Are disruptive protests the new political force in Ireland? Fuel blockades expose state vulnerabilities

Fuel blockades reveal a shift towards disruptive, decentralised protest tactics that challenge traditional politics and force faster government engagement

The fuel protests, organised outside traditional union structures, achieved something notable: they forced engagement. Picture: PA

Power, American abolitionist Frederick Douglass argued, concedes nothing without a demand.

For a country recently characterised by quiet consensus politics, Ireland has recently felt louder. The recent fuel blockades prompted an uncomfortable question for the Government: is protest - particularly disruptive, decentralised protest - back as a decisive political force?