Ireland's immigration protests focus of new RTÉ documentary airing on Thursday

As public anti-immigration protests reached boiling point in Ireland this summer, RTÉ Investigates has been filming for a new feature-length documentary announced to air on Thursday, September 19.

RTÉ Investigates has been on the ground at the protests that have made the headlines, consumed massive garda resources, and sent shockwaves across the political establishment in 2024.   

There has been an increasingly organized and aggressive anti-immigrant movement inflaming and taking over these protests, often led by highly vocal, media-savvy operators.

With greater frequence, locations designated for International Protection Applicant Sites, known as IPAS, are being attacked and torched.  

Across Ireland, local communities have publicly protested the prospect of hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers receiving state accommodation in their hometowns. For the past six months, RTÉ Investigates has been filming at the protests and has spoken to many people with genuine concerns.  

"Definitely the town is divided. You almost don't know who you're talking to sometimes. Some people would be afraid to say what they think. There's always been an undercurrent of anger among people who have felt forgotten and not looked after. That is so understandable. Many peaceful protests have been in objection to the lack of consultation, the additional pressure on local resources and a feeling that asylum applicants are getting preferential access to housing."  

However, RTÉ Investigates has also found that there is a small but influential element within the protest movement who have their own agendas who are spreading fear and division.

"It's an illegal plantation happening in Coolock. There is a lot of people getting attacked here. Attempted abduction of kids." 

The documentary highlights the use of disinformation to initiate violence, features first-hand footage and expert analysis showing the extent of how the state has, at times, struggled to respond when these protests have gotten out of control, and raises questions around freedom of speech and intimidation of journalists, activists, business people and volunteers in this area.  

"There is an element of the group who feel quite hostile to mainstream media, to have the government first of all deny that there is a problem and then the media back that up has created a rift. We've looked at legal angles, we looked at planning angles. In most cases, we're hitting a brick wall because nobody is listening to us." 

"RTÉ Investigates - Inside the Protests" will be broadcast on Thursday, September 19 at 9:35 pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.