The two reports below tell us that policies operated by police forces operation in the two partitioned bits of Ireland – the Gardaí Síochána (Guardians of the Peace) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) [a child of the hated Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)] are racist-friendly.
The news reports are related :
Claire Mullaly, a spokesperson for End Deportations Now Belfast told The Irish News that gardaí boarded the bus and began asking passengers for identification. She said they specifically removed non-white passengers who could not produce documents while allowing white passengers in the same predicament to remain on board. She branded the incident as “disgraceful” in light of the anti-immigrant violence that took place in Northern Ireland in recent days.
Both reports come from the Belfast Irish News.
PSNI officers told not to intervene during race riots unless life at risk
Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, June 17th, 2025
DETAILS OF INSTRUCTION SENT IN EMAIL
PSNI officers were told not to interfere with violent mobs during last week’s race riots unless life was at risk.
The writer Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh offers very valuable insights into the June 2025 pogroms spreading from Ballymena in North Antrim to other towns in the 6 County bit of Ireland, notably Larne and Portadown. These vile events are related to similar sewer eruptions in the 26 county bit of Ireland and fit into a global rise of genocidal-racist powers such as Putin’s Russia, Netanyahu’s Israel, and their protectors such as Donald Trump’s USA. The latter is still a capitalist bourgeois democracy – but credible analysts now ask – for how long?
Below Fearghal’ s timely article – which contains very useful warnings from history : relevant references are made to the Marxist scholars and activists August Bebel, Victor Serge and Ernest Mandel :
We add :
A chilling report of an interview with the DUP Westminster MP for the Upper Bann constituency, Carla Lockhart.
A stark report from the 6 County bit of Ireland headlined “Week of Violence in North “Akin to 1930s Germany”
Racist Cancer Spreading From Ballymena in Ireland, Irish Times, June 14 2025
I recently discussed three interconnected issues on Raidió na Gaeltachta: reform to the South’s rent caps benefiting landlords and international funds, Trump’s authoritarian militarization of US protests, and the racist attacks in Ballymena/Larne.
The scenes we’re witnessing in Ballymena, Larne and elsewhere are vile and indefensible attempted pogroms. They should be utterly condemned by all.
These attacks haven’t occurred out of thin air, however.
In a context of community frustration at deprivation, waiting lists and crumbling public services, far right agitators are spreading racist lies on social media to blame migrants, and Unionist politicians have deliberately fanned the flames of their hate.
Last night, the DUP Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons posted the location of people sheltering from riots:
“It has been brought to my attention that a number of individuals were temporarily moved to Larne Leisure Centre in the early hours of the morning following the disturbances in Ballymena.”
The leisure centre was attacked later that evening – motivated by sheer racism. Gordon Lyons should resign immediately.
Other Unionist politicians have been whipping up anti-immigrant rhetoric.
On Monday Paul Frew, also DUP, went on the attack about immigration in a session on violence against women, and also referenced the case of sexual assault which sparked the racist riots in Ballymena. Frew also railed about immigration in Ballymena in a debate on the 20th May.
The TUV’s Timothy Gaston beat the anti-immigration drum on that same day: “Migration puts pressure on hospitals, schools and housing: that is a fact.”
This is the racist playbook on display. It blames migrants and minorities for the problems in our society. Migrants didn’t underfund the health service, minorities don’t hike up rents, asylum seekers don’t keep wages down. These problems are caused by the super rich, by landlords, and by politicians who protect them
Unionist politicians bear serious responsibility for the hateful scenes of recent days. They dog-whistled and whipped up racist sentiments. Loyalist paramilitaries and far right agitators took the next logical step, attacking ordinary people and making them fear for their lives.
Don’t be taken in by the DUP, the TUV and the far right. Stand up for humanity in a time of fear and chaos.
This story originally appeared in a German daily paper published in Berlin, die tageszeitung, on May 10 2025.
Deep-fried fish with chips, vinegar and salt is a favourite dish in Ireland. But it was the Italians who spread the dish there.
Almost all the tables are taken on this Saturday evening in Romano Morelli’s restaurant. The Italian restaurant on Dublin’s Capel Street is narrow but long. Hardly anything reminds you that Morelli’s family sold fish and chips here for over 40 years, when the store was still a chipper.
That’s the name of the snack bars that serve the Irish favourite, fish and chips. A dish that most people would probably not associate with Italy, although Italian immigration to Ireland in the 19th and 20th centuries had a significant influence on it.
Morelli’s grandfather was one of the last fish and chip vendors to come to Ireland with the first wave of immigration from Italy. He bought the store in 1948, which at the time was a snack bar with slot machines in the basement, says Romano Morelli. To this day, the chippers look almost identical: They are usually a bare room divided into two halves by display cabinets and deep fryers.
