'The very worst of us' - RTE viewers shocked by anti-immigration protest footage

RTE viewers reacted strongly to Barry O'Kelly's RTE Investigates programme which went behind the cordon at numerous anti-immigration protests across Ireland.

For the past six months, Barry O’Kelly has been filming at protests against accommodation for migrants. The programme, which aired on Thursday night, features views from protesters, experts on policing and political movements, and individuals developing sites for accommodation.

It documents how fierce opposition has developed at certain sites, and sometimes spun out of control.

Barry O'Kelly himself was verbally attacked at protests and told he wasn't welcome there as he documented the action. He was on the Crown Paints site in Coolock when it came under attack and a worker was injured after a large pole was thrown over fencing.

The scenes shocked viewers who took to social media to react.

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One wrote: "The very worst of us. Shameful. Very hard to watch a lot of this. Glad it came with a warning.

Another man said: "My father, a brain surgeon came from India for a better life and as a family we’re thankful to Ireland and I know from the messages he receives from his patients that it’s mutual, wonder if the people that want immigrants out would deny life-saving surgery from him?"

New footage shows the threats and vitriol directed at workers at the former Crown Paints site in Coolock on 15 July.

RTÉ Investigates was filming inside the site when one of the largest anti-immigration protests to date erupted into rioting.

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Another viewer praised the bravery of journalist Barry O'Kelly: "Fair play to Barry O'Kelly for keeping the camera rolling through the pure harassment for #RTEInvestigates. The intimidation of workers and asylum seekers is appalling. Worth paying the TV license for this kind of reporting."

A further reaction read: "Watching #RTEInvestigates - the far right scumbags will probably get up in arms about how they’re being portrayed, but it’s mostly your own footage you streamed that makes you look like unhinged evil fascists."

There was also criticism of the programme and how certain protests and incidents were portrayed. One viewer wrote: "I’m neither left or right, but it’s clear to see there is no balance whatsoever in this programme. If you have concerns, you’re bad, and that means far right/racist or some other slur."

Some of the dramatic footage documents the racial abuse and intimidation of workers on the Coolock site and shows how the site was overcome with agitators with one security officer knocked unconscious.

One man told the security staff: “I’m going to find out where each and every one of youse live. Don’t think we won’t find you, cause we f**king will. I’ve found worse c***s than you.”

Another man said: “You’ll get f**king shot here.” Making a gesture of a gun pointed to his head, he said: “Bang, bang. That’s what happens.”

The programme documents how the crowd at the entrance grew as the early morning wore on.

“Go back to your country. The fences won’t hold you. Dublin says no. Get the f**k out, you’re a different breed.”

“Burn, baby burn,” one man chanted in what proved to be a prophetic comment as the cameras later captured the moment a petrol bomb was thrown on site.

The programme documents the security team and the staff at the Coolock site continuously calling the Gardaí looking for help as they were essentially under siege.

The cameras captured agitators – some armed with poles - roamed through the site, threatening and chasing after security workers, smashing windows, stealing beds, and most-visibly, setting fire to a digger. A member of the security team was hit in the head when a large pole was thrown in his direction. He was in and out of consciousness when paramedics arrived.

Outside the site entrance - hours after calls had first been made about the growing violence - the Garda public order units returned several hours after initially clearing the entrance to the site that morning. It was early evening before order was fully restored in the area.

In a statement to RTÉ Investigates, An Garda Síochána said the policing operation undertaken in Coolock, as with any event involving public disorder, was "centred on a graduated approach and a strong tradition of policing by consent". It said over 200 members were deployed during the operation and a full investigation is now underway including the review of 3,000 hours of CCTV footage with 34 arrests having been made to date. It added three Gardaí were injured on the day.

Protests continued nightly over the following days. The site has been set on fire multiple times since. The developer of the site Paul Collins, spoke to RTÉ Investigates revealing that he left the country amidst fears for his safety and that of his family.

Mr Collins has already installed houses for asylum seekers elsewhere, but he says the opposition to his plan for the north Dublin site has been different.

“I'm not a guy that you easily frighten, but it's definitely more frightening,” he said.

“I don't understand in the sense of, you know, the hands on, the hands-off approach [by the Gardaí]. Is there a law or is there not?”

The former Crown Paints site is just one of 200 around the country designated for accommodating asylum applicants by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS).

Some 400 people have been arriving weekly since February seeking international protection - almost double last year's figure. This year alone, a total of 25,000 people are expected to make applications for asylum, bringing the total number since 2019 to 50,000.

With the growing numbers comes a growing demand for temporary accommodation and many local communities protesting their opposition to these being located in their communities for varying reasons.

Some experts have called for law and order reform to deal with the issue. However, others have warned the problems run deeper than that.

Dr Barry Cannon of the Department of Sociology in Maynooth University said, “I would resist reducing it to a public order element,”.

“There is a very large amount of people which feel very disenfranchised and cannot be ignored in this battle for hearts and minds.”

You can catch up and watch RTÉ Investigates - Inside the Protests on the RTÉ Player.