People must reject ‘far right agitators’ stoking division

by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie

FAR-RIGHT groups attempting to hijack community concerns regarding the arrival of asylum seekers need to be rejected, the Clare Public Participation Network (PPN) Secretariat has stated.

Since its establishment in 2014, Clare PPN has welcomed new arrivals to communities across the county, including refugees and asylum seekers, while also campaigning to end Direct Provision. Clare PPN is a network of more than 350 community groups in the county.

In a statement to The Clare Echo following Saturday’s public meeting discussing the potential arrival of more refugees in Shannon, Clare PPN warned of far-right agitators trying to stoke violence within the county. “Farright agitators have been active before in Clare but with little success in Lisdoonvarna, Ennis, and nearby in Kinvara, Co Galway. Our communities saw through these attempts to pit people against each other and instead acted to welcome people to their neighbourhoods, while continuing to demand better resources and services. The very same agi- tators did however go on to cause community division and upset in Oughterard and Rooskey and Moville to name but a few places”.

There was ‘extreme concern’ within Clare PPN over the presence of some far-right activists at the Shannon gathering.

“Given recent events around Ireland, Clare PPN is extremely concerned that the groups of far right agitators DO present the prospect of violence in our communities and we are calling on all the community groups to reject their presence, and to reject their messages of division”.

Co-ordinator of Clare PPN, Sarah Clancy stated, “Far-right groups offer us nothing and have no contribution that will benefit us. They have no solutions