Óige Ghlas are devastated by yesterday’s Parnell Square stabbing. We are horrified by the riots and violence inflicted by far-right extremists following this incident last night. We praise the swift response of the emergency services to last night’s violence and the massive cleanup effort by Dublin City Council this morning.
The growth in right wing extremism across Europe in recent years has been deeply troubling, and Ireland for too long has felt insulated from such violence. We are not. We have seen the far-right attacking migrants and politicians, setting fire to refugee camps and abusing library staff in the last year. The response to these events by the media and An Garda Síochana has felt totally inadequate.
We welcome the Garda Commissioner’s characterisation of last night’s events for what they are- far right radicalisation. We call on the Gardaí to hold the instigators of last night’s violence to account and to implement stronger action against the growth of far-right extremism. We further call on the Oireachtas to progress the Hatred and Offences Bill as soon as is practically possible. The elected representatives and political figures who engage in the anti-immigrant narrative or fail to call out this narrative are complicit in the rise of violent extremism and bear some responsibility for last night’s events. There can be no dismissiveness or qualifying this kind of extremism.
Our thoughts go to the victims and their families, and we wish a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are all grateful for the heroic intervention of Caio Benicio and other bystanders that helped prevent further injuries.
— Young Greens-Óige Ghlas Executive Committee