Riots In Ireland And Their Consequences (2024)

On November 24th in Dublin, chaos and violence erupted in O’Connell Street, the central thoroughfare of the Irish capital. The incident resulted in over 30 arrests, three children being stabbed, and a police officer sustaining a severe injury. The evening of the notorious Black Friday was devastating for the citizens of Dublin and the police forces, as a riot of more than 200 people saw shops and public transport infrastructure smashed and set on fire by far-right gangs. The police officers attempted to stop the attacks, while the protesters were vandalising houses and hostels thought to be housing migrants.

A knife attack outside a school on the 23rd November, in which three students were wounded, along with a child-care worker who defended them was named as the cause of the riots, after the perpetrator of the knife attack was revealed to be Algerian, which appears to have fuelled right wing groups to associate the knife attack with migration. Far-right groups spread the word about the riots and helped to gather rioters, who were heard shouting “Irish lives Matter”, prompting the Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, to express his disgust towards the movement and riots. He publicly stated: “Those involved have brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves. This is not who we are. This is not who we want to be, and this is not who we will ever be.” The attack was, furthermore, condemned across all political parties, including the main opposition, Sinn Fein, who defined the entire handling of the situation as an “unacceptable failure” to keep people safe.

Ireland’s police commissioner, Drew Harris, argued that the spreading of hateful ideologies online and myths surrounding migration and integration were to blame for the violence. Far-right ideology has grown in recent years in Ireland, but these extremist groups, who grew in popularity and numbers during the pandemic for their views on vaccines and the lockdown, also tend to embrace anti-migration rhetoric, propagate hateful language, spread disinformation and ,in some cases, incite violence. Telegram, one communication platform used by such groups, was filled with anti-immigration sentiment.On X (formally Twitter), the hashtag #IrelandisFull was trending during and after the riots.

The turning point was the knife attack outside a school at 1.30pm on Thursday, in which three students were wounded, along with a child-care worker who defended them. After that happened, a right-wing news platform in Ireland said that the perpetrator was Algerian. This claim was later shared by right-wing leaders, including Professor Jane Suiter, an Irish political scientist and Director of Dublin City University’s Institute for Future Media, Democracy, and Society; and was amplified further through Telegram channels and social media groups.

Nevertheless, as explained by Matthew Donoghue, associate professor in social policy at University College Dublin, the issues underpinning this violent discontent stretch back further. Donoghue argues that Irish people feel insecure and unsafe because of unfavourable economic and social conditions. Many are forced to leave the country due to a sharp increase in income and housing inequalities that has priced out some long-term Dublin residents. Relatedly, at the beginning of 2023, Ireland’s Minister for Integration, Joe O’Brien, said during an interview that the country should prepare itself to accept over 80.000 asylum seekers over the course of the year, most of whom coming from Ukraine.

Ireland and the Irish were not prepared to welcome so many newcomers in such a short amount of time. In 2022, Ireland received 83,814 unexpected newcomers which lead to very poor management of the country’s resources. For example, immigrants were placed in tents and hotels. Hotel owners hoped that they could reopen to tourists by March. However, this is not what happened and for this reason they refused to sign contracts with the government for the placement of immigrants in upcoming years. Despite numerous complaints, the Irish Government still decided to enforce the above mentioned migration policy in 2023.

The Irish government’s failure to take these complaints into account partly explains why rioting spiralled out of control in November 2023. Living conditions were very challenging, even before the arrival of refugees. Ireland is facing an economic and social crisis, endemic housing shortages, and a precipitous rise in living costs. Many people believed that resources are already at there limit, and that it would be impractical to allow more people into the country. Moreover, refugees and migrants in Ireland are dealing with extremely poor living conditions as well. Migrants live in tents or in minuscule emergency accommodation. However, while Irish citizens complain about overcrowded cities and worsening living standards, people fleeing from wars, poverty, terrorism, and other traumatic events need help as well.

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that most people who entered Ireland last year came from Ukraine. Families with children were simply trying to find a place where they could settle down in peace and retrieve the life they lost because of war. Ireland was portrayed as a “promised land” where they could finally be safe. However, upon arrival, they coped with challenging living conditions and faced prejudice from certain segments of the population, who blamed them for the economic and social crisis afflicting the country. The Irish Government should have acted as a mediator between incoming people and Irish citizens. Its main objective should be the creation of an environment where people can live in peace and harmony with each other.

In future, the Irish government might consider setting a quota for the number people entering the country. This threshold should take into account the resources currently available and the social and economic situation of the country. Moreover, Dublin might reach an agreement with other EU states to ensure that all refugees are proportionally distributed throughout the European community. Ireland would welcome fewer refugees, but this could guarantee a dignified life for everyone on the island.