On one side, customers wait for the greasy goods, while the other side frantically prepares them. Italian is often spoken in these stores. Above their entrance doors hang the owners’ nameplates: Macari, Borza, Coffola, Fusco, De Vito, Cassoni, Caprani.
Almost all of these families or their ancestors come from Casalattico, a municipality in the central Italian province of Frosinone. More than 2,400 people whose families originally come from this village live in Ireland. Even today, the 800 or so inhabitants of Casalattico celebrate these ties every year and hold a festival on St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish national holiday, on March 17, with music, dancing, Irish flags and fish and chips (and, of course, vinegar and salt).
The connection between the community and Ireland is said to have started with Giuseppe Cervi in 1885, who accidentally left the ship he was on to the USA in Ireland. He hired himself out as a labourer in Dublin until he had earned enough money to buy a coal stove and a handcart with which he sold fish and chips outside the pubs. The business idea came from the north of England, where the meal was sold outside the factory gates.
Breen Reynolds, a former geography lecturer at Trinity College Dublin, doubts that this part of the story really happened in an interview on Irish television. However, it is confirmed that Cervi soon had enough money to rent a store. He ran it with his wife Palma, who is said to be the origin of the expression “one and one”, which is still used in Dublin today to order food. She always pointed to the menu and asked: “Uno di questo, uno di quello?”, meaning “one of this and one of that”.
The customer just had to nod.
Word of the Cervis’ success soon spread at home and many followed them to Ireland. By 1909, there were 20 fish and chip stores in Dublin run by Italians. However, the wave of immigration ended before the First World War.
There is only one civilised response over rows about offering decent accommodation to refugees and asylum seekers : the Irish state must help and support human beings fleeing from wars, famine, destruction and poverty in their native lands. Protests against accommodation centres, hotels, and hosting schemes are a magnet for racist attacks on immigrants.
In other words :
Socialism With a Human Face Versus Liberalism With a Shark Smile
These protests are often presented as demands for local “consultation”
Claims are broadcast that refugees and asylum seekers are getting favourable treatment
Vulnerable people are threatened with the old ugly policy of “Go, Move, Shift”
The real story is an old one : Go, Move, Shift. Christy Moore’s song says it all :
Six in the morning out in Inchicore The guards came through the wagon door. John Maughan was arrested in the cold A travelling boy just ten years old.
CHORUS
Mary Joyce was living at the side of the road No halting place and no fixed abode. The vigilantes came to the Darndale site And they shot her son in the middle of the night.
Similar racist protests have stained many parts of Ireland since 2023 : O’Connell Street, Coolock, Darndale, and the East Wall area in Dublin; Newtownmountkennedy (Wicklow), Athlone (Midlands), Ballaghaderreen (Roscommon) and Roscrea (Tipperary) are other examples.
In recent days this political cancer has erupted again – this time in Galway.
Sad to say, we witness more shameful dog-whistle racism, again dressed up as “consultation” with the local community. It continues. Sinn Féin TD for Galway West Mairéad Farrell is following the wretched example set by a number of her party colleagues – lessons have not been learned.
The story is covered on the Cedar Lounge Site – a link is here :
“According to the department, an appraisal of the offer has been paused for three months to allow locals to advance a proposal to develop a community hotel at the site.
A meeting took place earlier this month inviting members of the community to voice their concerns over the possibility of using the hotel to house asylum seekers.
Local councillors and TDs have spoken out over the issue, attempting to assure locals that a proper consultation process will be followed through.
TD for Galway East Mairead Farrell said: “I have organised a meeting with the department for tomorrow morning. I have been in constant contact with the department from last night to this morning.
“They have told me categorically that no one has been moved into Carna and I have organised a meeting, I will give an update at that point.”
In a statement, the department have confirmed that a pause on the appraisal of the hotel remains in place. They said that there was no current contract in place for IPAS but that some people fleeing the war in Ukraine were still being housed there.”
Irish Independent, online, March 26 2025
Ukrainians in Ireland feared cut in ‘vital’ accommodation payment – Red Cross Payment to hosts worth €800 a month was due to expire on March 31
The Irish government is jumping in; part of its agenda is the old tactic of Divide and Rule.
A payment to hosts worth €800 a month, enabling Ukrainian refugees to get accommodation was due to expire on March 31. The state authorities have backed down temporarily, thanks in part to protests by welfare agencies such as the Red Cross and the Ukrainian community in Ireland. Here is a link :
There has been an increase in reports of uncertainty and anxiety among Ukrainians living in Ireland, as the Government is expected to make a decision on the continuation of payments to accommodation hosts, the Irish Red Cross has said.
