Irish Examiner view: Provocateurs do not speak for the people

Their numbers are small, but we cannot be complacent about a sinister fringe targeting a place of refuge for asylum seekers

It is shocking that any Irish people would travel to another town — in this instance, Fermoy, Co Cork — to frighten small children who have already been through serious trauma. Picture: Howard Crowdy

Events in Fermoy, Co Cork, this week had a sinister edge, with dozens of people gathered to protest against the arrival of asylum seekers in St Joseph’s Convent in the town. For those newcomers, including 25 children, it must have been a harrowing introduction to a place of refuge as they endured a shameful display by performative agitators.

While it is shocking to consider that there are Irish people willing to travel to another town to frighten small children who have already been through serious trauma, it is also necessary to maintain a sense of perspective about the larger context, and in particular the threat to democracy offered by far-right provocateurs.