Ireland and Transnational Right-Wing Extremism: Steadfast Resilience or Blind Vulnerability?

Abstract

Throughout the last two decades the primary threats that has dominated the counter terrorism landscape internationally has been that of the challenge posed by radical Islamist related extremism. A particular focus on radical Islamist related extremism has been driven by the significant directed or inspired attacks perpetrated in the West by various Islamist extremist groupings and in particular those carried out by Al Qaeda and ISIL. Notwithstanding this, considerable concern is now orientating towards the upward trajectory of violent right-wing extremism (VRWE). This paper sets out to examine the presence and impact of transnational VRWE in Ireland and to assess whether VRWE is a threat which requires greater attention at a national level. This paper argues that all though the right wing has had limited political success in Ireland, a nascent transnational threat from VRWE can pose a threat to Irish security owing to its capacity to activate and mobilise violent political and social actions both in the physical and virtual environments. The role of the online environment as an enabling medium for the propagation and influence of right wing discourse is also a concern. Although efforts to combat spread of VRWE ideologies are advancing at the EU level, further efforts at a national level to control and regulate violent discourse and hate speech online are necessary to stem the influence of hateful and sometimes violent discourse as portrayed by right wing entities.