INTELBRIEF
September 6, 2024
Irish Ethnonationalism and the Emergence of a Distinct Far-Right Movement
Bottom Line Up Front
- Ireland has witnessed an escalation in violent far-right mobilization over the past two years, including the protracted “Irish Anti-Immigration Protests” and a series of arson attacks targeting government-housing for refugees and asylum seekers.
- Irish far-right groups are gaining momentum through propagating a contextualized version of the white supremacist Great Replacement conspiracy theory called “plantation,” in reference to Ireland’s colonial history to suggest an elite-led displacement of the Irish native population.
- The increasing co-option of anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric by the far-right suggests the leveraging of localized issues to mainstream fringe ideologies and create a unique brand of Irish-ethnonationalism with broader appeal.
- Mainstream Irish political discourse appears to be undergoing a tectonic shift toward the right, with political parties such as Sinn Féin – traditionally pro-immigration – facing accusations of failing to adequately counter these narratives out of concern for electoral setbacks.
Over the past two years, Ireland has seen a significant rise in violent far-right mobilization, marked by the widespread "Irish Anti-Immigration Protests" and a series of arson attacks targeting government-provided housing for refugees and asylum seekers. This movement underscores the promotion of Irish ethnic nationalism, conferring legitimacy upon a singular ethnic identity while rejecting the concept of a multi-ethnic society. The protests began in November 2022 in response to the large-scale development of temporary housing accommodations for asylum seekers. During this time, Ireland accepted over 58,000 individuals who were displaced during Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine and the current number now totals over 100,000. The influx of migrants has occurred against the backdrop of a cost-of-living and a housing shortage crisis. This strained economic context has proven to be fertile ground for exclusionary politics to take hold, as frustration mounts over a perceived lack of resources.
The Garda Síochána have estimated that a total of 476 anti-immigration protests have taken place in 2022 and 2023, with the slogan “Ireland is full” featuring prominently at these gatherings. While not all demonstrations have turned violent, they have varied in their intensity. Refugee centers and new housing developments for migrants have been the primary targets of firebombing campaigns and coordinated arson attacks, as witnessed elsewhere throughout Europe. In five years, approximately 26 buildings have been subjected to arson attacks - the use of this low-yield and low-intensity attack strategy of the emerging Irish far-right milieu bears some resemblance to the methods of intimidation employed by dissident paramilitary gangs, representing a strategy of non-lethal dissent that has a unique history in modern Ireland. Far-right groups in France have also conducted arson attacks, proving to be an effective method of sowing fear and intimidation to induce a desired political outcome.
In November 2023, an Algerian-Irish national carried out an attack on a woman and three children in Dublin, sparking widespread online speculation about the suspect's nationality, particularly on platforms like X and Telegram. The incident escalated into the worst riots in recent Irish history and was exacerbated by misinformation and calls for violence across social media platforms, such as Telegram, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. The public and law enforcement were at the forefront of this crisis, enduring most of the violence - with many people injured and widespread looting and destruction. The most recent of these violent riots occurred in July 2024 in the Irish town of Coolock, in Northern Dublin. Over 1,000 protestors gathered at a former factory undergoing renovations to house asylum seekers, and set fire to the site, injuring several first responders. Shortly before this event, far-right individuals armed with knives attacked 15 refugees that were sheltering in tents in Dublin city center.
There have also been numerous smaller-scale protests across Ireland, frequently precipitated by misinformation and disinformation circulated by Irish far right ‘influencers.’ Often, these are fueled by rumors of buildings or hotels that may be housing migrants, or following violent crimes that are pre-emptively attributed to foreign nationals before the facts are confirmed by law enforcement. The use of WhatsApp groups and Telegram to disseminate disinformation and incite protests has been widely documented, revealing a highly coordinated mechanism of mobilization. This is reminiscent of rumor-driven WhatsApp ‘vigilantism’ that has been evidenced by far-right groups in other countries, including with the recent riots in Southport, UK, but also of those documented in India and Sri Lanka. The frequency of the demonstrations exposes the organizational capacity of this movement and ability to mobilize across the country and in localized pockets.
The Irish far-right movement has utilized rhetoric from its transnational counterparts in the United States and Europe. During the pandemic, COVID-related conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine propaganda were overrepresented in the far-right online discourse during this time-period. With the onset of Ukrainian refugees in 2022, Irish groups were able to repurpose existing white supremacist ideologies to create an Irish-brand of ethnonationalism that better resonates with the native Irish population – analysts have argued that this shift has been central to the momentum of the movement. There is extensive evidence of the adaptation of white supremacist ideologies to local contexts, including in the Global South.
A significant example of this is the contextualization of The Great Replacement Theory – an anti-establishment, racist conspiracy theory which describes the deliberate replacement of a native population with non-white groups, by political or global elites. This has been repackaged in Ireland as “The Great Plantation.” This is in reference to the Plantation of Ulster, a British colonial project that resonates deeply with Irish nationalists and has significant historical connotations. Far-right groups are utilizing this concept to frame the influx of migrants as a “new plantation” and thus, an existential threat to the native population. A distinct form of Irish ethnic-nationalism is gaining prominence, one that prioritizes the perceived threat posed by migration over the historical emphasis on British imperialism. Although this concept has been circulating for several years, it has experienced bolstered traction in the context of the refugee influx. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue has reported that the Irish far-right is increasingly co-opting anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric into its playbook. These can be viewed as an extension of the ‘Great Plantation’ theory, where abortion is being increasingly framed as an elite tool of “Irish ethnocide.” In the same vein, same-sex relationships are regarded as undermining the strength and longevity of the native Irish population. Integrating far-right ideologies into localized, single-issue movements plays a crucial role by providing a pathway for extreme views to enter mainstream discourse. This overt shift of the Irish far-right in recent months to homophobic and anti-abortion rhetoric, as well as the increased presence of far-right groups at pro-life rallies, has the potential to lead to a broader section of society potentially embracing more radical ideologies.
The collective anti-immigration protests since 2022 have underscored the considerable influence of far-right agitators in Ireland, challenging the nation's reputation as an emerging bastion of liberalism and European outlier in resisting far-right populist movements. Ireland has been notable for the absence of a radical-right party in its political framework. The country has been overwhelmingly pro-immigration, in the context of the considerable number of Irish that have emigrated historically. However, fringe far-right parties are gaining popularity, such as the Irish Freedom Party and National Party. In addition, pro-immigration and left-leaning parties have been accused of avoiding engagement with the incendiary topic of immigration or adopting hardline approaches. After facing losses in the July 2024 elections, Sinn Féin’s President Mary Lou McDonald unveiled plans to introduce stricter immigration policies vis-a-vis Ukrainian refugees. The axis of political discourse is clearly being shifted despite the lack of a right-wing party in a position of considerable power, this bears similarities to what has been seen with the Vox Party in Spain. While the far-right movement remains a minority, there is a definitive shift in Ireland's Overton window, rendering the country increasingly vulnerable to the future adoption of radical ideas.