Operation far right
Special Garda unit has tracked extremists since 2020 but still no arrests
A DEDICATED, code-named Garda operation targeting far-right extremists has been ongoing for four years, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
This is despite the lack of a single arrest in relation to 16 arson attacks on properties linked to providing accommodation for asylum seekers over the past year.
However, sources this weekend told the MoS that gardaí investigating far-right agitators are being hampered by ‘weak’ and ‘useless’ legislation.
The Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU) began a dedicated named operation to ‘monitor, survey, investigate and disrupt’ right-wing extremist groups in 2020.
This operation is supported by the National Surveillance Unit and they ‘link in’ with the UK’s counterterrorism policing along with international law-enforcement agencies in Europe and the US.
The Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service is supporting the SDU from an ‘intelligence processing and international
‘There’s no legislation with teeth to deal with it’
liaison’ perspective. The SDU also deploys teams to far-right protests to gather intelligence.
Digital intelligence units in the Garda regions are also responsible for monitoring the far-right threat on various online platforms.
A source said: ‘It was at the monitoring phase but it has moved on from there now.’
However, sources said that, although the far-right threat is ‘very real’, legislation is ‘not up to the challenge’ of combating it. A source said the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 is ‘useless’, while the Public Order Act ‘was designed for drunk and disorderly behaviour on our streets’.
They told the MoS: ‘There have been less than 50 convictions for incitement to hatred and it is an Act that is there since 1989, so there is no legislation with teeth to deal with that element.
‘The Act is very general and almost impossible to prosecute anyone under. There have been efforts to prosecute people but it is poorly written and doesn’t give you sufficient powers.’
Sources said new hate crime laws, due to be enacted this year, are ‘vitally important’ to deal with volatile far-right groups.
The new Hate Speech and Hate Crime Bill will create new aggravated forms of existing criminal offences such as assault, where those offences are motivated by hatred against people with a ‘protected characteristic’ such as race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
A source said: ‘It is vitally important that Bill is enacted because that is what they are at – they are targeting race or creed or colour or sexuality. The bar or the threshold to prosecute someone under the current Act is so high. It is not a practical piece of legislation if you can’t prosecute’.
The source said a working group has been set up ‘only now’ to look at the Public Order Act, despite concerns having been raised about its effectiveness for ‘a long time’.
A spokesman for Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: ‘While the new legislation will proportionately balance the rights of people to live without fear in our communities, free from violence and incitement to hatred against them, with the rights of others to freely express their views and opinions, it will be clear that you cannot dangerously rile up other people to hate or be violent against another person or group of people on the basis of the protected characteristics.’
Details of the Garda operation emerged as groups are attempting to rally people to come to Dublin for a protest ‘against mass immigration and Government corruption’ tomorrow. Despite threats of a riot, with flame emojis on far-right social media websites, trouble is not expected.
One agitator posted inflammatory comments, saying the Irish ‘will take to the streets’.
Derek Blighe of the Ireland First party said: ‘I will be there in peaceful defiance to this criminal government. Hope to see you there too.’
Anti-immigration groups from around the country have also signalled their intention to attend.