Understanding Hate And Extremism: The Rise of the Far Right in Ireland By the Hope and Courage Collective
THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC The far right used the pandemic as a fertile ground to spread and amplify conspiracy theories. They took advantage of the uncertainty and fear surrounding COVID to sow doubt in communities. Issues such as immigration, globalisation, and distrust in institutions have been exploited by far right groups to blame marginalised communities and promote their hate filled narratives. Moreover, lockdown measures and economic hardships resulting from the pandemic have created social and economic anxieties, which have contributed to the appeal of far right ideologies that promise “simple solutions’’ and scapegoats. Over this time online audiences were gained, and what has emerged from the post-pandemic far right is a more hardened, extreme and violent movement. Since then far right groups and influencers have returned with vigour to core themes of immigration, nationalism, extreme Christian dogma anti sex education and anti-LGBT+ hate especially targetting the trans community. LIBRARY ATTACKS Since January 2023 a concerted campaign against the LGBT+ community has begun under the guise of library books. These actions see gender critical actors working with openly violent far right thugs to remove LGBT+ books for younger audiences from libraries. These actions also intimidate people working in our public libraries. Protests have also been targeting children’s bookshop suppliers. The trans community is a particular target for hate and attacks from extremists. Far right actors actively produce and share disinformation about gender identity, promoting transphobia and ultimately seeking to remove the education of sexual identities in schools. Many communities have courageously pushed back against the vocal minority, with welcoming groups and setting up solidarity events across the country. BIG TECH AND THE FAR RIGHT This vocal minority has been ably assisted by persistent inadequate actions by large tech companies, providing the platform for pumping out hate-filled propaganda. All major platforms have been used to whip up hate and fear against people seeking asylum, people who have designated refugee status, and increasingly towards migrants. Since February 2023, H&CC has noted extremist language to include migrant and LGBT+ people in the same breath.
THE ELON MUSK TAKEOVER We want to draw attention to the changes at Twitter. Since Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, the platform has become a magnet once again for those intent on pushing hate, division, incitement, and violence. Many white supremacist and hate accounts, previously banned for breaching terms and conditions around hateful conduct, have now been reinstated. Hate organisers in Ireland are openly thanking Elon Musk for supporting them. Twitter is a global communications organisation with international headquarters based in Dublin. It is a platform that shapes news making, media commentary and perceptions of political organisations within electoral systems across the globe. It is now also a primary conduit for fear, violence and hate visited upon our communities, led by an owner engaging with Irish white supremacism. THE DANGEROUS PATH: ONLINE HATE BREEDS REAL WORLD VIOLENCE The H&CC has been flagging for more than a year that an increase in frequency and intensity of violent rhetoric online from far right influencers would, if left unchecked, lead to physical violence in communities. Many of these same prominent influencers have been churning out content and commentary designed to incite hate, in many cases going back several years and travelling the country to incite local division all, it would seem, without consequences. CONTACT H&CC If you or anyone in your community has been affected by the far right in Ireland you can reach out to H&CC for support at theteam@hopeandcourage.ie
The LGBT+ community have always had to endure oppression, hate and othering in Irish society. Coming from the state, societal structures and society in general. The LGBT+ community have courageously organised and proactively brought Ireland to a more progressive and inclusive place. In recent years, as hate and extremism have grown internationally, Ireland is behind the curve. We can now see a very small but very vocal group of extremists attempting to sow hate and division in our communities. The most recent European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) report, showed a rise in transphobic speech and anti-LGBT+ hate crime in the last five years. The extremists are strategically targeting groups who already experience oppression and othering in Ireland causing a growing sense of fear and polarisation among people directly affected. We at the Hope and Courage Collective want to bring a shared understanding of the tactics of hate and extremists to marginalised communities. Building a knowledge and understanding of extremism in communities also builds power and resilience to respond and flourish in the face of hate.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “FAR RIGHT PLAYBOOK”?
The far right playbook involves a combination of tactics aimed at promoting and advancing the extremists agenda. This playbook or template is roughly the same, whatever theme the far right uses. It always begins hyperlocal. New local Facebook pages and other social media accounts are set up to flood news feeds with rumours designed to create fear and anger. The far right will try to frame it as local community concern. We have seen this used against people seeking state protection and people from the LGBT+ community. The goal of the far right is to create localised social panics and paranoia, by demonising certain minority people, such as migrants, people seeking asylum, and members of the LGBT+ community. Often they will call snap public meetings or protests to try to pit people against each other and sow divisions on a localised level. During these events, the far right is actively promoting nationalist ideologies and sowing mistrust of others within local communities. Through these processes, people can be recruited into far right networks or groups that have longer term aims of seeking to infiltrate political systems to gain power. Increasingly we are seeing the use of intimidation and violence to further their goals.
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