The State’s Response to Anti-Immigration Protests

It would do us well, given the recent unprecedented protests against migration, to take a look at how the State and its various front organisations have responded.

Fake Community Groups

The first course of action was to implement a plan to ‘recruit “local champions” to quell fears over refugee housing’. The immediate response to astro-turf opposition to the protests is revealing, and will play into much of the later responses. People online have been pointing out that Philly MacMahon seems to be the most prominent of those involved with this scheme.

Now that spokespeople had been purchased, the next move was to set up astro-turf groups. ‘East Wall for All’ began leafleting areas and giving interviews with State media. Despite their claims to be concerned members of the community, diligent patriots quickly exposed them as anything but that.

‘Ballymun For All’ issued a joint statement signed by a number of different interests, from big business, to Fine Gael, to People Before Profit; representing the broad coalition arrayed before us which stands for the new plantation of Ireland.

Afterwards counter-demonstrations started. In Drogheda fairly large numbers were amassed. At Islandbridge they held their banners and chanted the American-imported slogan ‘Say it loud, say it clear: refugees are welcome here’ in stereotypically posh accents. At Fairview they took over a bridge and held aloft banners proclaiming ‘Housing For All’ and ‘Northside For All’. What was most notable about this event was the complete lack of supporting honks from the drivers passing by below.

These events, as with the previous actions, are intended to create the illusion of grassroots opposition to anti-migrant protests. At each and every event, however, it became more and more obvious that the reverse was true. Those involved were not from the locality, they were self-interested NGO workers, they even had a celebrity appearance from Liam Cunningham. The fundamental perfidy in attempting to clumsily fake a grassroots opposition to anti-migrant protests is detestable.

However, these counter-demonstrations seem to have abated, at least for now. Perhaps being outnumbered by ‘racists’ and the ‘fringe elements of the far-right’ cowed them into submission. Perhaps they realised it was a futile effort. They may start up again, but for now we have won the streets.

The Gardaí’s Response…or Lack Thereof

Malachy Steenson, one of the most prominent figures involved, noted the lack of Garda presence at some of the protests. He speculated that this was deliberate, ‘made with the intention of allowing tension to foment between protesters and drivers’.

The State seems to have been allowing tensions to foment between commuter and protester, with the aim of violence breaking out in the absence of a visible Garda presence. Were this to happen, the media would highlight the violence, and Gardaí would arrest involved protesters. Furthermore, the State would be provided with the perfect excuse for snuffing out the protests and declaring their illegality to prevent further violence.

The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, has said that ‘inquiries are ongoing into what he described as a small number of far-right individuals who have used public protests to pursue their own sinister agendas’. He followed this statement with: ‘While most protests are peaceful, Gardaí are aware of what is happening on the ground and in the background, and are continuing their inquiries into groups who have alternative motives.’ No description was given into how these inquiries are being pursued. The vague and political nature of his statements leave much to the imagination.

The State’s use of dehumanising and derogatory language directed at the protests may have incensed a commuter to steer his car into a crowd at Artane. Thankfully the perpetrator has been arrested, perhaps so the State can remunerate him for his service.

Conclusion

There is no sign of slowing down as the State continues to import ever more migrants, and is building them modular homes that are not for you. In Macroom locals protested the development, and were arrested and removed by Gardaí. They are predicting that double the number of planters will arrive this year.

The State is just waiting for the slightest possible violence to break out. The fact we have, to this point, been so peaceful has left them incensed. They have openly admitted to gathering intelligence on various figures and monitoring the protests. If outbreaks of violence do occur, the State will have its casus belli, and the protests will targeted for destruction.