Perfect storm for conspiracy theories
The pandemic has created a perfect storm for conspiracy theories to run rampant, writes
OUT of nowhere, the eight-shot cannon firework burst through the assembled crowd. Its target was gardaí, deployed to stem rising violence at the anti-lockdown protest in Dublin city centre last Saturday.
The iconic image now defines the chaos of the day: a warning shot to society about growing unease among citizens, fuelled by far-right extremists and conspiracy theorists.
Specialist detectives are now paying close attention. Not least because one member of the Kinahan cartel — a retired professional boxer — has been identified on CCTV instigating violence. The ageing boxer mingled with far-right extremists, intent on attacking gardaí and causing maximum disruption.
“We had the presence of this boxer, an organised criminal, dispersed among some far-right extremists who also wanted to attack gardaí. There were also some low-level troublemakers,” said a well-placed source. “This all happened against a backdrop of mostly peaceful protesters.
“The garda response had to be measured to ensure innocent people weren’t hurt.”
Garda headquarters were briefed last week about who was behind the violence: a small but dangerous group of extremist agitators, who have the potential to spark widescale violence by radicalising normally law-abiding citizens.
Added to the mix were criminal elements, operating entirely separately but nonetheless intent on causing trouble.
A team of officers from the Special Detective Unit (SDU) are closely monitoring a number of far-right extremists, sources told the Sunday Independent, and the National Cyber Crime Bureau are infiltrating their private online groups. Detectives believe that some of those involved are also using encrypted phones — which are untraceable — to plan their activities, as well as communicate with other agitators overseas.
“Encrypted phones are traditionally used by organised crime gangs, such as the Kinahan cartel, to arrange murders and major drugs shipments,” said a security source.
“We now believe these phones are in the hands of some of these far-right extremists, who already use encrypted messaging services. That shows how organised they are.”
Several people are before the courts in connection with the violent scenes, including 30-year-old Jake Merriman, charged with the firework attack on gardaí.
More arrests are planned. It’s also understood that lead investigators at Pearse Street are examining the potential for sanctions against the organisers of the protest, as it is an offence to organise gatherings under Level 5 restrictions.
The anti-lockdown protest was planned by RiseUp Éireann, under the banner of a ‘Unite the Tribes’ social and cultural gathering. It was promoted on the group’s Facebook and Instagram pages. RiseUp Éireann has since been removed by these social media sites for breaking the platforms’ rules.
The event was also promoted by numerous other groups online, including on mobile apps such as Signal, Telegram and Threema. These messaging services are encrypted, making it more difficult, but not impossible, for gardaí to monitor.
There is no suggestion that RiseUp Éireann, which is non-political, had any knowledge or involvement in the violent scenes that broke out.
As the protest unfolded, members of the right-wing National Party, who vehemently oppose lockdowns, were observed by gardaí handing out its leaflets. Then the extremist and criminal elements hijacked what was intended to be a peaceful event.
“First of all, it was not a protest, it was a social and cultural event,” said RiseUp Éireann founder Shakti Ji — a Tralee native whose real name is Bairbre de Bairead.
“I’ve studied with the Dalai Lama in the Himalayas. I am about peace. The people who carried fireworks into town, they are not of us. They are not of the light. They did not come to do yoga in the park with us. The media focused on the wrong thing.”
It is estimated that up to 2,000 people from all over Ireland attended the event. Because it was well publicised, gardaí had an expectation of violence, which was duly delivered. Extremists — including former members of the white supremacist group Generation Identity Ireland — are suspected of instigating the violence, as are more traditional criminal elements, including the retired boxer, who became involved solely to “rage against police”.
Public order units assisted gardaí from Pearse Street and Kevin Street when a mini-riot broke out and gardaí were attacked with fireworks and other missiles, including bottles.
“We contained it,” said a well-placed source. “We weren’t caught off-guard — but it is fair to say gardaí were tested. But we protected the public, most of the protesters there were peaceful. Our objective was to protect them. We succeeded.”
Violent scenes aside, wild conspiracy theories and accusations against mainstream media gained traction at the protest. Press dispatched to cover the unfolding scenes
MAXIMUM DISRUPTION: Gardai restrain a man during last weekend’s anti-lockdown protest in Dublin. Photo: Damian Eagers/PA were told that RTÉ staff were involved in “killing and harvesting” babies for “adrenochrome”, a chemical compound which “keeps RTÉ celebrities looking young”.
The outlandish accusations didn’t stop there. The assembled media were informed that the bodies of the babies are being buried under the new children’s hospital. In addition, the Government were accused of being paedophiles.
Shakti Ji, a yogini and energy healer, says she is not a conspiracy theorist. But she would not dismiss the bizarre allegations against RTÉ.
“If they found babies’ corpses in Tuam, anything is possible. Lots of people think the bogeyman is coming to get them, as in the corona. That’s the biggest conspiracy of them all. I’m not a conspiracy theorist. That term was created by the CIA to discredit people telling the truth. Who’s conspiring against who?”
