The past year we’ve become accustomed to our state’s security apparatus warning about an as of yet non-existent terrorist threat from the so called far right. While the Oireachtas benches have not been graced by their first hard right parliamentarian, our media ecosystem is flooded with so called security experts ginning up the prospects of violence and even terrorism directed by the far right.

From frankly ludicrous media exposes on alleged extremist infiltration of the Defence Forces to the mania that overtook our press in the days subsequent to the ‘Rocket Man’ protests on Grafton Street, an entire genre of ‘experts’ are trying to justify their position in an industry that is badly short of extremists to pursue. 

We’ve seen the ceaseless platforming of ISD’s Aoife Gallagher to hype up the threat posed by Qanon groups with both Garda Commissioner Harris and the Special Detective Unit confirming both their interest in and surveillance of dissident right groups.

No surprises that this paranoia has crept to the Defence Forces, which despite high profile examples of penetration by an Islamist and ongoing disintegration of our military capabilities as it awaits to be subsumed by the EU/NATO has reported on the threat posed by the radical right to Ireland.

In their recently released Defence Forces Review, highlighting challenges awaiting state security in the coming year an entire chapter is donated to the issue of right wing extremism. Penned by DCU academic and NATO analyst Livia Margna, the report covers 10 pages arguing for a need for the Republic to prepare itself accordingly following white nationalist terror attacks in New Zealand and America.

While the report is high on rhetoric the only statistical evidence given bar allegory to a rise in violence right wing extremism is INAR Ireland’s famously flawed method of DIY reporting as well as a rather flimsy Europol report on terrorism spun heavily by the media but which reported zero actual instances of right wing terrorism.

As far as reporting on the radical right goes, the study is a rather poor performer leaning far more on rhetoric taken out of a left leaning social study text than a proper security analysis. With condemnation of ‘neoliberal globalisation’ and the pinning of a sudden uptick in right wing extremism in Ireland on ‘traditional security, privileges and dominance of white men’ disapatting, one is left almost aghast how an academic writing for an official organ of state could deploy such banal left wing analysis.

With jabs at those in the media and political mainstream platforming and normalising Islamophobia, one finishes the report with no greater insight than if one had pursued Imelda May’s twitter feed. 

Of particular note is where the analysis strays directly into the political arena. decrying the Peter Casey phenomenon and anti-immigration parties as potential bridgeheads for extremism. 

“Ireland also witnessed the mainstreaming of radical right-wing ideas. The recent emergence of parties such as the National Party, the Irish Freedom Party and Identity Ireland – whose candidate won 0.5% of Ireland’s South Constituency’s votes in the 2019 European Parliament elections by calling for a “zero tolerance approach towards demands […] to accommodate minority held beliefs and cultures” – stand testament to the presence of intolerance. Furthermore, almost a quarter of the electorate supported Peter Casey in the 2018 presidential election”

It is no business of Margna herself, presumably a foreign national, to pass judgement on the electoral preferences of the Irish people, especially using the podium granted to her by our Defence Forces. In the aftermath of high profile attacks perhaps such a report is necessary for our security forces but not when it wanders into what is at the moment, political punditry.

Name-dropped alongside the above political parties are Gemma O’Doherty, Breitbart and even Rowan Croft  for their role as ‘influencers’ in the ferment of extremism. Invariably Margna’s study while providing precious little new insight was syndicated to an awaiting press pack as evidence of the growing menace of right wing extremism.

Gript also named, was able to successfully seek a retraction owing to the borderline defamatory use of the term ‘far right’ to describe the publication. In May a presumably embarrassed military establishment was forced to sign off on the reprinting of the annual review as a consequence.

For example of an actual threat assessment take a look at any of the regular studies on dissident paramilitarism in the North and notice the totally different tone. 

Not the only group to be hyping the chances of right wing extremism, Sinn Féin in their own submission to the Department of Defence’s annual review were keen to press home the need for digital literacy in the face of an incipient threat.

Emphasising the risk of foreign actors influencing members of the Defence Forces into extremism, the Shinner submission is awkwardly similar to that of any NATO expert and ironic in light of the party’s history of paramilitarism. 

Quoting from their submission

“The very real danger that disinformation campaigns pose to military organisations has been recognised by a number of Scandinavian countries in particular. Where several states have now introduced active educational programmes designed to protect their military from these threats.”

