Explained: Immigration and the rise of the Irish far-right
In recent years, Ireland has seen a steady increase in anti-immigration, racist and conspiracy laden politics. What began as an online fringe has manifested in recent months and years into events such as the Dublin riots in 2023, or the burning down of buildings destined to house asylum seekers across the country. While the sentiment and emotion behind Ireland’s anti-refugee activists tends to be represented in the media by racist and xenophobic protesters, there are underlying cultural and societal issues that have been trigger points the political fringe have latched on to. Here, we delve into the issues that have given rise to far-right sentiment in Ireland, such as the housing crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and post 2008 austerity. Credit to : PoliticsJOE