Who Leads the Irish Far Right?

The Irish far right have always been miniscule, their growth constantly checked through the disciplined actions of Socialist Republicans and other militant Anti Fascists. Any attempt by fascists to orgainse on the streets has always been tackled head on and nipped in the bud. This must continue to be the case. No Platform, No Pasaran.

Over the past eighteen months however, the Far right in the Free State has been getting boulder and boulder, moving to organise street demonstrations that must be a concern for all anti fascists. Such eventst must be stopped now before they grow.

Despite this, the far right remains tiny in Ireland, with 50 foot soldiers at most. The recent national call out for fascists to assemble at Google Headquarters in Dublin managed to mobilise just 32 individuals, the majority of whom are well known to anti fascists. While small, it was the largest attempt by fascism in the free state to take to the streets, since Pegida were given their marching orders from Dublin in 2016.

But this wave of fascist organisation is concerning for a number of reasons. It is led by both the mentally unstable and the die hard core of fascists. Its leaders include British Soldiers, suspected MI5 assets and those openly involved in building links with Loyalism and the British Far Right.

This article is a brief overview of the 6 individuals who are emerging as the leadership of a new fascist movement in Ireland. Some of these individuals have been involved in People’s campaigns in recent years, attempting to hijack them for their own objectives. Those on this list should not be welcome at any demonstration or public meeting organised by working class activists. Those who continue to associate with them once this information has been made public or continue to share their posts on social media, can only be considered fellow travellers and should be treated by all working class activists with the same distain of fascists.

So who leads the current wave of Irish Fascism?

1. Gemma O’Doherty

Formerly a respected investigative journalist there is mounting evidence to suggest O’Doherty has had some form of a mental breakdown since the loss of her career.

While usually such people can be ignored, O’Doherty is being willingly used by Irish Fascists to be the face of their current attempts to build the fascist movement. It is for this reason O’Doherty and her far right propaganda must be taken seriously and viewed as dangerous.

Entering the political scene as an Anti Corruption campaigner, O’Doherty attempted to use left wing issues to build her following across the country. During the Free State Presidential elections, O’Doherty failed to win enough support for a nomination on the ballot paper. However, O’Doherty was deeply influenced by the Peter Casey effect, noticing the jump in support Casey achieved by adopting right wing rhetoric.

O’Doherty began to carefully adopt right wing language and saw a rise in her support from the far right. Now openly fascist, O Doherty has become the pin up and figure head of the current wave of fascism, openly vilifying children, the LGBT community, migrant workers and refugees and particularly Muslims. Unsurprisingly, O Doherty’s Nationalism stops at the border and none of her rants ever mention the very real imperialist occupation of our country just 90 miles from her exclusive south Dublin Home

2. Rowan ‘the Tan’ Croft

One of the most active organisers of the Irish Fascist Movement, Rowan ‘The Tan’, who claims to be a ‘Patriot’ is a former member of the British Army who took an active part in the Imperialist Occupation of Afghanistan and is suspected by many of operating for MI5.

Like O’Doherty, Croft’s ‘Patriotism stops at Britain’s border in Ireland. Far from wanting to end the illegal occupation of Ireland, this self styled Patriot is a hero worshipper of Michael Collins and a strong supporter of the Free State Counter Revolution to suppress the Republic. As would be expected of a Black and Tan, Croft has been keen to build links with Loyalism and the British Far Right, openly courting the likes of Jim Dowson, and Britain’s First.

Croft has become one of the most identifiable Fascists as he courts publicity through his alter ego, Gran Torino, and has the strange habit of making far right propaganda videos at sites of Fascist terror acttacks such as locations proposed for direct provision centres that have been targeted in arson attacks.

Croft is dangerous because he is using his Britihs Army past and connections to appeal not only to Loyalists and the British Far Right, but to convince knuckle draggers in the Free State that they have no reason to fear militant anti fascism. His propaganda has contributed to the climate of attacks on non nationals and direct provision centres, and the Tan Gets off on it.

Croft is O’Doherty’s right hand man and while geama concentrates on the propaganda of the movement, Croft concentrates on attempting to recruit and organise fascist boneheads.

Like many Irish Fascists, Croft is active in the Anti – abortion movemen and regularly present at so called ‘rallies for life’

3. Justin Barrett

Veteran Fascist, in his current incarnation, Justin Barrett is the self styled President of the so-called National Party, an openly fascist political party in Ireland. Barrett is an open admirer of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco and is a former member of both Young Fine Gael and Youth Defence, the latter with whom he maintains strong links as he continues to promote his own brand of far right Catholicism fused with Nationalism.

