THERE has been a significant increase in recent times in far right racist, Islamophobic and hate attacks on social media. The purpose of these has been to promote a climate of fear through a range of conspiracy theories from climate change, to migration and asylum seekers, to direct interference in elections.
Sinn Féin and Friends of Sinn Féin (FoSF) in the USA have become a particular target for these social media accounts. The most consistent themes are that ‘Ireland is full’, ‘Sinn Féin are traitors’, ‘Sinn Féin favours immigrants over the Irish’, and a wide variety of Islamophobic and racist comments.
Global Witness – a group monitoring social media – and Greg O’Loughlin, Executive of FoSF, have each concluded that much of this material has its origins in the United States. It most often takes the form of ‘bots’, i.e. an algorithm or a computer 'programme' that is created to respond automatically to certain activity by accounts or key words. Essentially, a computer programme is written that performs one function. It can be as simple as if someone posts on Twitter using the word 'Ireland' then the bot replies to that post with '#IrelandIsFull'.
It's slightly more complicated than that and you can make it do more complex things, but that's the heart of it and I’m told that they are relatively easy to make. X (previously Twitter) and YouTube are the most active sites, though Facebook and Instagram Messenger are being used. Greg told me that on X/Twitter he would often come across an image of Mary Lou McDonald wearing a hijab, or a Photoshopped image of the Sinn Féin logo made to read Sharia Féin. The user names were clearly not real and when he checked later, many of them were no longer active.
In July the campaign group Global Witness published a report revealing the extent to which a small number of bot-like accounts – none of them based in Ireland – were influencing social media content. Global Witness looked at content in Britain during the recent general election and in the USA, but also in relation to the events in Coolock where far right extremists engaged in riots with An Garda Síochána.
Global Witness reported that immediately prior to the British election 45 bot-like accounts on X "collectively produced around 440,000 posts, garnering over three billion impressions. In the 2.5 weeks following the election, their roughly 170,000 posts racked up over 1.3 billion impressions." They added that since then the 45 accounts have remained active and have “continued to amplify divisive political content since the election... Some have also pivoted to respond specifically to emerging global events, such as anti-migrant protests in Ireland, the assassination attempt against Donald Trump and Joe Biden stepping down from the US presidential election race, responding with racism, gendered disinformation and conspiracies.”
According to Global Witness, the posts promoting the hashtag #IrelandbelongstotheIrish encouraged people to join the protests, referenced conspiratorial tropes of "population replacement", or claimed that there was a government plot to import "thousands of criminals" and create chaos to justify greater social repression. But its investigation found that none of these accounts was based in Ireland.
So the evidence to date suggests that far right extremists living outside of Ireland are using social media, along with a small number of like-minded fascists who live here, to stir up division and violence through the promotion of racism, hate and fear. They are amplifying ideas or messages that then 'normalise' an extreme position, making it seem like it is acceptable.
The use of disinformation, conspiracy theories and lies to manipulate public and political opinion poses a dangerous threat. It attacks public understanding, generates confusion and creates and exploits divisions.
There is an onus on the social media platforms to ensure that their sites are not being used in this way. There is also a responsibility on governments to take action to prevent this type of activity and to legislate against the promotion of hate speech, racism and Islamophobia.
Back to school, back to the future
"AS soon as the kids go back to school the sun comes out," Your Man mused.
"It’s always the same," he continued, "rain during the holidays and they are cooped up inside playing their devices and all the rest of it. Then school starts again and the sun is splitting the trees and the poor children can’t get out to enjoy it. Stuck in the classroom looking out at the sun."
TYPICAL: The schools go back and the sun comes out
I said nothing. When Your Man is monologuing your best bet is to listen. Any attempt at dialogue is ignored by him as I’ve learned from experience. So, after years of frustrated efforts to join in, I now favour the odd grunt or appreciative nod as he sets out his opinions on whatever has provoked him. That way we don’t fall out and I don’t get too stressed.
He doesn’t always get on like that. Sometimes he is prepared to listen to alternative opinions. But when he gets all fired up and is going full blast the least said by yours truly the better.
"Do you remember how difficult it was starting back to school after the summer break?" he went on without waiting for an answer. The two of us knew the question was rhetorical so I wasn’t fazed, Neither was he.
"For eight weeks we could run the streets to our hearts' content. Handball at the corner gable. Street soccer with a ball made from a sock stuffed with paper. Walking up the mountain to the Hatchet Field. Fighting with the wee bucks from Getty Street. Hurling in McCrory Park or the Falls Park. Playing in the Fountain in Dunville Park. Marlies or kick the tin in our street.
"Then – whack! – it was back to school. Dark nights creeping in. The long, weary early morning walk up Leeson Street to Saint Finian’s. Usually in the rain. It wasn’t the way it is now. Back in them days the sun shone all throughout the summer holidays. And it disappeared when school started. Nowadays it is the opposite. It rains most of the summer. And the sun comes out when school starts again. Must be climate change."
He went on: “So our big adjustment from the freedom of the streets from dawn to dusk to the penal servitude of school was actually aided by the arrival of autumn. It took a few weeks, but the routine of the classroom prevailed soon enough and at least in school we were sheltered from the September drizzle and not under our mammies’ feet in the house.
"Nowadays the kids don’t get a summer. Until their break is over. Then as sure as day follow night out comes the sun. I feel sorry for them."
There was nothing for me to say. Going back to school for me, rain or shine in September, was the end of freedom. I’m sure the return to a routine was good for us young ones. But these were the days of corporal punishment – beatings with straps or canes or wooden rulers and teachers called Sir or Miss. I have no really horrific school memories and our teachers were mostly good-hearted and dedicated, but I enjoyed the holidays more than the schooldays. Especially in the weeks of adjustment immediately after the summer break.
Your Man’s memories may be a little rose-coloured. But whether he is right or wrong about the weather of our childhood days is immaterial. For different reasons, without me saying a word, we came to the same conclusion: School days are the best days of your life.
Most of the time.
