Far-right agitators flew in from UK to protest at Cork library

A protest outisde the city library on Grand Parade in Cork City on Saturday. Picture: Larry Cummins

A number of protestors who forced the closure of Cork's main library have been linked to far-right groups in Britain.

Cork City Library on Grand Parade made the decision to close to the public at 12.30pm on Saturday after a banner was erected across its doors during a heated demonstration.

The rally had been held as part of ongoing protests against LGBTQ+ material in Irish libraries, largely involving protesters arriving from outside of communities to support small numbers of locals. 

Sources within the gardaí and those who monitor far-right activity say that some of the men at the protest are linked with British far-right groups and the demonstration was attended by at least one high-profile far-right activist in the UK. 

The public library was closed for a period when a rally was set-up outside the main door. Picture: Larry Cummins

Other protestors travelled from Dublin and around Ireland in a bid to force the library to stop carrying LGBTQ+ books.

The protests have been largely co-ordinated on far-right social media and the decision to close the library on Saturday was celebrated in these circles.

A statement from Cork City Libraries said that as part of the protest, "a banner was mounted across the entrance without permission".

"A request was made by Cork City Library staff that the banner be removed," the statement read.

"This request was refused and resulted in an escalation of a tense situation. 

Having liaised with An Garda Síochána, it was decided it would be unsafe for library staff to attempt to remove the banner.

"We would like to apologise to all library users for the disruption to service, which was outside of our control."

Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy, the mayor of Cork City, said these were "clear actions of heightened harassment by a very small minority".

"I will be meeting with senior gardaí this week calling for a stop to such horrific harassment," he added.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr McCarthy pointed out that it was the same “four to five individuals” who were involved in repeated protests and who had targeted many libraries around the country.

Following the protest at the library on Saturday, he said a number of individuals had then gone to a number of bookstores in the city asking that the book be removed.

Cork City Council had been in touch with the gardaí to ask them “to step up their game” with regard to the protests which were “very unsettling” for library staff, Mr McCarthy added. 

Previous protests

The ongoing protests have forced closures of libraries across the country, as protesters aim to remove books such as the teen sex education title  This Book Is Gay.

The city's main library closed for the first time in more than a century in March amid fears of a similar protest and closed once again earlier this month during another rally.

On July 7, around 400 people marched through the city in solidarity with public library workers who have been faced with threats and intimidation while doing their job.

A small counter-protest by fewer than 20 people took place at the same time. The library closed to the public during this time following a risk assessment.

Protests 'deplorable'

The latest forced closure of the library has been condemned across the political spectrum. 

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran said it was "deplorable that Cork City Library needed to close again today for the safety of staff and library users".

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, meanwhile, has backed what he calls An Garda Síochána’s “balanced, subtle, and intelligence-led approach” to the policing of elements of the far right in Ireland.