Dublin, 20 May 2025 — A conference about the policing of far-right intimidation yesterday (Monday, 19 May) heard that there have been almost 650 protests in the Dublin region in the last year. An Garda Síochána’s Deputy Commissioner Policing Operations, Shawna Coxon, outlined how misinformation is being used tactically by far-right actors to create volatile situations.
Speaking at the event, which was hosted by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and Northern Ireland’s Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), the Deputy Commissioner said that An Garda Síochána is responding by proactively issuing misinformation notices, including one which was issued last week in the aftermath of the killing of Garda Kevin Flatley.
The conference, ‘Policing of Far-Right Intimidation in the Republic of Ireland’, also featured speakers from the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland (MASI), the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and Cork City Libraries, who outlined how peoples’ lives have been directly impacted by far-right and anti-immigration intimidation and violence.
Contributors from Rabble Cooperative, the UK’s National Black Police Association and former UN Special Rapporteur Prof. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin considered the international context. The speakers presented insights and experiences from other jurisdictions, including lessons learned on how to effectively and proactively address far-right intimidation and mistakes to avoid.
Speaking after the conference, ICCL Executive Director Joe O’Brien said:
"Incidents of far-right intimidation are on the rise in Ireland, and this is having a very real impact on the communities who are targeted. The purpose of our conference was to listen to these experiences and to learn from other jurisdictions how to police far-right intimidation in line with human rights principles, and what mistakes to avoid.
"At a political level, ICCL is concerned about the government's commitment to protecting human rights in policing. Some measures in the Programme for Government - including proposals to ban face coverings at protest and to introduce Facial Recognition Technology into policing - are retrograde and will infringe on people's fundamental rights.”
Director of CAJ, Daniel Holder said:
"Far-right activity in the North has increasingly crossed into breaches of the criminal law, both online and in public, meeting the thresholds for offences including incitement to racial hatred. Ireland needs a robust framework to police these offences.
"An Garda Síochána has much to learn from the PSNI’s extensive experience in policing sectarianism in Northern Ireland. Today's conference was a vital opportunity to bring together policing stakeholders from both sides of the border to exchange insights, learnings and best practices."
The event, and ICCL’s and CAJ’s joint cross-border work on policing, is supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
ENDS
For media queries: Ruth McCourt, ruth.mccourt@iccl.ie / molly.kavanagh@iccl.ie / 087 415 7162