The humanitarian charity said there has been “a significant rise” in calls from concerned individuals since late last year.
The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a tax-free payment of €800 for those providing accommodation to Ukrainians who arrive in the Republic under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. The scheme is due to expire on March 31st.
The Government is expected to extend the scheme with consideration being given to a €200 reduction in the monthly rate.
decision is “most likely” to be announced towards the end of this week, according to a source, with meetings taking place between the Department of Integration and Department of Justice.
“There has been no final decision yet, with nothing signed off,” the source added.
The Irish Red Cross said on Monday that the payment has been “a vital financial support” for 19,000 Irish hosts.
The organisation is due to present findings of the largest survey of Irish hosts to date to the Government on Tuesday.
Niall O’Keeffe, head of international and migration with the Irish Red Cross, said the accommodation programme has been “a lifeline for many very vulnerable people”.
“It’s not just a value-for-money accommodation solution, many hosts have become invaluable support networks, helping their guests in the transition to life in Ireland and guiding them to access essential supports and training,” Mr O’Keeffe said.
“Reducing support for vulnerable people will force them to make difficult decisions: living in poverty or returning to danger.”
Minister for Integration Norma Foley said last week there would likely be changes to the monthly €800 payment with an announcement due shortly.
Ms Foley said the issue was being dealt with and required engagement with the Department of Justice. The Fianna Fáil TD said she would not “pre-empt” the decision but was conscious that the scheme was due to expire at the end of next month.
Deirdre Garvey, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross, said the conflict in Ukraine has dramatically changed the lives of millions of people and has had a devastating impact on individual lives that “we can never measure”.
“Ireland has recognised this suffering and continues to respond generously. The Irish Red Cross has worked with the wider Red Cross Movement to provide humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and in the surrounding countries that have hosted most of those fleeing conflict in Ukraine,” Ms Garvey said.
“The needs now are as great as ever. Many of the millions who fled are unable to return home, and those who remain face dire conditions, with limited access to water, heat, healthcare and other essential services. Three years on, the mental health toll is huge, both for those who remain and those who fled to safety.”
In a remarkable development, the Sinn Féin migration spokesperson Matt Carthy TD (Cavan-Monaghan) criticises the government’s temporary climbdown : See the link here :
The Red Cross and Ukrainian community protests persuaded the government to back off. Vigilance is necessary, because the state may come back with cutback proposals later this year.
At this point it should be obvious to all anti-racists that saying the ARP is “unfair” to other renters is a racist cop-out. The issue is whether it should be scrapped, or extended to others in need of housing. Leftists should argue the latter as a matter of principle. A possible slogan could be “ Don’t End…Extend “. In other words Extend the ARP to extend to all asylum seekers and refugees as a first step.
Some public representatives have got the balance right :
Example 1 is Ruth Coppinger TD (Solidarity – People Before Profit) :
“A rightward change in government in Germany, and a similar likely change in government in France in 2027, means that Europe will no longer present a united front on the issue.
Much like the initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the John Lennon-esque vision of a country truly united in the face of a societal challenge gave way to good old-fashioned pessimism.
The (Sinn Féin) manifesto read “the special status of Ukrainians under the Temporary Protection Directive should come to an end no later than March 2026. We believe that continually extending temporary measures is not a sustainable solution and is problematic for everyone.”
“If a beneficiary of Temporary Protection is from a part of Ukraine that is safe then, save for exceptional cases, return should be assisted.”
Socialism With a Human Face Versus Liberalism With a Shark Smile
Ukrainian refugees are targets of state racism; left-wing public representatives should support them :
240 refugees are housed at Hubble Student Accommodation; of the 240 Ukrainians at the site, there are 49 school students and 77 are in employment. Following pushback, plans to move the refugees with six days’ notice were paused. Local Labour TD Marie Sherlock said, “the reasoning put forward by the government does not add up” and stated that the decision by the government is “unconscionable.” The government claimed that there was a need to vacate the rooms in a bid to protect the rent pressure zone status of the accommodation, a claim which Sherlock refuted. “The RPZ exemption has already kicked in because the student accommodation units have not been rented out to students for more than two years.” “This flies in the face of a stated government intent to try and help Ukrainians integrate into the communities they live in,” she stated. The term “socialism with a human face” is closely associated with the Prague Spring of 1968, and it appears the new government is pursuing a “liberalism with a shark smile” approach with regard to immigration.
