A “very worrying” trend is emerging locally, of vulnerable people joining the far-right.
That’s according to Stephanie Mc Dermott, a lecturer in Community, Equality and Advocacy Studies at Carlow College.
It’s after new research has found that Carlow’s within the top three counties with the highest online search rates for material from extremist groups and conspiracy theorists.
Stephanie says the behaviour’s especially prevalent among people whose mental health is struggling in lockdown
“Anyone who is lacking hope, is in despair, and really can’t see an end to all this- they’re angry” she told KCLR Live. “Angry people will then join together and they’ll gain support from each other, so it is very worrying. It’s worrying, what some elements of the far-right are calling for- which is the deportation of non-ethnic Irish people. They’re spreading all sorts of hate, and hate rhetoric.”
Stephanie claims Carlow has become a “hotspot” for this concerning online activity.
She says a lot of work’s been done to uncover the trend, outlining that; “The research was done by Moonshot, who tend to monitor far-right activity, especially online, with people looking for platforms to join the far-right. So that’s what this is, and Carlow’s a bit of a hotspot for it, but there are other areas of the country doing this as well” she shared.
