eurosceptic, anti-abortion, anti-immigration, and social conservative perspective. He subsequently however moved towards far-right politics with his involvement in the National Party.[15][16][17] Barrett has attracted controversy for his involvement with neo-Nazi groups and for making racist and homophobic remarks.[18] In September 2019, he controversially implied that, if in power, he would strip the Irish citizenship rights of local government politician Hazel Chu, in spite of the fact she had been born in Ireland and lived there for her entire life.[19]
Since 2022, Barrett had publicly quoted Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf,[20] performed Nazi salutes,[21] engaged in Holocaust denial,[11] spread antisemitic conspiracy theories and,[11] in 2023, appeared at an anti-immigration protest wearing a Nazi uniform. In September 2024, he hailed Hitler as the greatest leader of all time.[22] A statement on the National Party's website in July 2023 stated he had been removed as leader and was replaced by James Reynolds. He denies being ousted from the National Party.[23]
npfaq
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).examinerJan2010
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was invoked but never defined (see the help page).He was born in Cork city in 1971, fostered when he was two and adopted at the age of five by a family in Borrisokane, Co Tipperary. Barrett was his mother's family name and the one on his birth certificate, but his adoptive family's name was Slevin, so for years he was known as "Barrett Slevin", as though Barrett were a Christian name. He eventually opted for Barrett, and dropped the Slevin.
who changed his name from a few years ago from Justin Slevin
People first became aware of Barrett's nasty views when he ran for a Union of Students in Ireland election in 1992 as a candidate from Athlone RTC. Barrett at this time was called Justin Slevin; he changed his name some years later
...former Youth Defence leader, Justin Barrett.
His luck changed when he formed an alliance with Justin Barrett, a far-right Catholic lawyer and leader of the notorious Irish anti-abortion group Youth Defence, which had previously stormed buildings in Dublin in their crusade against a woman's right to choose.
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