During the opening days of most new years important stories can pass us by, unnoticed. Hats off to two journalists, Conor Pope and Alexon Lacerda, who spotlighted disturbing incidents at Dublin Airport. These stories come from the Irish Times, January 3 2025. Are they isolated regrettable incidents, or are they typical examples of a “get tough” state anti-immigrant policy?
Hostile Security, Dublin Airport, January 2025 No.2
Hostile Security, Dublin Airport January 2025, No. 1
Brazilian Student Deported from Ireland over Christmas – He claims paperwork error left him “helpless”
A Brazilian student who says he was deported in error over Christmas by Irish immigration authorities has described feeling “helpless” and “abandoned” after a mini-trip away from Dublin turned into a nightmare.
How To Vote on November 29? Oppose Any Coalition with FFFGGG – Stop the Far Right : Vote Left, Transfer Left
FFFGGG Equals ; Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Greens, Gombeens.
The 2020-2024 coalition government was composed of three parties : FF, FG, and the Greens – and was regularly supported by Right-to-Racist Gombeens (Independents) in the last Dáil.
In this context it is important to know the identity of left-wing and right-wing independent candidates.
A Cedar Lounge Blog writer has done a great job identifying credible candidates on the left who are often categorised as independent. Link : Possible Left Independents in the next Dáil
Adults who claim to be on the left are spreading racist porkies.
This is an RTÉ Radio 1 discussion involving 3 independent candidates : Mick Wallace (Wexford candidate), Kate O’Connell (ex Fine Gael TD Dublin Bay South), Marian Harkin TD (Sligo)
Harkin and Wallace play the “Ireland is Full” race card. To her credit, Kate O’Connell promotes an anti-racist message. Mick Wallace is an “Independents for Change” candidate in the November 29 Irish General Election, along with another ex Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Clare Daly.
The Wallace statement provoked a storm of protest from many left wing sources. One example :
Irish General Election to 34th Dáil; Racist Danger
The June 2024 Euro/ Local results in Ireland produced some alarming results – the racist far-right came from the margins and increased its electoral support. This could be a predictor of the coming General Election result.
Warning signs to anti-racists exist in various opinion surveys. See, for example, these numbers from a recent RedC General Election Opinion Survey) :
Aontú, a right-wing split from Sinn Féin set up by an anti-choice TD from Meath, Peadar Tóibín, is beginning to hoover up right-wing racist votes which were scattered among various mini-Hitlers in the June 2024 European and Local Elections. We can say the same for the Irish Independence party (II). When we note that a majority of independent candidates are part of the racist far-right, a disturbing picture emerges. The numbers are worse in other parts of the Irish state.
Here is the data from an Irish Times Opinion Poll :
Irish General Election November 29 2024 Irish Times Survey Results 15/11/24
First preference voting intentions
Dublin
Rest of Leinster
Munster
Connacht/Ulster
Fianna Fáil
16.00%
19.00%
27.00%
13.00%
Fine Gael
22.00%
29.00%
22.00%
29.00%
Labour
9.00%
3.00%
2.00%
3.00%
Green Party
6.00%
2.00%
1.00%
2.00%
Sinn Fein
21.00%
16.00%
19.00%
21.00%
People Before Profit/Solidarity
4.00%
1.00%
2.00%
1.00%
Social Democrats
5.00%
5.00%
2.00%
2.00%
Aontú
2.00%
4.00%
3.00%
2.00%
Independent candidate
15.00%
21.00%
21.00%
25.00%
Temptation exists : bending to “understandable” fears. For example an election canvasser from a party with one foot in the left put it to me that some voters are “uncomfortable” because their neighbours come from outside Ireland.
Let’s be clear, harsh, and unambiguous : messages like this pander to the racist view that immigrants are criminals and rapists. There is no evidence backing up claims that people born outside Ireland are any worse than Irish natives. It gives oxygen to the far right shite being whispered around communities.
Simon Harris confirmed that he’ll travel to Áras an Uachtaráin shortly to ask President Higgins to dissolve the Dáil.
The election is set for Friday 29 November 2024.
A number of radical left candidates against any coalition deal with FFFFGGG have a realistic chance of winning a Dáil seat. [FFFGGG = Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Greens, Gombeens].
One of them is Councillor John Lyons in Dublin Bay North.
Councillor John Lyons (Second left) supports Irish Left With Ukraine (Seen Here Picketing the Dublin Russian Embassy of Vladimir Putin
Rejecting any coalition deals with FFFGGG and a policy that All refugees Are Welcome should be top priorities for radical left candidates in this general election.
People Before Profit (PBP) candidates also endorse the above policy.
Tomás Ó Flatharta 