This is the latest part of an undercover investigation into the tacit and sometimes overt support for antifascist harassment among elements of the Irish media and political class. We advise you to listen to all leaked audio and read all leaked data in full before reading the below article. All audio can be found on our Youtube. Audio has been edited in parts for legal reasons, as well as to protect the names of third parties.
Dylan O’Connell is a Cork based sports journalist who has worked with titles such as Cork Beo and the Irish Examiner. He reached out early on to our undercover reporters stating his willingness to cooperate, giving emphasis to his involvement with the antiracist street group “1st City Cork Brigade” that had recently been founded.
Over the course of a phone conversation he detailed the names and political backgrounds of the group with members ranging from Connolly Youth Movement to People Before Profit members. The group consists according to O’Connell mainly of Cork City fans, with activities amounting to fundraising and partaking in antifascist Street demonstrations, such as one that had recently occurred in Dublin.
During the conversation, Mr O’Connell listed sympathetic media contacts supposedly working in the Irish Examiner, as well as stated he was ‘happy to harass’ individuals, though stated he was unable to partake in any physical action, citing professional concern.
O’Connell also expressed his willingness to share and pass on information to our reporters that could potentially be used to harass individuals in their employment.
O’Connell also described how a member of 1st Cork City Brigade had been involved in a high profile assault that had occurred in 2016 in the fallout from the infamous Dublin PEGIDA demo. This, O’Connell stated, resulted in that member receiving a suspended sentence.
Also mentioned by O’Connell was a willingness to slip in “backhand” support for left causes in the course of his journalism.
Over the course of Twitter direct messages, O’Connell passed on links to groups to be monitored as well as details of an antifascist demo occurring in Cork at the time.
In response to a request for comment from The Burkean, Mr O’Connell stated that he had left publication Cork Beo in January of this year. He also stated that the person stated to have been involved in the high profile assault has since left ‘anti-racism circles’.
Link to audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i4dkztYSJk&feature=youtu.be
If you go on to RSF’s website it lists the man involved in the assault as one of their members, so perhaps the 1stCB group is a little more extreme than Dylan let on