The pandemic has created “the perfect storm of conditions” for conspiracy theories to run rampant and extremist groups to swell their ranks, according to an expert in the field.
“That crazy stuff about RTÉ, that’s QAnon stuff essentially. We’ve just seen how dangerous that can be in America with Trump supporters. Right now, people are being misled, misinformed and radicalised online in Ireland,” according to Ciarán O’Connor, disinformation analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD).
“Saturday did not happen in a vacuum. A few days previously lockdown was extended. Many of the people being radicalised online are vulnerable and have lost their livelihoods.
“They are angry and looking for answers. People with a political agenda are radicalising them, getting them out on the streets. It wasn’t too difficult. Many people are disillusioned by this ongoing lockdown.”
Not everyone who participated in the protest buys into the conspiracy theories aired. Dr Andrew Rynne addressed the crowds about his views on Covid, which he maintains is comparable to flu. He is also anti-vaccine.
“I’m very opposed to the government response to Covid-19. Our human rights and civil rights are being stripped away,” he told the Sunday Independent. “I got the virus myself in February last year. Granted it was self-diagnosed, I wasn’t tested.
“But it was extremely mild, less than a flu,” added the 78-year-old, who rose to public prominence as a vasectomy GP. He was lucky to survive after being shot by a gunman while performing surgery in 1990 as a consequence of his work, which was progressive for its time.
What does he think of some of the conspiracies outlined last weekend?
“Some of the things said about RTÉ, I mean it’s completely ridiculous. Common sense would mean you would not believe it. There were some lunatics making ridiculous claims.”
Hermann Kelly
The retired medic also condemned the violence, adding: “Of course there were hooligans. There always will be at a public event of that size. I wouldn’t belong to any political group, right-wing or otherwise. The solution to this has to come from peaceful means.
“We used to have freedoms in this country. They have been stripped away. People’s mental health has been badly affected by this. Ordinary decent people have lost their jobs, people have lost everything.”
Dr Rynne, who has founded Freedom Returned, which calls for the reopening of society, said plans are in motion for another protest on St Patrick’s Day in the capital.
“A number of groups are working together on it. Details will probably only be publicly announced the day before. People will not be frightened by gardaí in the street. We are not going away.”
Peaceful protesters have no need to be fearful of police, security sources point out.
“But well-meaning, often highly educated anti-lockdown activists should look around them,” said a source. “They are not in good company.”
Extremists who have hijacked the anti-lockdown movement are most definitely not going away, agreed Ciarán O’Connor.
“We are not through our moment with the extremist far-right in Ireland, it has the potential to get a lot worse,” he explained. “There are such a mix of people involved.
“There are educated people who oppose lockdown and vaccines. There are a raft of right-wing groups. Then, there are far-right extremists peddling conspiracy theories and promoting violence online. There are also vulnerable and marginalised people buying into every word of it. Online vitriol can lead to offline violence.”
‘We used to have freedoms in this country. They have been stripped away’
‘The idea that RTÉ celebrities are drinking children’s blood to stay looking young…’
The Irish Freedom Party (IFP), which has organised previous anti-lockdown protests, was not involved in organising last weekend’s event.
IFP president Hermann Kelly condemned those involved in the violence as “trouble-making idiots”.
He told this newspaper that his right-wing political party also distances itself from “crackpot” claims being made at last Saturday’s protest.
“I am sick to death of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories which come from watching too much YouTube... The idea that RTÉ celebrities are drinking children’s blood to stay looking young…
“And other crackpot conspiracy theories without evidence... that a discount shop facemask worn for weeks on end will save you from a microscopic virus.”
Gardaí are well aware of the plans for the St Patrick’s Day protest in Dublin. The policing plan is being drawn up. Senior gardaí are determined to suppress any attempt to escalate violence, as seen last weekend. But the bigger picture is about much more than predicting riots.
Online, vaccine misinformation in Ireland continues to thrive. According to recent research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the past six months alone have seen a 90pc growth of Facebook users engaging with Covid conspiracy and misinformation.
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter now remove pages that contain false information about Covid-19 and vaccines.
“But the horse has already bolted. The die has been cast. The pages are removed — but the community has been activated. It just shows up elsewhere online. It’s like a Whack-a-Mole game,” explains Mr O’Connor.
“I’ve seen literature online for what is planned on St Patrick’s Day. It’s billed as an ‘anti-tyranny march’.
“These groups are uniting under a banner of freedom. They are anti-lockdown and pro-freedom. And who doesn’t agree with wanting freedom?”
Shakti Ji says she is not involved in planning any more demonstrations, describing this as “fake news”.
She estimates that 16,000 people attended the event she helped organise last Saturday — despite independent observers putting the figure at less than 2,000.
Before Covid, the Kerry native ran health and wellness festivals all over the world, but she has been largely out of work for the past 12 months.
“My business shut down because of Covid. We must have freedom of speech for the people of our land,” she said.
“We have to make a stand for the people of our land.
“I’m sober 10 years and I’m a single mum. I won’t take orders from Government. I answer only to my God.”