Again this received profuse press coverage with scant evidence as to the actual threat of the far right bar rhetoric.

As we dust ourselves off from the botched covid response the Republic will increasingly be a fertile ground for populism with no coincidence that Sinn Féin are the most apprehensive about it.

As America and even France tumbles towards greater internal strife expect our state to become increasingly jumpy from any and all threat to its political and ideological survival. In time the ideas lambasted by these reports will come to the fore of our body politic buoyed on not by bullets but by the clear contradictions we are all forced to live through under the globalist yoke.

Posted by Ciaran Brennan

2 Comments

  1. The Real Fianna 19/06/2021 at 1:22 am

    Where is the threat assessment of globalist political parties in control in Ireland doing enormous damage to the fabric of society? Who give away Irish assets for peanuts, who have bankrupted the state, borrowing billions with massive interest attached to fund their own stupidity and lunatic policies, like creating lockdowns and bankrupting irish businesses over the fear of some scaremongering bullshit the WHO told them about, the same BS that their chief medical propaganda officer likes to preach on about, without challenge or real criticism from the mainstream news outlets.

    How about a threat assessment for on demand abortion? which is quite literally the state sanctioned destruction of future generations of the Gael.

    How about a threat assessment for mass-immigration of peoples with no connection to a small western european island who can not even house its own citizens, nevermind housing citizens from foreign states in the thousands.

    How about a threat assessment of so-called Irish NGO’s calling for mass-immigration, whilst being funded from sources outside the state and being funded by irish citizens tax, whose views were never officially taken into account in a real capacity as regards open-border policies and dictates? Lets not forget that irish people voted against birth right citizenship when asked previously.

    How about a threat assessment of the state broadcaster which demands money to be paid to their grossly overpaid presenters with their big mansions, expensive cars and their compulsive preaching from their ivory towers? to the populace that is actually paying for the most atrocious television broadcasting service in all of europe.

    How about a threat assessment on irish political parties support for the legality of dangerous physically altering hormones to be given to the youth of Ireland? if and when they decide, that they can magically change their gender and defeat nature. Such medical procedures could cause them severe psychological problems in later life. You can identify as a horse, a pig, a cat, whatever? nature and reason has gone out the window. Welcome to lunatic land.

    How about a threat assessment on why a member of the irish defense forces went and joined an islamic terrorist organisation? How did it happen? Why did it happen? What could they have done to prevent it?

    How about a threat assessment on how a foreign individual managed to get into the state and murder an innocent japanese man?

    How about a threat assessment on how antifa thugs continually are disrupting assembly of irish citizens engaging in political activism and the right to freedom of expression on how the state is being run?

    Where are all those assessments? Instead of talking about real issues and real matters, they choose to indulge in propaganda, fear mongering nonsense, general BS and attempting to stop freedom of expression and thought.

    They must think everyone is stupid.

    Reply

  2. I’ve been harassed on a daily basis by the corrupt Gardai and alleged Defence Forces for the last 8 years.
    The unlawful harassment and use of electronic torture weapons is in response to my attempts to share information regarding suppressed CURES (not treatments) of illnesses that kill thousands in Ireland and millions worldwide each year.
    For example – the 1947 Cancer Act prohibits the treatment of cancer with anything other than Chemotherapy (Radium) which not alone doesn’t cure anything – but would in itself kill a perfectly healthy Hippo.
    Also written into the disgusting Rokerfeller Act is the prohibition of any public dissemination of the Act’s existence.
    Speaking of Prohibition – in the early 1900’s – farmers in the US were using alcohol they distilled themselves as very cheap and clean fuel for their cars and tractors – to prevent this habit from spreading and to get engines compatible with alcohol out of circulation – Prohibition was introduced. It had nothing to do with people drinking and everything to do with keeping humanity enslaved to the Oil industry. If you want to turn the wheels of a car or stay warm – you pay the Rockerfeller scumbags, There are numerous other clean and free energy technologies which are suppressed by Rockerfeller owned governments, media and science cartels.
    These are just a couple of example from many thousands of one aspect of the campaign which has been illegally conducted against me. Thank you for your time.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTjijTtoz-I
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeZbqpmzW5Q
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV9m8hNNhpg

    Reply

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