Ruth Coppinger says Government actions have helped rise of the far right
Michael Bolton
The Government must take some of the blame for the rise of the far right, which has taken advantage of the housing crisis, according to People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger.
"If we didn't have a housing crisis for 12 years now, there wouldn't be the oxygen for the far right that there is," said the Dublin TD.
"The Government has left the situation undealt with and handed over housing to the private market, which is giving the far right so much to work off.
"We had people coming to work here, or as refugees, and they are a scapegoat for the Government.
"If you look at the Justice Minister, he has put a lot of statements out on these charter flights that are deporting people. They are organised as propaganda for the Government to be seen to be strong against immigration."
Ms Coppinger said the rise of the far right online and in society had increased since the Covid pandemic.
"We are dealing with an international environment where the growth of the far right has been a major feature in every country.
"In Ireland, the far-right groups, agitators and individuals have had a big impact on social media and society in general.
"There are conspiracy theories, and there is no rational arguing with so many of these people.
"The far right has grown a lot since the pandemic. Authoritarian-type decisions were taken to deal with Covid, which allowed them to make propaganda from that, and I think that was a segue for a lot of people into racist stuff."
Speaking to BreakingNews.ie, Ms Coppinger said it was a dangerous time for politicians from all sides.
Threats were made to Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family, and the safety of politicians and activists has been in focus both in this country and internationally. Last week conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered in the US.
"Anyone who is involved in political life or activism is in a very dangerous time. The world in general has become more dangerous and brutal."
The Dublin TD said she had to change her interactions with the public and had to make security plans prior to people coming into her office.
"I have had meetings, but I would always run a security plan before those meetings, which I would never have had to do five years ago.
"We used to have public meetings all the time, but now we have had to put different things in place because we learned the hard way.
"Meetings can be disrupted deliberately, attempts can be made to spark a reaction to annoy people so they do something so that these people can video and put online.
"Everyone has to be screened, you wouldn't let anyone into your constuiency office without checking who they are. Most people have security installed.
"It doesn't stop me, I still carry on doing what I am doing, but you do have people coming up to you a lot more making remarks which they wouldn't in the past.
"You just wouldn't have open clinics or public meetings the way you would before. That openness you used to have is having to go."