Barrett has regularly spoken on Neo Nazi platforms in Europe and has been beaten of the streets by Anti Fascists on a number of occasions. Barrett spent almost 12 years in hiding having been humiliated by militant anti fascists while speaking at a debate in UCD IN 2004, but reemerged in 2016 as president of the National Party, and took up a prominent place in the campaign against the repeal if the 8th amendment.

Based in Longford, Barrett states that his objective is the creation of a ‘Catholic Republic’, refers to immigration as genocide and calls for a complete ban on Muslims entering Ireland.

Recently, Barrett and his National Party have become strong supporters of Gemma O’Doherty, speaking on her platforms at Google HQ on a number of occasions.

Barrett is particularly dangerous as he is committed for the long hall. His National Party openly took to the streets during the Repeal of the 8th campaign to spread fascist propaganda. His recent alliance with O’Doherty and Croft makes him again a dangerous leader of the Irish Fascist Movement.

4. Peter ‘Pegida’ O’Loughlin

Peter O’Loughlin is the chairperson of Identity Ireland, a Far Right Political Party in the Free State that is anti Islam, Anti Immigration, and Identarian in its position. Identity Ireland is linked to Pegida and Fortress Europe, a German based Far Right network., that O’Loughlin was invited to speak at the launch of in 2016.

O’Loughlin later attempted to launch an Irish Branch of Pegida, but the fascist mobilisation was beaten of the streets of Dublin by militant Anti Fascists and failed to get off the ground.

Since that humiliation, O’Loughlin has been attempting to build links with Loyalism and the British Far Right from a Pro Brexit standpoint.

O’Loughlin continues to attempt to broaden his appeal by standing in Free State and EU Elections on an Anti Immigration platform.

5.Hermann Kelly

Hermann Kelly is Nigel Farage’s man in Ireland. Claiming to be a Nationalist from Derry, Kelly has had a long career as a right hand man in Farage’s far right movement in both Britain and Europe. While working in the EU Parliament, Kelly was quite content to allow a Union Jack appear beside his staff profile, strange for a so called ‘nationalist’.

Educated at a Scottish University known to produce members of the British Secret Service, Kelly is a former director of the ultra far right Europe for Freedom and Democracy Group.

When Nigel Farage decided to attempt to hijack anti EU sentiment in Ireland to launch a far right movement in Ireland that would be allied to British Imperialism outside of the EU, Kelly was the man chosen by Farage to front this project , and was appointed as President of the IREXIT Freedom to Prosper Party, a Political Party inextricably linked to the Brexit Party.

The so-called Freedom Party has organised a number of mobilisations on the streets, where it has platformed speakers from the Italian far right and aping the British Far Right chanted Irish First and Irish Ireland Now.

Kelly has appeared on Platforms with the Tan Croft and the Loyalist Jim Dowson, demonstrating he is a key personality in the Irish Fascist Movement.

6. Jim Dowson

Jim Dowson is a Loyalist from Scotland and a long time senior member of the British Far Right. A former member of the Orange Order and Loyalist Flute Bands, Dowson has long term links with Youth Defence and the Far Right in the Free State.

Dowson has been a key organiser in Britain First and the Loyalist death squad linked Protestant Coalition.

Closely allied with Nick Griffin, Dowson is now based in Eastern Europe were he leads the far right Knights Templar Internaational that has been accused of providing arms and equitment to enable far right paramilitaries target Asylum seekers..

Today Dowson is a key link between Ulster Loyalism, the British Far Right and Fascists in the Free State. Long term links with Justin Barrett since youth defence, Dowson is also linked with Hermann Kelly and Rowan Croft. It was for this reason Dowson released a statement against Loyalists taking part in evictions in the Free state which was part of a wider effort of fascists on both sides of Britian’s border in Ireland to find common Ground.

As a go between between the far right in Britain, the Free State, the Six Counties and Europe, Dowson should be considered extremely dangerous and a key figure pushing the re-emergence of an Irish Fascist Movement.

Fascist must never be allowed to openly organise on our streets or spread there posion in Working Class Communities. Far From being ‘Patriots’ it is clear that the current leaders of the Irish Far Right are closely linked to Loyalist Death Squads, the Britsh Far Right and British Imperialism in Ireland.

Irish Socialist Republicans believe that all militant Anti Fascists must stand together to confront this menace. The Tactic of Moral Force, should be applied to shun these far right leaders on our streets and on social media. Don’t deal with them, don’t share their propaganda for any reason, even to criticise it, and when they take to the streets, the working class must be ready and able to confront and disorganise them.

In the spirit of Frank Ryan-“No Free Speech for Traitors”

No Platform, No Pasaran!