‘We’re not right-wing or racist but…’: Far-right myth and distributive conflict in asylum seeker related protest in the Republic of Ireland, November 2022–July 2023

Abstract

The Republic of Ireland has seen numerous protests around asylum seeker accommodation since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with noted involvement of the far right. But what are protestors actually demanding? And how do they feel about far-right involvement in such protests? This article is based on quotes found in 144 media articles, published between November 2022 and July 2023, from people protesting in support of and against asylum seeker accommodation in the State. It finds that among those protesting against such accommodation, complaints about security, access to services and lack of consultation predominate. Nevertheless, many such protestors repeat common far-right racist and xenophobic tropes while simultaneously distancing themselves from the far right. Similarly, those supporting asylum seeker accommodation reject the far right while recognising the validity of many of the structural and political complaints of those who protest against asylum seekers. Based on this analysis, we suggest that such apparently dichotomous thinking among protestors deserves further research scrutiny, particularly, with regard to difficulties in disentangling far-right-inspired racist and xenophobic tropes from legitimate grievances around structural and resource issues.