In the face of escalating garda formations, a unsettled woman cried out in despair, blaming their actions for her inability to buy basic necessities such as bread and milk. This happened as law enforcement officers pushed observers away from the area where diggers were ablaze.
The situation deteriorated earlier in the day when a workman was removed from the scene on a stretcher, drawing mocking shouts from spectators. As the ranks of the garda increased, turmoil ensued where bricks and fireworks were thrown, automobile windows shattered, and in a scene captured on film, a riot-clad garda pinned a bloke to the ground while another hit him with a club. The situation on Malahide Road had devolved into a war zone.
The appalling sight was shared on various social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Telegram and X presenting visuals of garda in riot gear standing formidably in suburbia. Vitriolic monologues from xenophobes doused in pepper spray were accompanied by both factions’ bloodthirsty comments. Ireland has descended into a state of decay, metaphorically compared to a patient on a trolley in an overburdened and understaffed A&E.
When twilight came, the gardai were able to establish order, promising respite to the worried populace. However, it inadvertently served as a rallying cry for the far-right groups. In the aftermath, the site of protest saw a resurgence as the dust settled. The predicament of asylum seekers has not improved, evidenced by an assault on their city centre tents the previous night. More and more youngsters are being lured towards radicalisation, causing a hardening of attitudes and a deepening divide. The fear is that without an open national dialogue and actions to defuse tensions, lives could be lost.
The fires of discrimination have been kindled in Coolock following years of prejudice, and it could take just as long to extinguish them. The recent events in Ireland – the November unrest and continuous pickets in various locations from Newtownmountkennedy to Clonmel and now Coolock – speak to a broader issue. Ireland, amidst periods of low-intensity but widespread civil unrest, has unwillingly become the bane of the West’s anti-immigration movement, denting the country’s reputation of céad míle fáilte.
Recent instances of societal disruption, paired with political intimidation are evident in the threatening congregations observed outside Simon Harris and Paul Murphy’s residences, along with an online video where a masked individual threatens to assassinate Sinn Féin’s leader, Mary Lou McDonald. This indicates falling levels of social bonding.
The consistent dismissal of such conduct as unrepresentative of good-natured citizens is becoming monotonous. The exclusive citations of addresses from the riot area in Tuesday’s Criminal Court special session reveal the threat this minority poses, regardless of whether the violent agitators are in the majority or not. This holds true anywhere, be it Coolock, Creggan or other points of conflict across the island.
The underlying cause seems to be a sense of injustice – the impression of foreigners receiving preferential treatment while locals battle hardships. Such a sentiment is fostered and amplified by prejudices and the constant dissemination of classism by political figures and media commentators.
Historically, Ireland has wrestled with turbulence spurred by a sense of inequality, perceived or factual. This could be traced from the belief of biased social housing allotment in favour of Protestants in Northern Ireland during the 1970s civil rights movement, to the undue hardship among Catholic peasants that ignited Ribbonism in the 19th century. Such discord often escalates and can become exceptionally destructive. The current wave of turbulence has a conspicuous touch of xenophobia, stoked by global online right-wing groups. The spread thrives on scare tactics and generally low information literacy.
Furthermore, direct provision centres, acting as fault lines, often end up in areas with weaker socio-economic conditions. Economically disadvantaged regions, due to affordable property prices and fewer resources attract these centres. The delegation of Ireland’s asylum system to private entities puts the emphasis on profit and cost-effectiveness in choosing locations for asylum seekers.
In every society, communities are typically granted a certain degree of approval. However, bias is never justified. Ireland, with its second favourite national activity after the GAA being NIMBY-ism, is no different. Wealthier communities in Dublin, for instance, frequently object to condensed housing ventures like the 580-flat complex planned in nearby Raheny. This project, which also involved a movie theatre and a nursing home, met with opposition due to worries over the direct impact on the local Light Bellied Brent Geese.
On the contrary, less advantaged communities appear to be detached from this NIMBY process, taking up placards and staging demonstrations instead. In a nation where 12 per cent of the population are classed as millionaires and 66 per cent own their own homes, some may find it challenging to comprehend the struggles of resource-deprived communities.
It is the same instinct that drives those suffering from deprivation to direct their frustration at immigrants, as the urge of more comfortable individuals to chirp about social benefits or joblessness when noticing public disturbances.
The cultural disintegration experienced during Trump’s America era has rooted itself deeply into the Irish social fabric, symbolised by tracksuits instead of MAGA caps. Middle-class Ireland finds itself in conflict with a despised underclass, frantically seeking the intervention of the Defence Forces or assuming borrowed PSNI water guns as effective deterrents.
The availability of radicalisation hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially for young working-class males. If fear of arrest or the possibility of prison does not deter you, then the far-right may appeal. This situation is the result of prolonged discrimination on a socioeconomic level. It would need long-term community commitment, investments and opportunities for social mobility to quench this flame.
Meanwhile, the escalating polarization is undeniably placing those from minority backgrounds at an enhanced risk. However, it becomes challenging to take the government’s so-called regard for asylum seekers seriously when these individuals are sent to mountainous regions to make way for St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
The current situation could best be described as precarious, with the direction it might take still uncertain — much like the anxious wait in an accident and emergency department. How long until an establishment full of people is set on fire? How much time before we reach a point of no return?
Adam Doyle, an artist and film-maker known also as ‘Spicebag,’ provides his views on the matter.