Most Irish people reject far right despite strong social media presence – report

The Hope and Courage Collective report says social media firms such as X/Twitter have enabled relatively small networks to generate high visibility[/url] and gain a national reach. Picture: iStock

A small number of far-right actors are disproportionately influencing public debate, shaping conversations, and exerting political pressure, a report has suggested.

In its Ireland in Focus 2025 report, the NGO Hope and Courage Collective said nationwide research carried out over the past two years showed a majority of people believe immigrants are contributing to Irish culture and community (66%) and working-class people are struggling due to systemic inequality (75%).

“This report tells a very different story than the one we have been fed for the past few years,” said Hope and Courage Collective executive director Edel McGinley.

“It tells us that the majority of people reject far-right narratives and have real empathy and support across a range of issues. 

"People just want leadership that brings solutions without fear, violence, or scapegoating.”

The report suggests far-right mobilisation has evolved across 2024 and 2025 through street activity, online amplification of messages, and “localised intimidation”.

Social media 'amplifes small networks' 

It said support for hardline positions is limited, but that social media firms such as X, in particular, have enabled relatively small networks to generate high visibility and gain a national reach. 

As a result, narratives with only minority backing have been able to disproportionately influence public debate, at the same time as far-right actors have failed to translate this activity into consistent electoral victories, it said.

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Hope and Courage Collective said that, despite a lack of political success, the far-right framing of migration, asylum, and housing are “increasingly echoed in mainstream political narratives”.

“Messaging has moved from system-focused narratives such as ‘Ireland is full’ towards more explicit identity claims like ‘Irish lives matter’,” the report said.

This shift reflects both adaptation and limitation. “The increased use of symbolic actions to maximise visibility of anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly the appropriation of the Irish Tricolour, projected momentum beyond the movement’s actual size.” 

Far-right presence on social media

Hope and Courage Collective said the amplification of hate online has been gathering momentum, with groups with thousands of users acting as organisational tools for anti-immigrant protests and conduits for far-right ideology.

It claimed there is a network of 89 public pages and profiles on Facebook publishing racist and far-right talking points, with a total follower count of over 2.2m.   

“The combination of large online audiences, low platform moderation, and targeted offline mobilisation ensures that far-right groups can operate with near impunity, promoting both social division and acts of violence,” it said.

However, it said that broader public sentiment is at odds with many of these talking points with support for the freedom of transgender people to live their lives and in agreement that minority ethnic communities face greater barriers to success than white people.

Communities resisting far right

The report also points to communities mobilising to resist far-right activities and de-escalate tensions in their localities.

Ms McGinley said: “I cannot stress enough the power of community in this report and how people from all walks of life have shown up in small and big ways to counter hate. The responses documented demonstrate just how much far-right influence is contested.

“When politicians adopt or echo far-right framing, it doesn’t win support. What it does is risks deepening division and eroding trust. 

"Ireland faces a critical choice: We can either allow a small but vocal group of people — amplified by global networks and social media — to shape the national conversation, or we can recognise the importance of addressing the drivers of inequality to close the gap between what voters want and what politicians believe.”