Irish Examiner view: Coolock unrest highlights the urgent need to combat mob rule

Political leaders and gardaí are trying to deal with the fallout from violent disturbances that were uncomfortably reminiscent of the Dublin riots last November

Wed, 17 Jul, 2024 - 00:12

On Tuesday, Taoiseach Simon Harris said that no amount of community engagement could have prevented the “utter thuggery” that led to an arson attack on a planned asylum centre in North Dublin on Monday.

Perhaps he is right. When the petrol bombs and the balaclavas come out, the time for talking is over.

Now, political leaders and gardaí are trying to deal with the fallout from violent disturbances that were uncomfortably reminiscent of the riot in the capital last November.

On this occasion, a security guard was injured, a digger was set on fire, and two Garda cars were damaged as petrol bombs were thrown. What was striking in Coolock, Dublin, on Monday — apart from the mindless violence — was the level of hateful rhetoric used by a mob fed on disinformation and racism.

The chants were telling. Many of them were ugly variations on a “foreigners out” theme, but all of them shared one thing: They were underpinned by the belief that foreigners are a destructive force in our society.

While the Taoiseach might be right in saying consultation could not have prevented the violence, it is also true that the Government has failed abysmally in liaising with local communities.

During a ‘Coolock says No’ protest earlier this year, many residents complained that the area did not have enough resources to cater for the needs of the people already living there. That is the crux of the matter: The perception that asylum seekers will increase competition for already scarce resources.

On Tuesday, Independent councillor John Lyons also accused the Government of handling the matter poorly. He said the last meeting between the community in Coolock and the Department of Integration’s engagement team was in April.

It has been evident for some time that the Government has done little to address community concerns when it comes to accommodating international protection applicants, not just in Coolock but everywhere.

However, there is some welcome news. The Department of Community and Rural Development is going to recruit 30 people to liaise with communities in areas where refuge centres are planned. That is the only way to go.

Too often, the story of immigration into Ireland is told through a negative lens. Attacks on gardaí, criminal damage, and serious public disorder are always going to grab the headlines, but we should also tell the story of what immigrants add to a community.

In 2018, an excellent anthology A Journey Called Home: Poems and stories of the new Corkonians featured the experience of immigrants who had made Cork their home.

The book highlighted the vibrancy that comes with diversity and intercultural communities.

The reality makes the need for a more positive dialogue, education, and communication all the more urgent. If only we could start with those who were arrested and show them that a different outcome is possible.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

US gun laws are the elephant in the room

There have been reassuring calls for unity and calm from leaders of every political hue following the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania at the weekend, but why has there been so little discussion about the real issue — access to guns?

The media continues to focus on the political implications of the attack, assessing how it might influence the forthcoming presidential election. Alternatively, the spotlight is on the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Crooks, and any possible warning signs that he would one day use an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle to try to kill a former president.

Few have asked the most obvious question of all: Why aren’t political leaders calling — clamouring, even — for tougher gun laws in the wake of the attack?

The assault rifle used by Crooks was the subject of a federal ban for 10 years. When the ban was lifted in some states — it remains illegal in nine US states — the rate of mass shootings tripled, according to CeaseFirePA, an organisation that campaigns for a life without gun violence.

In Pennsylvania alone, gun violence kills or injures 4,500 people a year. Crooks apparently used a gun belonging to his father, a man who has 20 other legally held guns.

Isn’t it time to join up the dots? As T Christian Heyne pointed out: “The assassination attempt was enabled by easy access to a military-style rifle, used precisely as it was designed”. Will either presidential candidate be brave enough to address the elephant in the room — America’s gun laws?

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Never mind the weather — it's showtime

Summer really is the season to be cheerful. Not because of the weather — a lacklustre St Swithin’s Day on Monday condemns us to 40 days of grey skies, as the myth has it — but thanks to the proliferation of festivals celebrating the arts.

The big ones (rightly) capture the headlines, such as the ongoing West Cork Literary Festival and the Galway International Arts Festival which opened this week for a fortnight of theatre, music, dance, art, and literary events.

But it’s also really important to support the efforts of local communities around the country who bring new festivals into being. Last weekend, the inaugural Anam Festival in Tralee was a success thanks to the efforts of a committed band of local people who came together to showcase the arts.

As well as the entertainment value, festivals also provide a unique opportunity to reach beyond the rhetoric. In Galway, for instance, the play Unspeakable Conversations will thrust audiences into the uncomfortable and often provocative discussions that take place around disability and assisted dying.

Here’s hoping the issues raised at this and many other arts festival help us to have more unspeakable conversations in the real world too.

The Irish Examiner view: Both sides must stop the spiral